How to use the Snipping Tool to capture screenshots in Microsoft Windows 7 and Vista

The Snipping Tool allows you to quickly and easily capture a screenshot of the entire screen, a single window, a user-defined rectangle or a user-defined area of any shape and provides some simple tools for editing the images you capture.

To open the Snipping Tool, press the Start button and type "snip", without quotes, in the Start menu search box, then click "Snipping Tool" in the results list.

This is what you should see when the Snipping Tool opens:

Click on the down arrow beside New to see the four different types of image capture that the program can perform. The blue ball icon shows which option is currently selected.

Free-form snip

The first option is Free-form snip. If you click it the mouse pointer will change to a scissors icon. Now, by clicking and holding down the left mouse button, you can draw any kind of shape you want to select the portion of the screen you would like to capture.
If you change your mind and no longer want to snip something, you can press Esc to cancel the snip.

When you have selected what you want, release the left mouse button. A window like the one in the screenshot below will open showing the captured image in the shape you drew.

Click image to enlarge

That looks a little bit like a bird with a shark's fin on its back, not terribly useful, but it's a good example of the odd shapes you can select using the free-form snip.

There are several things you can do to your screenshot in this window:

• You can save it in a few different file formats
• Copy it
• Send the snip in an email or as an attachment to an email
• Draw on it using some different pen styles
• Highlight sections of the image
• Erase parts of the image

Rectangular Snip

Unsurprisingly, this option allows you select a rectangular portion of the screen of whatever size you require.

Window Snip

This allows you to select any open window to be captured. When you use this, the mouse pointer will change to the hand icon and any window you hover over will be outlined with a red box as in the image below.

Click image to enlarge

This is effectively the same as selecting a window and pressing Alt + Print Screen on your keyboard.

Full-screen Snip

This allows you capture an image of the entire screen. This  works exactly the same way as pressing the Print Screen key on your keyboard.

Ok, that's it for the Snipping Tool. Remember, you can cancel the capture by pressing Esc, or clicking the Cancel button in the Snipping Tool window.

Related: How to take a screenshot in Windows 7, Vista and XP using Print Screen

How to take a screenshot in Microsoft Windows 7, Vista and XP

Knowing how to take a picture of your screen, or the contents of a single window, can be very useful. Follow the simple steps below to find out how to do it!


To capture an image of the entire screen, press the Print Screen key on your keyboard. It may also be labelled "Prtn Scrn", "Prt Scr", or another similar variation.

On some keyboards you may need to press the "Function" or "Fn" key in conjunction with the Print Screen key to capture an image.

When you have pressed Print Screen, an image of the entire screen is copied to the Windows clipboard. To make use of this screenshot, open an image editing program such as Microsoft Paint, then press Ctrl + V to paste the screen capture into the program, or click the Paste icon.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Now, you can edit the picture if you want to, and save it in the file format of your choice.

Click image to enlarge

It's generally a good idea to save the image as either a PNG or JPG file, especially if you want to use it on the internet.
If you save the image as BMP (Bitmap) file, it will be a very high quality, uncompressed image but it will also have a much larger file size than a PNG or JPG.
PNG and JPG files are better choices for use on the internet because they use compression which yields a much smaller file size.
If you plan to put your screenshot on a website then select PNG as the file type because it offers a good balance between file size and image quality.


Also, you can paste the screenshot directly into a Microsoft Word document, or into an email without the need to open it in an image editing program first.
All you need to do is click in the Word document where you want to place the image, then press Ctrl + V, or right click and select Paste from the menu.

How to capture an image of only the currently active window

You can also take a screenshot of only the currently active window. To do this, press Alt + Print Screen (press and hold the Alt key then press Print Screen key).
For example, here is an unedited picture of my Google Chrome browser which was taken using this method:

Click image to enlarge

Then follow the steps above to view and edit your new screenshot.

Windows Snipping Tool

If you have Microsoft Windows Vista, or Windows 7, you can use the Snipping Tool to take different types of screenshot. Click this link to find out how to use the Snipping Tool

How to restore the Recycle Bin in Windows Vista

It's especially easy to accidentally delete the Recycle Bin icon in Windows Vista. If you want to get it back, follow these simple steps.


