PC provides multiple options to instantly screenshot on our desktops - Xbox Game Bar, the Snipping Tool, and Wins+PrtSc, etc. But are these methods also true of laptops? Especially on HP laptops, Lenovo, Dell, and MacBooks? You can still leverage these handy screenshot tools to capture screens with hotkeys. This page provides advanced ways to make scrolling screenshots as well as foolproof ways to make quick screenshots based on your current screen.
No worries, 5 instructive tutorials will tell you how to screenshot on laptop within seconds. Let’s dive in!
Method 1: How to Screenshot on Laptop Dell/Hp/Lenovo? iTop Screenshot
The first method is for those advanced users who want scrolling screenshots & partial screenshots on Windows. What’s even better is that this freeware on Windows supports freely editing the screenshot after a successful capture of your current screen. Let’s check out more details for the first answer of ‘how to take screenshots on laptop?’
The advanced features of iTop Screenshot
1. Capture the selected region or Full screenshot
2. Create a scrolling screenshot
3. Add lines, circles, or text to your screenshot
4. Instantly save to clipboard or local disk
5. Crop your screenshot before saving
6. 3 picture formats (JPEG, PNG, BMP) allowed for outputting
Pros:
iTop Screenshot is a built-in tool in iTop Screen Recorder that works perfectly on Lenovo, Dell, Asus, and HP laptops, whether the operating system is Windows 11, Windows 10, or Windows 8/7.
This free tool offers the complete features this market has ever seen in terms of screenshot function. Unlike the free trick on Windows for ‘how to screenshot on laptop’, which necessarily mentions the ‘Wins+PrintScreen’ that can only capture the entire screen. Or the Xbox Game Bar that offers the same function yet requires one more key ‘Wins+Alt+PrtSc’. iTop ScreenShot surpasses them in the incredible flexibility it offers users.
Cons:
It takes some extra download and installation steps if you want to use iTop Screenshot on your PC. But no worries, this screen recorder is 100% green and has no bundled package.
Hotkeys:
Alt+S to capture the full-screen
Alt+W to capture an active window
Alt+D to capture a scrolling window
How to Screenshot on Laptop with iTop Screenshot?
Step 1. Download iTop Screen Recorder which contains the iTop Screenshot tool for capturing desktops on Asus, Dell, and HP laptops.
Step 2. Select the capture mode: the entire screen or the customized region.
Step 3. Once everything is ready, hit the ‘Capture’ button to screenshot on your PC.
Step 4. You can now edit your produced screenshot, adding lines, and texts to your screenshot to make it more instructive.
Step 5. Your screenshot now is saved in the clipboard, you can either save it to the local folder or paste it on your other applications.
Bonus Tip:
If you want to create a long screenshot (scrolling screenshot), just create an area where all your needed content shall be covered, and then scroll your mouse on the web page to produce a long screenshot.
Method 2: How to Screenshot on Laptop Windows 10/11 - The Snipping Tool
The second answer to ‘how to take screenshot from laptop?’ The Snipping Tool is a default program on Windows 10/11 and lower versions, which means laptops that are running these operating systems can directly get access to this program.
The features of the Snipping Tool:
1. Screenshot the entire screen by Wins+Shift+S
2. Screenshot select a region of your current screen
3. Detect an active window and capture it
4. Capture a flexible area by drawing and dragging
Pros:
For laptop users of all brands, the Snipping Tool is qualified enough to meet their daily demands. It is fast activated, hotkey supported, and offers 3 plans to answer the question ‘how to screenshot Windows’
It even allows users to store the unsaved screenshot to the clipboard, which means you can directly paste them and share them with other applications.
Cons:
Rather disappointingly, this free answer for ‘how to screenshot on laptop’ does not produce quality screenshots especially if you wish to make every detail visible on your screenshot. Besides, this tool does not allow users to edit their screenshots.
Hotkey:
Wins+Shift+S
Also Read: How to Partial Screenshot on Windows >>
How to Screenshot on Laptop with the Snipping Tool?
Step 1. Press ‘Wins+Shift+S’ to call out the main interface of the Snipping Tool.
Step 2. Choose the mode of capturing - the entire screen, the current window, or a flexible drawing area.
Step 3. Hit the button to capture the screen, and the outcome will be saved in the clipboard
Method 3: How to Screenshot on Laptop Windows 10 - Xbox Game bar
Xbox Game Bar is a handy tool to record any activities on your screen. It also works as a screenshot tool on the Windows operating system. But one big flaw of this free program is that it can only capture the entire screen. And users won’t have a second chance to edit their final screenshots. Anyway, let’s check the details and steps for ‘how to take a screenshot on laptop with Xbox Game Bar’.
