Date First Published: 29th January 2024
Topic: Computer Systems
Subtopic: Computer Software
Difficulty: EasyDifficulty Level: 3/10
Learn about what a screenshot is in this article.
A screenshot is a digital image that shows the contents of a computer screen at a given point in time. It is created by the operating system and may include the whole screen or a section of it. Taking a screenshot is useful for saving the contents of the screen in order to share it with someone else later or print it out. For example, screenshots can be used in step-by-step instructions to make them easier for readers to understand and can be used as evidence of cyberbullying or harassment by text or instant messaging chat.
By default, a screenshot is saved as a PNG file to the clipboard or the screenshot folder. Some screenshot utilities allow users to draw shapes and enter text after taking them, but text within a screenshot is saved as part of the image and is not editable.
All modern operating systems have a built-in screenshot function that allows users to capture images of the current screen. For example, Windows and macOS provide keyboard shortcuts that allow users to quickly take screenshots.
On Windows, users can copy the entire screen to the clipboard using the 'Print Screen' key and save a screenshot of the entire screen to the Pictures folder using the 'Windows Logo Key + Print Screen' keyboard shortcut. From Windows Vista onwards, Microsoft offers the Snipping Tool as a built-in program for taking screenshots and editing them when needed.
On macOS, users can copy the entire screen to a file using the 'Command + Shift + 3' keyboard shortcut and copy the entire screen to the clipboard using the 'Command + Shift + Control + 3' keyboard shortcut. The macOS does not have a 'Print Screen' key for taking screenshots.
In the early days of computer technology, it was spelt "screen shot". Like the verb "screenshotting", "screenshot" is one lowercase word and does not require a space. Today, the spelling "screen shot" is rarely used.
Screenshots have been around since the 1960s. The first screenshots were created with the first interactive computers around 1960. Through the 1980s, computer operating systems did not universally have built-in functionality for capturing screenshots. Sometimes, text-only screens could be copied to a text file, but the result would only capture the content of the screen and not the appearance or graphics.
Although early versions of the screenshot function could only copy written content in text format, this function was quickly extended to include all content visible on the screen or a selected part of it. This made it easier for users to share with others what was happening on their screens. After smartphones were introduced, the screenshot function quickly became a standard on mobile devices as well.
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