Taking screenshots is a useful and essential feature for many laptop users, whether for work or personal use. If you own an MSI laptop and want to capture screenshots, you may wonder how. Fortunately, taking screenshots on an MSI laptop is a straightforward process that can be accomplished using keyboard shortcuts, built-in tools, or third-party applications.
In this article, we will guide you through the different methods for taking screenshots on your MSI laptop, providing step-by-step instructions and useful tips to help you easily capture and share your screenshots.
1. Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts are the easiest and most common way of taking screenshots on an MSI laptop. MSI laptops come with various keyboard shortcuts that allow you to capture screenshots quickly and easily. Here are 3 ways to use keyboard shortcuts for taking a screenshot:
- Full-Screen Screenshot
To take a full-screen screenshot on an MSI laptop, simultaneously press the “Windows” key and the “Print Screen” key. The screen will briefly dim to indicate that a screenshot has been taken, and the screenshot will be saved to the “Pictures” folder in the “Screenshots” subfolder.
- Active Window Screenshot
In this method, only the window opened will be captured and other objects will be ignored. You can do this by pressing the “Alt” key, the “Windows” key, and the “Print Screen” key simultaneously.
The screen will become dim to indicate that a screenshot has been taken, and the screenshot will be saved to the “Pictures” folder in the “Screenshots” subfolder.
- Custom Screenshot
Custom screenshot will allow you to take the screenshot of a specific area of the screen. To take a screenshot, press the “Windows” key, the “Shift” key, and the “S” key simultaneously. The screen will dim, and the cursor will change to a crosshair.
Click and drag the crosshair to select the area you want to capture. The screenshot will be saved to the clipboard, and you can paste it into an application or save it to a file.
2. Built-in Tools
MSI laptops also have built-in tools to capture screenshots and record your screen. These tools offer more customization options and features than keyboard shortcuts, making them a great option for users who need more control over their screenshots. Here’s how to use the built-in tools on your MSI laptop:
Snipping Tool
The Snipping Tool is a built-in screen capture tool that captures screenshots of a selected area, a window, or the entire screen. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to take a screenshot using the built-in Snipping Tool on your MSI laptop:
- Open the Snipping Tool: Click the “Start” button on the bottom left of your screen and type “Snipping Tool” in the search bar. Click on the Snipping Tool app that appears.
- Choose the type of screenshot you want: In the Snipping Tool window, you’ll see a drop-down menu next to the “New” button. This menu lets you choose the type of screenshot you want, such as a rectangular snip, free-form snip, window snip, or full-screen snip.
- Capture the screenshot: Once you’ve selected the type of screenshot you want, click “New” and use your mouse to drag the cursor around the area of your screen you want to capture.
- Edit the screenshot (optional): After capturing the screenshot, the Snipping Tool will automatically open an editing window where you can add annotations, highlights, and other effects to the screenshot.
- Save the screenshot: When finished editing, click “File” and “Save As” to save the screenshot to your desired location on your MSI laptop.
Game Bar
The Game Bar is a built-in tool that lets you capture screenshots and record your screen while playing games or using applications. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to take a screenshot using the Game Bar on your MSI laptop:
- Open the Game Bar: While playing a game, press the “Windows key” + “G” on your keyboard to open the Game Bar.
- Take a screenshot: Once the Game Bar is open, click on the “Camera” icon to take a screenshot. You can also press the “Windows key” + “Alt” + “Print Screen” keys on your keyboard to take a screenshot.
- Access the screenshot: After taking a screenshot, a notification will appear, indicating that the screenshot has been saved. You can click on the notification to access the screenshot or navigate to the “Captures” folder on your MSI laptop.
- Edit the screenshot (optional): Once you’ve accessed the screenshot, you can use photo editing software to make any necessary changes or additions.
- Save the screenshot: When you’re finished editing, save the screenshot to your desired location on your MSI laptop.
Print Screen Key
Another built-in tool for capturing screenshots on an MSI laptop is the Print Screen key. Pressing the Print Screen key captures the entire screen and saves it to the clipboard.
- Find the Print Screen key: The Print Screen key is typically located on the top right of your keyboard, labeled as “PrtScn” or “Print Scrn”.
- Take a screenshot: To take a screenshot using the Print Screen key, press the key once. This will capture an image of your entire screen.
- Access the screenshot: After taking a screenshot, open a photo editing software, such as Paint or Adobe Photoshop, and press “Ctrl” + “V” to paste the screenshot.
- Edit the screenshot (optional): Once you’ve pasted the screenshot, you can use the editing tools in your photo editing software to make any necessary changes or additions.
- Save the screenshot: When you’re finished editing, save the screenshot to your desired location on your MSI laptop.
3. Third-Party Applications
If you need more advanced screenshot-capturing options, third-party applications are available for MSI laptops. These applications offer a range of features, including editing tools, hotkeys, and automatic file naming. Here are some of the popular third-party applications you can use:
Lightshot
Lightshot is a free third-party application that allows you to capture screenshots of your MSI laptop. It offers a range of features, including capturing a selected area, a window, or the entire screen. Lightshot also provides editing tools, such as adding text and arrows to screenshots.
- Download and install Lightshot: Visit the Lightshot website and download the app for your MSI laptop. Once the app is downloaded, install it on your laptop.
- Open Lightshot: To open Lightshot, click on the app icon or use the keyboard shortcut “Ctrl” + “Print Screen”.
- Capture the screenshot: Once Lightshot is open, use your mouse to select the area of the screen you want to capture. You can also use the hotkeys “PrtSc” or “Alt” + “PrtSc” to capture the entire screen or the active window.
- Edit the screenshot (optional): After capturing the screenshot, Lightshot will automatically open an editing window where you can add annotations, highlights, and other effects to the screenshot.
- Save the screenshot: When you’re finished editing, click “Save” to save the screenshot to your desired location on your MSI laptop.
Greenshot
Greenshot is another free third-party application that allows you to capture screenshots on your MSI laptop. It offers a range of features, including capturing a selected area, a window, or the entire screen. Greenshot also provides editing tools, such as adding text and arrows to your screenshots.
- Download it from the Greenshot website.
- Once you have Greenshot installed, launch the program by double-clicking on the Greenshot icon on your desktop.
- To take a screenshot, you can use one of the following methods:
- Press the “Print Screen” key on your keyboard. This will capture the entire screen.
- Press the “Alt + Print Screen” keys. This will capture the active window.
- Click on the Greenshot icon in the system tray and select the type of screenshot you want to take, such as a rectangular region, a window, or a full screen.
- After you’ve captured your screenshot, Greenshot will automatically open the image in the Greenshot editor.
- You can edit and annotate screenshots in the editor, such as cropping or adding text, arrows, or shapes.
- When you’re finished editing your screenshot, you can save it by clicking on the “Save” button in the top left corner of the Greenshot editor.
- Choose the location and file format in which you want to save your screenshot and click “Save.”
Conclusion
Taking screenshots on an MSI laptop is simple, whether using keyboard shortcuts, built-in tools, or third-party applications. With the tips and tricks outlined in this article, you can easily capture and share screenshots of your MSI laptop. Remember to experiment with different methods to find the one that works best for you.