The features of the Xbox Game Bar:
1. Capture the entire screen
3. Detect games and record them as clips
4. Record the last several minutes of your screen
Pros:
Very simply, the Xbox Game Bar is the integrity of the screen recorder and a screenshot tool. It performs well on Windows 10/11 and lower versions with unstable quality (bugs and crashes are very often). If you need to record the last several minutes of your screen, you can configure this program to address the quiz ‘how to clip on PC?’ Of course, this feature has nothing to do with screenshots, it is the extended feature of this program.
Cons:
In terms of the screenshot feature, it can only capture the entire screen, and the format it outputs is fixed too.
Hotkey:
Wins+Alt+PrtSc
How to Use Xbox Game Bar to Capture Screen on Laptops?
Step 1. Directly press “Wins+Alt+PrintScreen” to produce a screenshot.
Step 2. You can also call out Game Bar’s main interface and click on the button below to take a screenshot.
Step 3. Click on the notification and enter Xbox Game Bar’s interface to check your screenshot.
Step 4. Save your screenshot or share your screenshot with other platforms.
Method 4: How to Screenshot on Laptop and MacBook? Shift-Command-3
If you are using laptops with the Mac operating system (MacBook), then you are offered unique hotkeys to quickly produce screenshots based on your current screen. And it is the shift+command+3 hotkey. macOS allows you to capture the entire screen/the portion of the screen/and a window or a menu bar of the screen. The hotkeys differ when you demand different screenshot types.
The features of Shift-Command-3
1. Capture the entire screen
2. Capture the selected region of the screen
3. Capture your current window
4. Capture a menu and menu items
Pros:
macOS gives more options for its users to tailor-make their screenshots. More freedom and room for making easy screenshots.
Cons:
You cannot produce very high-quality screenshots based on some 4k movies or streaming videos. And the format of your picture is fixed at PNG. And it cannot capture a scrolling screenshot too.
Hotkeys:
Shift-Command-3 for capturing the entire screen
Shift-Command-4 for capturing a portion of the screen
Shift-Command-4-Space for capturing an active window
Shift-Command-5 for opening a screenshot
How to Screenshot on MacBook Laptop?
Step 1. Open the window/program/videos that need to be captured.
Step 2. Press Shift-Command-Number(3-5) to take a screenshot on your MacBook.
Step 3. Press Shift-Command-5 to open this screenshot and decide where to save it.
Don't Miss: How to Screenshot on Chrome Browser on PC/Mac >>
Method 5: How to Screenshot on Laptop No Download? Online Tools
An online screenshot tool frees users from the limitations of the operating system. And you don’t need to worry about the malicious virus attack when you conduct download and installation. Yet the ads and cookies may still bother you. Anyway, let’s see the good parts of online screenshot tools first.
The features of online screenshot tools:
1. No download & installation
2. Work perfectly on both Windows OS and macOS
3. Some tools allow you to edit your screenshot
4. Some tools allow you to capture scrolling screenshots
Pros:
Online screenshot tools suit perfectly all laptops, no matter what brands of laptops you are working on. Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. As long as you can open a chrome window, you can use online screenshot tools freely.
Cons:
Ads, limited output format, disappointed quality of screenshots, cannot work offline, cannot preview, etc.
Hotkey:
The hotkeys differ from tool to tool.
How to Use Online Screenshot Tools to Capture Screen on Laptops?
Step 1. Select one online screenshot tool from Google.
Step 2. Follow the guide on the webpage to take a screenshot of your screen.
Step 3. Save the picture and check your file.
The Editor’s Suggestions: Which Screenshot Method Should You Choose?
How to screenshot on HP laptop, Dell laptop, and MacBook? This provides 5 fast methods, let’s see which one suits you the most.
Capture Entire Screen |
Capture a Portion of the Screen |
Edit Screenshot |
Scrolling Screenshot |
Quality Screenshot |
Multiple Formats to Output |
Crop the Screenshot |
|
iTop Screenshot |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
The Snipping Tool |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✔ |
Xbox Game Bar |
✔ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
Shift+Command+3 |
✔ |
✔ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✔ |
Online Screenshot Tools |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✔ |
Please also check the sheet below to make sure the methods you adopt match your laptop.
Dell |
HP |
Asus |
Lenovo |
MacBook |
Chromebook |
|
iTop Screenshot |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✘ |
✔ |
The Snipping Tool |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✘ |
✔ |
Xbox Game Bar |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✘ |
✔ |
Shift-Command-3 |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✘ |
✔ |
✘ |
Online Screenshot Tools |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
✔ |
Conclusion
This page gives in-depth insight on how to screenshot on laptops. After reading this article, you must have some clues if you want to learn how to screenshot on mainstream laptops, e,g., how to screenshot on Dell laptops.
It is all about the operating system. Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and HP are using the Windows OS, so you can use Xbox Game Bar, the Snipping Tool, and iTop Screenshot to create quality screenshots. As for MacBook, the Shift-Command-3 shortcut is powerful enough to fulfill any wishes relative to screenshots.