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Now for most regular PC users, the ability to screenshot is a basic skill they all know how to use and when we provide technical support we often ask customers to send us screenshots to give us a better understanding of their problem, but with some less tech-savvy customers when we ask for a screenshot they reply with "how do I take a screenshot?"
So in this short thread, we will show you How to take a screenshot on a PC and attach it to an email
There are loads of options and keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots on a PC, but the easiest all-in-one option is to use the Snipping Tool that comes with the Windows software. To find the Snipping Tool on your Windows PC go to the windows search bar at the bottom left of your screen (see below) and search for Snipping Tool, you should then see an application with a logo similar to the image below.
When you double-click the Snipping Tool application you should see a small window pop-up, this pop-up will allow you to select 1 of the 4 screenshot options, the options are:
Free-form Snip: lets you draw a screenshot of any shape & size using the cursor to draw the shape (this option looks messy so we wouldn't recommend using it)
Rectangular Snip: lets you screenshot any size of square/rectangle simply by dragging & dropping over the area you want to screenshot
Window Snip: lets you screenshot one window that you have open
Full-screen Snip: lets you screenshot the entire screen
After you've made your screenshot a new window will open showing the screenshot you took and in the top left of this window there some buttons relating to what you can do next with the screenshot (see below)
From left to right they are:
NEW: lets you take another screenshot (before or after you have saved the previous screenshot)
SAVE: lets you save the screenshot you just took to your computer or a memory stick
COPY: lets you copy the screenshot so you can then paste it into an e-mail or document
E-MAIL: lets you send the screenshot directly or as an attachment to an e-mail address (e.g. sending it to info@use-ip.co.uk for tech support)
PEN: lets you circle important details in the screenshot (there are multiple colours & you can adjust the pen settings)
HIGHLIGHTER: lets you highlight any important text or numbers in the screenshot
ERASER: lets you erase any pen or highlighter marks that you have made on the screenshot
Keyboard Shortcuts
If you are writing an e-mail to use-IP for tech support then there is another option to quickly capture a screenshot by using keyboard shortcuts, if you press Print Screen(PrtScn) on your keyboard it will screenshot everything on screen and save it to your clipboard so you can paste it into the text of your e-mail.
To save it and add it as an attachment you can hold down the Windows key and then press the PrtScn key and the full-screen capture will be saved to a screenshots folder in the picture folder on your computer.
Finally, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to screenshot an open window, simply open the window you want to screenshot then hold down the Alt key on your keyboard and then press PrtScn, the capture will be saved to the clipboard and can then be pasted into an e-mail or document.
Attaching/Pasting a Screenshot to an E-mail
If you have the screenshot in your clipboard you can simply right-click the text area of your e-mail and click paste from the menu that appears, if you have saved the screenshot you can attach it to an e-mail by going to the top of the e-mail you are about to send and click a menu option like Insert, Add Attachment, or a paperclip icon (it varies depending on what e-mail system you use) see examples of outlook and Gmail below:
Outlook (when accessed via a browser)
Gmail
So in this short thread, we will show you How to take a screenshot on a PC and attach it to an email
There are loads of options and keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots on a PC, but the easiest all-in-one option is to use the Snipping Tool that comes with the Windows software. To find the Snipping Tool on your Windows PC go to the windows search bar at the bottom left of your screen (see below) and search for Snipping Tool, you should then see an application with a logo similar to the image below.
When you double-click the Snipping Tool application you should see a small window pop-up, this pop-up will allow you to select 1 of the 4 screenshot options, the options are:
Free-form Snip: lets you draw a screenshot of any shape & size using the cursor to draw the shape (this option looks messy so we wouldn't recommend using it)
Rectangular Snip: lets you screenshot any size of square/rectangle simply by dragging & dropping over the area you want to screenshot
Window Snip: lets you screenshot one window that you have open
Full-screen Snip: lets you screenshot the entire screen
After you've made your screenshot a new window will open showing the screenshot you took and in the top left of this window there some buttons relating to what you can do next with the screenshot (see below)
From left to right they are:
NEW: lets you take another screenshot (before or after you have saved the previous screenshot)
SAVE: lets you save the screenshot you just took to your computer or a memory stick
COPY: lets you copy the screenshot so you can then paste it into an e-mail or document
E-MAIL: lets you send the screenshot directly or as an attachment to an e-mail address (e.g. sending it to info@use-ip.co.uk for tech support)
PEN: lets you circle important details in the screenshot (there are multiple colours & you can adjust the pen settings)
HIGHLIGHTER: lets you highlight any important text or numbers in the screenshot
ERASER: lets you erase any pen or highlighter marks that you have made on the screenshot
Keyboard Shortcuts
If you are writing an e-mail to use-IP for tech support then there is another option to quickly capture a screenshot by using keyboard shortcuts, if you press Print Screen(PrtScn) on your keyboard it will screenshot everything on screen and save it to your clipboard so you can paste it into the text of your e-mail.
To save it and add it as an attachment you can hold down the Windows key and then press the PrtScn key and the full-screen capture will be saved to a screenshots folder in the picture folder on your computer.
Finally, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to screenshot an open window, simply open the window you want to screenshot then hold down the Alt key on your keyboard and then press PrtScn, the capture will be saved to the clipboard and can then be pasted into an e-mail or document.
Attaching/Pasting a Screenshot to an E-mail
If you have the screenshot in your clipboard you can simply right-click the text area of your e-mail and click paste from the menu that appears, if you have saved the screenshot you can attach it to an e-mail by going to the top of the e-mail you are about to send and click a menu option like Insert, Add Attachment, or a paperclip icon (it varies depending on what e-mail system you use) see examples of outlook and Gmail below:
Outlook (when accessed via a browser)
Gmail
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