Screen­shot

Screen­shots are a handy way to save, document, and share processes, errors, and com­mu­ni­ca­tions on your computer. A screen­shot is a snapshot of the entire screen or a section of it. On Windows and macOS, you will find several pre-installed free-to-use tools for taking screen­shots.

A screen­shot is a digital photo of visibly displayed content on a screen. It is saved by default as a file to the clipboard or in the screen­shot folder. Typically, you can also send it directly to a selected printer and print it out.

Not counting pho­tograph­ing a screen with an actual camera, screen­shots have been around since the mid-1960s. Back then, you could print the content of a screen at the touch of a button.

Later in the 1970s and 80s, de­vel­op­ers realized how useful screen­shots were and began de­vel­op­ing computers with a built-in screen­shot function. For example, IBM’s VDU terminals and MS-DOS operating systems had a print screen function in the 70s that made it possible to print out text content directly via a connected printer port.

While early versions of the print screen function could only copy written content in text format, the popular function was quickly expanded to include all content visible on the screen or a selected part of it. This made it easier for many users to com­mu­ni­cate with others what was happening on their screen. Modern operating systems typically save images of the screen in BMP format. After the arrival of the smart­phone, the screen­shot function quickly became a standard on mobile devices as well (PNG or JPG format) and has proven useful for saving and sharing chats and other content.

Prac­ti­cal­ly all modern operating systems have a built-in screen­shot function that allows users to capture screen images. Screen­shots can either be taken using a keyboard shortcut or by clicking the cor­re­spond­ing button in the screen­shot tool.

On Windows and the Linux in­ter­faces GNOME and KDE, you can take a screen­shot of the current screen by pressing the [Print] key on the keyboard. If required, there is also an advanced screen­shot function that makes it possible to capture only the active window on the screen. As of the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft also offers the Snipping Tool as a built-in solution for taking screen­shots and editing them when needed. The Mac keyboard for macOS does not have a [Print] key for taking screen­shots. However, the Apple system does have a built-in screen­shot function that can be accessed via a keyboard shortcut. Using the shortcut [Command] + [Shift] + [3], you can take a screen­shot of the entire screen.

When you take a screen­shot, it is copied to the clipboard in BMP format and can be inserted, shared, and edited in other programs or emails. As of Windows 8, screen­shots can also be found in the “Screen­shots” folder im­me­di­ate­ly after they are taken. On Mac, you will first need to create a folder for this purpose, otherwise the system will au­to­mat­i­cal­ly save images to the desktop.

Screen­shots can be useful and even necessary for a variety of reasons. Below are some of the most common reasons why a user might take a screen­shot:

• An error message or message box appeared on the screen and the technical support service for your computer, operating system or website needs to see it.
• Screen­shots can be used to create a historic record of the de­vel­op­ment and state of a website and then compared across its different de­vel­op­ment stages.
• Tutorials use screen­shots in their step-by-step in­struc­tions to make them easier for readers and viewers to un­der­stand.
• The screen­shot function is a highly popular tool in computer games allowing players to capture their successes, high scores, glitches, and funny moments.
• In website and software de­vel­op­ment, screen­shots make it easier to com­mu­ni­cate within a de­vel­op­ment team when eval­u­at­ing pro­gram­ming sequences.
• When it comes to bullying or ha­rass­ment via text or video chat, screen­shots can be combined with IP addresses to be used as real-time evidence of online criminal acts.

When editing images or writing online articles, program in­struc­tions or reviews, you need to keep in mind that the online images on your screen are protected by copyright and you must obtain the consent of the copyright holder to be able to publish or dis­trib­ute them. You also should not use or dis­trib­ute screen­shots of people without their consent. Check data pro­tec­tion reg­u­la­tions and copy­rights before using a screen­shot you have taken and pub­lish­ing it online.

While the latest Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems offer built-in screen­shot functions with basic features, some users may want more functions for editing their images af­ter­wards. That’s where a free screen­shot tool can come in handy. Not only do these tools offer a much wider range of features for per­form­ing detailed post-editing on screen­shots, but they also allow you to take screen­shots in movies and games or take system screen­shots when using multiple monitors. Some tools automate the process of uploading screen­shots to cloud services such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

The following are some of the most popular and reliable free screen­shot tools available:

• Apow­er­soft
• Duck­Cap­ture
• Greenshot
• Grabilla
• Icecream
• LightShot
• Monosnap