Best Free Screenshot Tool for Windows

Technology

Best Free Screenshot Tool for Windows

The latest work scenario demands taking screenshots as a part of daily work. While taking screenshots was not very common in the previous years, the office work demands screenshots for which you require apps and tools for different operating systems, including Windows.

The primary purpose of taking a screenshot is to capture the errors during work. Screenshots are essential for onsite work and add more value to remote workers, and Screenshots are handy to detect unusual things on the screen or present mock-up design plans.

A good screenshot software is a necessity in your Windows toolkit. Screenshots allow you to record both funny and crucial information and document problems to show others.

These applications may differ in screenshot size, quality, supported operating systems, file format types, etc. So here are the ways how you can take screenshot in windows

Why Is Taking Screenshots Essential?

Good screenshot software is mandatory in your Windows toolkit, which may differ from other operating systems. Screenshots allow you to record any information on the screen and save them in image formats of choice.

  • Collaboration with team members is more straightforward via screenshots.
  • Project demonstration process is vivid with screenshots.
  • Error detection and showcasing is easy with screenshots

Best Free Screenshot Tool for Windows

With many tools available for taking screenshots, it’s better to look for the free, easy to use, and save a lot of your time during work. These applications may differ in screenshot size, quality, supported operating systems, file format types.

tools for taking screenshot

1. Snipping Tool

screenshot snipping tool

Snipping Tool is an application included in Windows OS. You can capture a screenshot of your screen using the Snipping Tool followed by intonation, the snips with a mouse and you can email them.

With multiple colored pens, an eraser, and a highlighter, the Snipping Tool allows image editing. Snipping Tool captures entire screenshots and enables you to design custom and window-specific snips. Also, it allows adding notes to the screenshots.

Features of Snipping Tool

  • Users can edit photos using a colored pen, highlighter, or other tools.
  • Feature to write on screen captures and saving, sharing them.
  • Images captured are saved as PNG, GIF or JPEG.
  • Screen capture modes: Free-form, Rectangular, Window, Full-screen Snip.

How To Take Screenshots Using the Snipping Tool

Method 1:
Press – Windows Key Shift +

Method 2: 
Press – Windows + Prt SC

Method 3:
Press – Prt Sc + Paste in Paint

Note: It will save by default in the Picture>Screenshot folder. 

Benefits of Snipping Tool

  • Image library with image editing.
  • Video recording with GIF creation.

Drawbacks of Snipping Tool

  • No feature of cloud storage.

Snipping Tool is Available on:

  • Mac
  • Windows App
  • Chromebook

2. Greenshot

greenshot

Greenshot can capture Fullscreen and window photos, snippets of a selected area while you scroll web pages. You can highlight and annotate captured images and store them in various formats for later editing.

After annotating your snip, you can save it, print it, copy it to your clipboard, email it, or post it to photo sites or Microsoft Office products. Greenshot is a free alternative to Windows Snipping Tool, with improved markups and integrations. 

Features of Greenshot

  • Built-in image editor with arrows, text, drawing, image manipulation.
  • Captured images sent to the printer, email, clipboard.
  • Memory utility stores previously captured images.
  • Plugins for Jira, Box, Imgur, and Microsoft Office.
  • Greenshot allows various modes for capture..

How To Take Screenshot Using Greenshot in Windows?

Select the Greenshot icon >Select option>Release mouse

Benefits of Greenshot

  • The app is user-friendly
  • Supports various languages.
  • It has a built-in image editor.

Drawbacks of Greenshot

  • Hard to make GIFs.
  • No free version for Mac.

Greenshot is Available on

  • Mac 
  • Windows
  • Mozilla Firefox

3. Lightshot

Lightshot tool

Lightshot is a user-friendly screen capture tool allowing users to customize the captured shot. You can easily resize and move the captured image. The software is ideal for students, employees, or contractors that need to save crucial information from their screens.

When you press the Print Screen button on your keyboard, Lightshot allows you to alter your snapshot. Pressing PrtScn in Lightshot, a transparent overlay appears over your screen and cropping tools.

Features of Lightshot:

  • Users can share links of screenshots on the internet. 
  • You can view screenshot history.
  • Editing and saving capture to computer. 

How Do You Screenshot On Lightshot Application?

Press Print Screen Key>Select area for capture>Ctrl C(to clipboard)>Ctrl S 

Benefits of Lightshot

  • It is free with a good user interface.
  • Easy to upload on the web.

Drawbacks of Lightshot

  • It lacks an additional editing screen.
  • No capture modes.

Lightshot is available on:

  1. Windows App
  2. Chrome Extension
  3. Mac
  4. Mozilla Firefox Browser
  5. IE & Opera

4.PicPick

PicPick tool

PicPick is yet another snipping tool designed specifically for Windows, allowing full screenshots, snips, scrolling shots, and markup tools.PicPick is a free and easy-to-use screen capture and editing application for screenshot quality enhancement. 

