Save a screenshot in Windows 7

Once you know how to take a screenshot in Windows 7, there are mainly two ways to proceed: one is to email the screenshot as attachment, and another is to save it on your computer. In this short tutorial, you will learn how to save the screenshots you take as image files you can keep on your PC for as long as needed. After that, you can email your screenshot.

Save screenshots as graphic files

As soon as you release the Print Screen key (meaning that an image of your entire screen, current window, or portion of the screen has been copied to your clipboard), you are ready to save it.

Click on the start menu, and type "paint" inside the search field: Windows 7 will open the Paint free graphic editor that comes with your computer. Now all you have to do is paste: press Ctrl+V on your keyboard, or click on the big "Paste" button inside the ribbon, as shown below:

The screenshot you took will now be inside Paint; press Ctrl+S (or click on the "Save" button) to name the file and store it on your desktop or in another folder on your computer.

The best compromise in file size and ability to use the saved screenshot anywhere is to choose to save it in "PNG" format. This is the default format Windows 7 will use for graphic files (images) you save from within Paint:

Type your file name, confirm that it says "PNG" underneath (in the "Save as type" dropdown menu), and click on "Save" or hit Enter. You are done!