Snipping Tool is a reliable built-in tool for Windows users. Regardless of Windows version (7,8,8.1 & 10), one can snip their Windows screen with ease. Since Microsoft has decided to move from Snipping Tool to Snip and Sketch (only available for Windows 8 & above), Windows 7 users must know other ways to take a screenshot. At the same time, Microsoft has stopped pushing updates for Windows 7 machines. Hence, the Snipping Tool may fail to take screenshots of your system. So, we will show you all the possibilities to take a screenshot on Windows 7 desktops or laptops without using the Snipping Tool.

Take Screenshots on Windows 7 without using Snipping Tool

Apart from Snipping Tool, Windows 7 also has certain keyboard shortcuts that you can rely on to take a screenshot.

Screenshot the active window

  • Navigate to the Window that you want to capture.
  • Press Alt + Print Screen keys simultaneously.
  • The screenshot will be saved to the clipboard.
  • Now, open the Paint app and paste the image (CTRL + V).
  • Edit the image and save it on your device.
Take Screenshot on Windows 7

Screenshot the whole screen

  • Press either Print Screen or CTRL + Print Screen keys on your desktop to screenshot the entire screen.
  • The screenshotted image will be saved to the clipboard automatically.
  • Open the paint and paste the screenshot.
  • Save the image in different formats like PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and a few more.
Take Screenshot on Windows 7

Screenshot the whole screen and save automatically

Windows also has a keyboard shortcut to screenshot the entire screen and save the file locally on your computer.

  • Press Windows logo + Print Screen keys simultaneously.
  • The screenshot will be stored on your device without using any tool.
  • You can find the screenshot by navigation to Pictures -> Screenshots folder.
Take Screenshot on Windows 7

Function Key Enabled Keyboard

If the keyboard of your Windows 7 desktop or laptop is enabled with the Function key, press the Fn key + Print Screen key to take screenshots.

Screenshot active window – Fn + ALT + Print Screen
Screenshot whole screen – Fn + CTRL + Print Screen or Fn + Print Screen
Screenshot the whole screen and save the file automatically – Fn + Windows + Print Screen

Take Screenshot on Windows 7

Use Third-Party Tools to Take Screenshot on Windows 7

If you want a screenshot tool with more editing features, you can rely on third-party apps. There are plenty of tools available online. Here, we have shown the top 3 tools that you can use on Windows 7 PC.

Greenshot: It is a freemium app for Windows desktops to screenshot important things on your screen. It lets you create and annotate screenshots with ease. On Greenshot, you can use the Print Screen key or assign any other key to take screenshots.

Greenshot

ScreenRec: It is the best screenshot tool for professionals and business people. By pressing ALT + S keys, you can snip your Windows screen. It also comes with several tools to edit the screenshots according to your wish.

ScreenRec

ShareX: It is an advanced screenshot tool where you can upload the screenshots to 80+ destinations, including Dropbox, FTP Servers, Amazon S3, and many more. You can also use the ShareX app to take screenshots of a single long document in any app.

ShareX

Most of the users have forgotten the build-in keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots on Windows 7 without using the Snipping Tool. Those shortcuts will also work on other versions like Windows 10, 8.1, Vista. You could access the above-mentioned third-party apps if you thought the built-in tool lacks advanced editing & sharing features.