Sometimes users run into issues with their website or email – error messages full of cryptic chatter and numbers that don’t make any sense, or fields and check boxes that only a wizard could get to the bottom of. In these cases, we like to see exactly what our clients are seeing, and the easiest method to do that is to take a screenshot (also called a ‘screen capture’).

A screenshot is a picture of whatever is showing on your screen at that very moment. These are easy to create and send by email – and it saves having to describe what you’re seeing!

PC Users

Method One – capture the whole screen

Make sure the thing you want to capture is fully visible on your screen.

1. Press PrtScn (a key on the right side of your keyboard – it might also be called Prnt Scrn or Print Scr).
   NB: Once you’ve pressed PrtScn, Windows will not give you any feedback about the action, but the screen has been copied.
2. Open the Paint program (Windows key > type “Paint” into the search field > click Paint).
3. Paste the copied screen (Ctrl + V).
4. Save the screenshot (Ctrl + S).
   NB: You can choose the file type at this stage – choose either .JPG or .PNG)
5. Attach the screenshot to an email, and send it to your support team.

Method Two – capture a specific part of the screen

1. Make sure the thing you want to capture is fully visible on your screen.
2. Open the Snipping Tool program (Windows key > type “Snipping Tool” into search field > click Snipping Tool).
3. Click New.
4. Hold left mouse button and drag top left to bottom right over the part of your screen you want to capture.
5. File > Save As…
   NB: You can choose the file type at this stage – choose either .JPG or .PNG).
6. Choose where to save the file.
7. Save.
8. Attach the screenshot to an email, and send it to your support team.

Mac Users

Method One – capture the whole screen

1. Press Command-SHIFT-3.
2. Screenshot is automatically saved to your desktop.
3. Attach the screenshot to an email, and send it to your support team.

Method Two – capture a specific part of the screen

1. Press Command-SHIFT-4.
2. Hold the left mouse button down and drag the crosshair pointer from top left, to bottom right of over the part of your screen you want to capture.
   NB: If you want to resize the area you just selected, hold down on the spacebar, or Option button, or Shift button and resize until you’re happy with it.
3. Release the left mouse button, and the screenshot will be automatically saved to your desktop.
4. Attach the screenshot to an email, and send it to your support team.

The screenshot will help us understand and diagnose issues more quickly so you can get on with the work you need to do.