It does not matter how many screens your system is connected to, the shortcut key, CTRL+ Print Screen, captures every portion of the screen. This will be an issue if you want to capture only a specific portion of the screen.
Besides taking a snapshot of the entire screen, Windows also lets you take a partial screenshot using the Snipping Tool. The snipping tool lets you take a screenshot in four different modes. You can take a screenshot of the active window, select the portion you want, or even take a screenshot in hands-free mode. Moreover, you can also set a delay to take a screenshot.
Taking Partial Screenshots on Windows
The default key to take a screenshot on Windows is the Windows + Print Screen key. It takes a snapshot of your entire screen. However, to take a partial screenshot of the window, you need to interact with the application interface, providing the feature.
Screenshot using Snipping Tool
To take a screenshot, open the pre-installed application named Snipping Tool. You can press Windows + Shift + S to go directly into screenshot mode. Left-click and drag the area that you want to capture.
Alternatively, you can also open the application via the start menu, choose the desired mode, and set screenshot delay.
- Press the Windows key to open the Start menu.
- Click on All Apps.
- Scroll down and select the Snipping Tool.
- Once the application opens, make sure that you set the mode to rectangular mode.
- Click on New to take a partial screenshot. The screen will be grayed out.
- Left-click and drag on the portion of the screen that you want to screenshot.
- Let go of the left-click to save your image. A notification will pop up saying that the screenshot has been copied to the clipboard and saved.
- Click on this notification to view the screenshot.
Different Screenshot Modes
By default, the screenshot mode is rectangle mode. This mode allows you to select the area that you want to snapshot.
The full-screen mode works just like Windows + Print Screen. It takes a snapshot of all your screens. Rectangle mode gives you complete control over the area where you want to take a screenshot. However, this mode only captures the screen in a rectangle.
Window mode allows you to take a snapshot of the active window. And finally, free-form mode enables a hands-free mode where you can freely move the mouse cursor to take a screenshot.
Change Screenshot Keys
The default key to take a screenshot using the snipping tool is Windows + Shift + S. However, you can change the shortcut key to the Print Screen button.
- Press the Windows + I key to open Settings.
- Navigate to Accessibility > Keyboard.
- Scroll down to the On-screen keyboard, access keys, and Print screen.
- Enable Use the Print Screen button to open screen snipping.
- Restart your PC.
- Once the PC restarts, press the Print Screen key to check if the screen goes into screenshot mode.
Screenshot using Third Party Application
You can also use many found alternative applications over the internet to take a screenshot. One advantage to using a third-party application would be its features. These features could be the ability to change file format, size, or even shortcut keys.
All these features will depend on the application you use. Lightshot, Greenshot, PicPick, and ShareX are great applications offering screenshot options with a simple user interface and several functionalities.