How to take a screen capture
When submitting a helpdesk support request, it's very useful to include a screen capture. Here's how to take one in Windows 7, 8, and Mac OS X.
Step-by-step guide
Using the Snipping Tool to take a screen capture in Windows 10
- You should already have a shortcut to Snipping Tool pinned to your start bar at the bottom of your desktop window.
- Select the Start
button, type snipping tool in the search box on the taskbar, and then select Snipping Tool from the list of results.
Tip:
If you use the snipping tool often, save it as a shortcut on your desktop, or pin it to the Taskbar or Start Menu
To choose the type of snip you want, select Mode (or, in older versions of Windows, the arrow next to New), and then choose Free-form, Rectangular, Window, or Full-screen Snip. When making free-form or rectangular snips, use your mouse to select the area that you want to capture.
To take a new screenshot using the same mode you used last, select New.
Use the Save and Copy buttons at the top of the snip to save or copy it to the clipboard.
Tip:
Make your selection size appropriate to the area you wish to capture. If you want to capture an error message or small portion of the screen, don't capture the entire screen.
Working with your screen capture
Once you have a screen capture there are a few things you can do with it. It will open in a separate window and from this window you can do the following, as shown below:
- Over-write the current capture with a new one
- Save the capture as an image file so you can attach it to a helpdesk request
- Copy and paste the capture into a document or email
- Create a new, blank email message and include the capture as an attachment
- Annotate, highlight or erase portions of the image.
Emailing or attaching a screen capture
You may need to email or attach the screen capture after you take it. There are a few ways to accomplish this:
- Use the envelop button, as shown above.
- Save the capture and then attach it to an email message
- Copy and paste the capture into an email message
If you're submitting a helpdesk request with a screen capture, always include a description of the screen capture, even if it's obvious to you. The recipient may have to guess at what you're trying to show.
Don't embed screen captures into Word or PowerPoint documents when submitting support requests
Don't paste a screen capture into a Word or PowerPoint document and then send the document as an attachment. Save the capture as a file and then attach the file to your request.
Taking a screen capture in Mac OS X
Taking a screen capture in Mac OS X is easy, but requires knowing to keyboard shortcuts.
| To capture... | Press... |
| The whole screen | Command(⌘)+Shift+3 |
| A portion of the screen | Command(⌘)+Shift+4 |
The screen captures will be saved to your desktop with the filename: Screen Shot date and time.png. You can email or attach this screen capture like you would any other image.
Additional Resources