Taking a screen capture (printing your screen)
Sometimes it's simpler to show someone what's on your screen than it is to explain it. Windows lets you take a picture of the screen so you can save, print or share what you see. This is referred to as taking a screenshot or screen capture.
You can take a screenshot and automatically save it as a file, take a screenshot without saving it as a file, or take a screenshot of only one window (instead of the whole screen).
- Press the Windows logo key
+PrtScn. Or, if you're using a tablet, press the Windows logo button + the volume down button.
The screen will dim for a moment when the screen is copied and saved as a file in the Screenshots folder (which is in your Pictures folder).
The Screenshots folder
To take a screenshot (without saving it)
-
Press PrtScn.
A picture of the screen is copied and you can paste it wherever you'd like.
Tap or click the window you want to capture.
-
Press Alt+PrtScn.
A picture of the window is copied and you can paste it wherever you'd like.
Notes
On some keyboards, PrtScn might appear as PrtSc or a similar abbreviation.
Certain laptops and other devices don't have a PrtScn key or might use a different key combination to take screenshots. Check the manual that came with your laptop or device for more information.
Another way to capture a picture of part of the screen is to use the Windows Snipping Tool. To learn more, see Using the Snipping Tool to capture screen shots.
This article was taken from: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/take-screen-capture-print-screen#take-screen-capture-print-screen=windows-8
For instructions for other operating systems please use this site http://www.take-a-screenshot.org/