There are quite a few ways to take a screenshot in Windows, or capture what's on your screen as an image. The easiest and quickest ways to do so are with Windows shortcuts, and Windows 8 provides a nifty instant capture-and-save shortcut that comes in really handy. Here's what you need to know ~ June 30, 2014 

Screenshots (also known as screengrabs) are useful in a number of situations. If you need tech support, for example, a screenshot can help the support person understand the issue you're experiencing.

You might also want to take a screenshot to record important moments or graphics on your display (for example, your new high score in a game, your top position on the sales team leader list, or your internet speed test results).

Keyboard Shortcut for All Windows Versions

The standard shortcut for taking a screenshot is tapping the Alt + Print screen (or PrtSc) buttons at the same time. This makes an image from your entire screen, which you can then paste into an email, a Word document, or anywhere else.

If you have Dropbox installed, by the way, as soon as you hit Alt + Print screen, your screenshot will be saved to the online storage and syncing service. (That setting is under your Dropbox program's settings under the Import tab, in case you want to turn it on or off.)

Keyboard Shortcut for Windows 8

New to Windows 8 is an even faster keyboard shortcut: Windows + Print screen. This takes the screenshot, then instantly saves it to a "Screenshots" folder under your "Pictures" folder, so you don't have to even bother with the pasting part.

This also is the easiest way to take a screenshot of Windows 8's Metro interface.

Windows' Built-in Snipping Tool

Windows also comes with a more flexible screengrabbing tool, called the Snipping Tool. With it, you can grab select areas of the screen to save as an image: a freeform snip that lets you draw on your screen to select the area, a specific program window, a rectangular selection on your screen, or the entire screen.

You can even highlight areas of the screenshot, draw or write over it, and use a countdown timer to delay the screenshot (ueful for capturing menus or other things that require your input before they appear).

You can get to the snipping tool by tapping the Windows button and entering "snipping tool" in the search box. I've pinned the utility to my taskbar for easy access.

There are other screenshot utilities for Windows, such as Evernote's Skitch, but for most people the built-in shortcuts and tool should be enough.