How to take a screenshot on a Dell computer

This article will guide you through the process of capturing and saving a screenshot on your Dell computer.

Navigate to the page you wish to capture. The entire screen content (excluding the mouse cursor) will be captured, including the taskbar.

• For example, you can open a Facebook conversation with a friend.

Locate the ⎙ PrtScr key. The "Print Screen" key is typically found on the upper-right side of Dell keyboards. Unlike other types of keyboards, the "Print Screen" key is usually blank with no text on it.

• The key can appear in different variations, but "PrtSc" and "Prnt Scr" are the most common labels.

Locate the ⊞ Win key. This key, marked with the Windows logo, is usually located in the lower-left corner of your Windows device.

Press the ⊞ Win and ⎙ PrtScr keys simultaneously. The screen will dim for a brief moment, indicating that the screenshot has been captured.

• If the screen does not dim, try holding the ⊞ Win key and pressing the ⎙ PrtScr key again.

Open the Start menu. You can do this by pressing the ⊞ Win key or by clicking on the Windows icon in the lower-left corner of the screen. This will open the Start menu with the cursor placed in the "Search" field.

Type screenshots into the Start menu. You will see a folder titled "Screenshots" appear at the top of the Start menu window.

Click on the Screenshots folder. Perform this step to open the folder, where you will find the captured screenshots.

• The Screenshots folder is created inside the Pictures folder after the first screenshot is taken.

Navigate to the page you want to capture. The entire screen content (excluding the mouse cursor) will be captured, including the taskbar.

• For instance, you can open a Facebook chat with your friends.

Locate the ⎙ PrtScr key. The "Print Screen" key is usually located on the upper-right side of the Dell keyboard. Unlike keyboards from other brands, the "Print Screen" key is typically blank without text.

• The "Print Screen" key may be labeled differently in various ways, but "PrtSc" and "Prnt Scr" are the most common labels.

Press the ⎙ PrtScr key. This action will copy the screenshot to your computer's clipboard, allowing you to paste it into an image-saving software.

• Some Dell keyboards may have the "PrtSc" text printed in a different color (for example, white). If that is the case, you will need to press the Fn key in the lower-left corner of the keyboard while pressing the ⎙ PrtScr key.

Open the Start menu. You can do this by clicking the Windows icon (Windows Vista and 7) or Start (Windows XP) at the bottom-left corner of the screen, or by pressing the ⊞ Win key.

Type paint in the Start menu. You will see the Paint program appear at the top of the Start menu.

• For Windows XP, click All Programs, then choose Accessories.

Click on the Paint icon. The icon looks like a cup full of paintbrushes (Windows XP and Vista) or a color palette (Windows 7).

Hold down Ctrl and press V. This action will paste the captured image into Paint.

Click on the File (File). This option is located at the top-left corner of the Paint window.

Click on Save (Save). This action will open a window where you can assign a name to the file.

Enter a name and click on Save. This will save the screenshot to your computer’s default save location, usually in the Documents folder.

• You can change the save location by clicking on a folder in the left sidebar.

Open the Start menu. You can do this by pressing the ⊞ Win key or by clicking the Windows icon at the bottom-left corner of the screen.

• Snipping Tool is not available in Windows XP.

Type snipping tool in the Start menu. This will display the Snipping Tool icon at the top of the Start menu.

Click on the Snipping Tool icon. The icon resembles a pair of scissors. This will launch the Snipping Tool application.

Click on Mode (Mode) or ▼. This will open a drop-down menu with the following screenshot options:

• Free-form Snip – This option lets you draw any shape using the mouse, and the area inside that shape will be captured as a screenshot.
• Rectangular Snip – This is the default option, allowing you to draw a rectangle in any size to capture as a screenshot.
• Window Snip – This option captures a specific window, similar to holding the Alt key and pressing Print Screen. You can select the window to use.
• Full-screen Snip – This option captures the entire screen, but it does not show the Snipping Tool window itself.

Click on the frame. The frame will be applied to the screenshot.

Change the border. By default, the snip will have a red border around it. You can modify this by clicking the Options button. This will open a new window where you can disable the border or change its color.

Click on New (New). This option is located on the right side of the Snipping Tool toolbar. The screen will dim, and the mouse cursor will change to a crosshair shape.

Click and drag the mouse across the screen. As you do this, a rectangle will appear, outlining the selected area.

• If you choose Full-screen Snip, clicking New will capture the entire screen.

Release the mouse button. This action will capture the entire content within the rectangular area.

Click on File. This option is located in the top left corner of the screenshot window.

Click on Save as (Save As). This option is located near the center of the dropdown menu.

Type a name, then click Save. This will save the screenshot to your computer's default image storage location, usually the Pictures folder.

• You can change the save location by clicking on the folder in the left sidebar.