You can copy your snip to the clipboard or print it directly from the tool. PicPick is 100% free for personal use but charges some for team purposes.

Features of PicPick

  • Feature of screen capture.
  • Integrations to Dropbox, Google Drive, Facebook, and Microsoft Office.
  • Enhance screenshot quality by color picker, protractor, brightness.
  • Add comments, text boxes, various shapes, and arrows.
  • Save images as .png, jpeg, gifs, and PDFs.
  • Allows capturing a scrolling screen.

Screenshot of Actual Window With PicPick

Click File –> Program Options and hit capture.

Press Ctrl+Alt -> Print Screen.

Benefits of PicPick

  • PicPick  has a simple user interface.
  • The app supports multiple cloud services.

Drawbacks of PicPick

  • No Video Support.
  • Scrolling screenshot needs configuration.

PicPick is Available On:

  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Windows 10, 11,8.1,8,7,Vista and XP

5. ShareX

ShareX

ShareX is a free and open-source tool that allows you to capture or record any part of your screen and share it online. It enables you to upload photos, text, or other forms of data to over 50 recognized destinations.

The screenshot feature includes scrolling capture and webpage capture. ShareX is handy when you want advanced features while taking a screenshot. If you are looking for a simple screenshot, other applications are helpful.

Features of ShareX

  • Customizable keyboard shortcuts.
  • ShareX allows capturing a scrolling window or single webpage.
  • Easy annotations in captured images.
  • Users can upload pictures online.

Website Capture Using ShareX

Method 1(Chrome):
Press Ctrl+Shift+I >Select Option

Note: Saved by default in Downloads folder.

Method 2:
Press Ctrl+Print Screen

Benefits of ShareX

  • Feature offering full-screen recording.

Drawbacks of ShareX

  • Scrolling windows capture doesn’t work consistently.
  • Complex to customize.

ShareX is Available on:

  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome
  • Windows 10,8.1,7
  • Microsoft Edge extension

6.TinyTake

TinyTake

The TinyTake enables users to record whole desktop screens or only highlighted areas.

Screenshots of any area on the screen are easy to take.

 Editing photos is possible by highlighting with a colored pen and editing with an arrow, textbox, or picture caption, and it can create high-quality images and videos without watermarks.

Features of TinyTake

  • Allows free screen capturing and video recording.
  • Feature for annotations, captions, watermarks.
  • Screenshots of specified areas .
  • Image capturing from webcam.
  • Built-in file viewer with local image sharing.

How to Take Screenshots Using TinyTake?

Method 1:
Right-click TinyTake icon>Choose feature.

Method 2:
Launch TinyTake>Click capture>Select option

Benefits of TinyTake

  • Screen capturing, recording and annotating.
  • Flexible storage and sharing.
  • Easy to use and handles large videos.
  • Users can produce high-quality images and videos.

Drawbacks of TinyTake

  • Most features available only in the paid version.

TinyTake is Available on:

  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Google Chrome
  • App Safari
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer

Tips for Capturing Screenshots Better (In General):

Screenshots explain what is unexpressed in words. A better quality of screenshots is attainable. For enhancing the information delivered via screenshots, you can try the following tips:

  • Generation of engaging screenshots is possible by using texts and arrows for better explanation.
  • The nonuniform border of the screenshot during a presentation is not pleasing, so it’s better to resize the screenshots with neat edges.
  • If there is some unnecessary or sensitive information and images on the screenshot, you can blur them out.
  • To express better, use screenshots sequentially so that explaining a topic or process is easy. 

Conclusion

Other applications are embedded with editing and annotation tools. Applications like screenshot captor and Snagit are other windows screenshot tools. The screen recording feature with screenshot capture encourages users to try a new screenshot software.

Please drop your views on the free screenshot apps and let us know different ways to take a screenshot with the help of various apps.

FAQ’s Regarding Screenshots Tools

1. Why is taking screenshots necessary?

Screenshots are essential as they help in showcasing errors. While working in a team, explaining workflow and project process is easy, and sometimes screenshots help a person understand what many explanations didn’t.

2. What are the best free apps to take screenshots for Windows?

Best free applications to take screenshots include Snipping Tool, Tiny take, ShareX. Others are Picpick, LightShot, Greenshot app, which helps users take screenshots of webpages, screens, and scrolling windows.

3. How do you capture a screenshot on a Windows?

For windows press
Windows Key+prt sc – It will automatically save in image folder (full screen)
Windows Key+Shift+PrtScn – Crop and save in folder(crop screen)
Press PrtSc key> Paste in Pain> Save in Folder – Capture full screenshot.