Right click on the desktop, then choose Personalize from the menu.

Click Change Desktop Icons in the Tasks pane of the next window.

In the Desktop Icons Settings window, click on the checkbox beside Recycle Bin to put a tick in the box, then Click Apply.

The recycle bin icon should appear on your desktop again.


Related: How to remove/delete the Recycle Bin in Windows

How to restore the Recycle Bin icon in Windows 7

If you deleted the Recycle Bin icon from your desktop and want to get it back, just follow these simple steps to restore it in Windows 7.

Right click on the desktop, then choose Personalize from the menu.

In the Personalization window, click Change Desktop Icons on the top left hand side.

Tick the Recycle Bin checkbox in the Desktop Icon Settings window, then click Apply. You should now have a Recycle Bin icon on your desktop.

Related: How to delete the Recycle Bin in Windows 7

How to delete or remove the Recycle Bin in Windows 7 or Vista

If you no longer want to use the Windows Recycle Bin you can easily remove the icon from your desktop.

* Before you do this, make sure you have no files in the recycle bin that you want to keep because they will be deleted automatically when the recycle bin icon is removed. *

Windows 7

To remove the Recycle Bin from the Windows 7 desktop, right click on the desktop, then choose Personalize from the menu.

Click Change desktop icons on the top left-hand side of the new window that opens.

In the Desktop Icon Settings window, uncheck the Recycle Bin checkbox, then click Apply.

Now, the recycle bin icon will be gone from your desktop. Any files you delete from now on will be permanently deleted.

You will be shown a confirmation dialog box before you delete a file as usual.

Windows Vista

This is ridiculously simple so I'm not going to bother with a screenshot, just right click on the recycle bin icon then choose delete from the menu. Gone!

Windows hotkey shortcuts you need to know

This is a list of very useful keyboard shortcuts that you can use in Windows. Most of these will work in Windows 7, Vista, and XP.

Most keyboards have at least one key with a Windows logo similar to the one below printed on it:

Pressing only this key will open the Start menu, but pressing it, holding it down then pressing another key simultaneously allows you to perform a variety of shortcuts that can help you to save some time while you are using your computer.

From here on this will be referred to as the Win key.

Shortcuts using the Windows key

• Win : Opens the Start menu and places the cursor in the search box in Vista and Windows 7
• Win + M : Minimizes all windows
• Win + Shift + M : Returns all windows to their previous state before you pressed Win + M
• Win + E : Opens a new Windows Explorer window, equivalent to clicking Computer in the Start menu
• Win + D : Minimizes any open windows and shows the desktop
• Win + Tab : Cycles between any open programs while displaying them in a jazzy looking 3D view.
• Win + Ctrl + Tab : This is basically the same as the previous shortcut, except you can also use the left and right arrows to scroll through the available windows. When you have chosen which window you want, press the Win key again to focus on it.
• Win + Ctrl + F : Opens the Find Computers dialog box
• Win + F1 : Opens Help
• Win + R : Opens the Run dialog box
• Win + F : Opens the Find dialog box
• Win + L : Locks the computer instantly
• Win + Spacebar : Shows the desktop until you release the Windows key
• Win + X : Opens the mobility center
• Win + G : Bring gadgets to the front
• Win + T : Cycle through any open programs which are in the taskbar
• Win + + (plus key) : Opens the magnifier and zooms in. Press Win + - (minus key) to zoom out again
• Win + Up arrow : Maximizes the currently selected window
• Win + Down arrow : Restores the currently selected window to its original size or minimizes the selected window
• Win + Left arrow: Snaps the currently selected window to the left side of the screen
• Win + Right arrow : Snaps the currently selected window to the right side of the screen
• Win + Shift + Left : Jump to the left monitor (if you are using multiple monitors)
• Win + Shift + Right : Jump to the right monitor
• Win + Home : Minimize/Restore all windows apart from the currently selected window
• Win + any number key : This will open a new instance of the program in the corresponding slot on the task bar. For example, if the first slot on your task bar is occupied by Google Chrome and the second by Windows Explorer, pressing Win + 1 will open Chrome and pressing Win + 2 will open a new explorer window

