Compare the Snipping Tool with the Print Screen method, including capture choices and what happens after capture.

### Why this is right The key difference is how much control you have over the capture and where the image goes afterward. The Snipping Tool lets you choose a specific region or window and work with the image, while the Print Screen key captures the screen or active window and requires you to paste the result into an image-editing application. ### The concept A **screenshot** is an image of what is displayed on your screen. With the Snipping Tool, you can select a rectangle, draw a free-form shape, capture one window, or capture the full screen; you can then save or copy the image and add annotations, meaning marks or notes on it. Print Screen captures the entire screen, while pressing `Alt` with Print Screen captures only the active window, the window currently in use. That capture must be pasted into an image-editing application before you can work with it. A Snipping Tool capture that you have not saved is temporary: taking another screenshot or closing the tool discards it. | Method | Capture choices | After capture | |---|---|---| | Snipping Tool | Rectangle, free-form shape, window, or full screen | Save or copy the image, and add annotations; an unsaved capture is discarded when you take another or close the tool | | Print Screen | Entire screen, or active window with `Alt` | Paste the capture into an image-editing application | ### What a good answer covers - The Snipping Tool offers several ways to select what appears in the capture. - It lets you save or copy the image and add annotations. - Print Screen captures the full screen; `Alt` with Print Screen captures the active window. - Print Screen captures need to be pasted into an image-editing application. - An unsaved Snipping Tool capture is lost when another screenshot is taken or the tool closes. ### Terms - **Snipping Tool**: A Windows utility for capturing selected parts of the screen or the full screen. - **Print Screen**: A keyboard key that captures the screen, or the active window when used with `Alt`. - **Active window**: The window currently selected for use. - **Free-form shape**: A capture made by drawing an irregular outline around part of the screen. - **Annotation**: A mark or note added to an image. - **Image-editing application**: Software used to view or change images. - **Alt**: A keyboard key used with other keys to perform a different command. ### Remember Use the Snipping Tool when you want to choose and mark up a particular part of the screen; use Print Screen for a quick screen capture that you will paste elsewhere.