How to take and annotate screenshots on Windows 10

In Windows 10, if you want to take a screenshot to capture what's on your screen, there are many ways you can install a third-party program. There is also the old Snipping Tool, which Microsoft says will soon be gone in this beginner's guide. I'll show you how to use your replacement clipping sketch. I will go through all of the major features. I'll show you how to take screenshots and annotate them of everything on your screen.

Content:

Screenshot Using Snip & Sketch App

Screenshot Using Action Center Quick Button

Screenshot Using Keyboard Shortcut

Screenshot Using Print Screen Key

How to Annotate Screenshots

How to Save, Copy, or Share

METHOD 1: Screenshot Using Snip & Sketch App

Let's get started I'll first show you the various ways to use snip and sketch to take a screenshot. Let's get something on the screen worthy of being captured Brennan's legendary bananas foster if you've had it you already know how good it is. 

Let's begin with the basics and open the snip and sketch app in the lower left in the taskbar go to the search box and type snip and sketch when it appears. 

Click on it while it's open to save you time in the future go to the taskbar right-click on the snipping sketch icon and select pin to the taskbar so it'll be there to quickly access whenever you need it you have two blue tabs in the upper-left when you click the drop-down arrow you have three choices for when the screenshot toolbar appears to snip now we'll bring it up immediately snip in three seconds and snip in 10 seconds we'll have a time delay. 

This is great for those times you need to interact with other programs prior to the toolbar appearing for example when interacting with the drop-down menu on a web page in your browser that disappears when you click away we'll just leave it on snip.

Now click on new to bring up the overlay for the screenshot toolbar your choices from left to right are rectangular freeform window and full-screen snip if you've never used a screen capture tool before I'll go through each of these individually full screens captures everything visible on your screen rectangular. 

Let's you left-click and drag your mouse to choose the area you'd like to capture and then let go freeform lets you draw out the area of your screenshot and window snip captures the entire window of any app or program visible on your screen by clicking into it click on the X in the upper right to close out the snip and sketch app.

METHOD 2: Screenshot Using Action Center Quick Button

I'll show you other ways to bring up the screenshot toolbar without having to open the app go to the action center in the notification area in the lower right of the taskbar and select screen step if you don't see screen snip in the action center it could be that your quick buttons are collapsed click on expand to make it visible.

METHOD 3: Screenshot Using Keyboard Shortcut

For those of you that prefer to use keyboard shortcuts to bring up the toolbar use the windows key plus shift plus the letter "S". 

Once again to bring up the toolbar use the windows key plus shift plus the letter "S". 

METHOD 3: Screenshot Using Print Screen Key

If enabled another way to bring up the screenshot toolbar is by pressing the print screen key on your keyboard I'll show you how to enable it. Once again let's open the snipping sketch app hopefully you have it pinned to your taskbar as suggested earlier.

To open it quickly in the upper right-click the three-dot menu icon and select Settings at the top you'll see a link that says use the print screen button to open screen snipping click on it select yes this will bring you to the ease of access keyboard settings scroll down the page to the section that says print screen shortcut and toggles the switch on now when you hit the print screen key on your keyboard it will bring up the screenshot toolbar. 

How to Annotate Screenshots:

Let's go back to the snip and sketch app settings the toggle for the auto copy to the clipboard should be on the others can be left off unless you're somebody that forgets to save your screen captures then you might want to toggle the switch on for safe snips.

Let's do another screenshot using the app. Click on new let's do windows snip when you get done capturing your screenshot you can mark it up with the annotation tools here at the top from left to right enable touch writing if you have a surface-like device to use the touch-based inputs otherwise you can use your mouse there are three types of pens to choose from ballpoint pencil and highlighter when it's active there'll be a blue line here at the bottom of the button click on it again to change the color and the size there's a slider here for the size.

Let's mark it up before moving on to the right of the pens is an eraser click on it to use it lets you delete selected annotations by dragging over those you want eliminated to quickly delete all you had made click eraser again and select erase all ink to the right of that you can select a ruler for measuring click on it again it also gives you the option of a protractor. 

Let's get rid of this by dragging it out of the window and on the right there's a cropping tool when you select it you'll see white dots in the corners to select the area you'd like to keep I'll drag all these in here now when it's cropped to your satisfaction. Click the checkmark in the upper right. 

How to Save, Copy, or Share:

When you're finished working on your screenshot in the top menu to the right there's a save as button to save it to your computer to the right of that there's a button to copy it to your clipboard and paste it where you need it and there's a share button to send it to someone else nearby sharing if you have it turned on and you have the option to send it to another supported program.

That's all folks thanks for watching hopefully this article helped if it did give it a thumbs up and share with others that might find it useful let us know in the comments whether you love or hate the snip and sketch tool. 

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