How to Take Screenshots

Did you know you can "take a picture" of what's on your computer screen, then send it to someone? This is very helpful when we help you troubleshoot difficulties you're having, because you can show us exactly what you are seeing.

Windows and the "Print Screen" Key

Most versions of Microsoft Windows let you make a screen capture or "screenshot" using the "Print Screen" key. This is usually located at the top of your keyboard above the Insert key.

  1. Press "Print Screen" by itself to capture the entire screen.
  2. Run Microsoft Paint (Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint)
  3. Paste (Edit > Paste) the screenshot into Paint
  4. Save (File > Save) the screenshot as any name: My Documents/screenshot.jpg is a very good name.
  5. Email the screenshot to support@ideacode.com

For advanced users: You can paste the screenshot into any program that accepts graphics, including Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, or Image Viewer.

Mac OS X and Command-Shift-3

Macintosh OS X has a keyboard shortcut for taking screenshots:

  1. Press (and hold) Command, Shift, and the number 3 (Command-Shift-3)
  2. Your screenshot will be saved on your desktop as a TIF file.
  3. Email the TIF file to support@ideacode.com

For advanced users: You can also use the Grab program to capture all or a portion of the screen. Grab is located in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder.

Linux and GIMP

Do you want the easy way, or the hard way?

The easy way

Use our snapit.sh program to take a snapshot with one click.

The hard way

Linux has The GIMP, a powerful graphics editing program that allows you to capture screenshots.

  1. Type "gimp" in a terminal or run it from your Start menu.
  2. Choose File > Acquire > Screenshot.
  3. Choose "Grab entire screen" and click Ok.
  4. In the window that appears (which will contain the screenshot), click File > Save
  5. Save the file as any name: Home/screenshot.jpg works well.
  6. Email the screenshot to support@ideacode.com