Windows Explorer, internet browser and general shortcuts

• Ctrl + Alt + Delete : Displays an option screen allowing you to lock the computer, switch users, log off, change a password, start Task Manager, and select shutdown options.
• Backspace : In Windows Explorer, pressing backspace in a folder will switch back to the parent folder. In an internet browser, it will display the previous page you viewed
• Alt + Left Arrow : Go back to the parent folder, go back to the previous web page in your browser history
• Alt + Right Arrow : Go to the next web page in your browser history
• Ctrl + W : Closes the currently selected window
• Ctrl + Esc : Opens the Start menu
• Ctrl + Shift + Esc : Opens Windows Task Manager
• Ctrl + Tab : Cycle forwards through the tabs in a window
• Ctrl + Shift + Tab : Cycle backwards through the tabs in a window
• Ctrl + T : Open a new tab in your internet browser
• Ctrl - W : Close the current tab in your browser
• Alt + P : Show or hide the Preview Pane
• Esc : In a dialog box pressing Esc functions the same way as clicking the Cancel button
• Space : Performs an action on the currently selected control. If the current control is a button, pressing space clicks the button, if the control is a check box it checks the box
• Tab : In a window or dialog box pressing Tab cycles forward between any buttons, tabs or other clickable items
• Shift + Tab : Cycles backwards between any buttons, tabs or other clickable controls
• Alt + Tab : Cycles forward through any currently open windows. Hold Alt key to see the task switching menu
• Alt + Shift + Tab : Cycles backwards through any currently open windows
• Alt : Show/Hide File - Edit - Tools etc menu
• Alt + Space : Shows Restore/Move/Minimize/Maximize menu
• Alt + Enter : Opens the properties window for the currently selected file or folder
• Alt + Underlined letter in a window or menu etc.. : Same as left clicking on the word with the underlined letter
• Alt + F4 : Closes the currently selected program. If no programs are open shows the Windows shutdown menu
• Shift + Delete : Delete a folder or file permanently (The file will not go to the recycle bin)
• Press Shift 5 times : Turn Sticky Keys on or off
• Press and hold the right shift key for 8 seconds to turn Filter Keys on or off
• Holding down Ctrl while dragging a file to another folder to copies the selected file into that folder
• Holding down Ctrl + Shift while dragging a file to a folder creates a shortcut to that file
• Left Shift + Alt + Print Screen : Toggles High Contrast on and off
• F1 : Opens help
• F3 : Find
• F5 : Refreshes the current window
• F10 : Displays the menu bar
• Shift + F10 : Opens the shortcut menu, this performs the same function as right clicking on a file or folder

Taskbar shortcuts

These are mouse and keyboard shortcuts you can use on the icons in your taskbar.

• Middle Mouse Button Click : Open a new instance of the application
• Shift + Click Left Mouse Button : Open a new instance of the application
• Ctrl + Shift + Left Click : Run the selected application with Administrator rights
• Shift + Right Click : Open menu for Minimize/Maximize/Restore and other options
• Ctrl + Click on an icon group : Cycle between the different windows or tabs in the group

Font Formatting

These shortcuts work in programs such as Microsoft Word, Wordpad, Notepad++, ConTEXT and many others. For bold, italic, and underline use the key combinations to toggle the functions on or off.

• Ctrl + B : Bold
• Ctrl + I : Italic
• Ctrl + U : Underline
• Ctrl + L : Left justify
• Ctrl + R : Right justify
• Ctrl + E : Center
• Ctrl + A : Select everything in a document
• Ctrl + X : Cut
• Ctrl + C : Copy
• Ctrl + V : Paste
• Ctrl + Z : Undo last action
• Shift + F3 : Select a word/words and use this key combination to change the case

Mouse and keyboard combinations

• Alt + Double left click : Display the properties window for the selected file or folder
• Shift + Right click : Shows a menu with alternate commands/options
• Shift + Double left click : Runs the alternate default command, which is the second item from the right-click menu
• Click middle mouse button on a tab in a browser : Close selected tab
• Click middle mouse button on a link : Open selected link in a new tab or window in your browser

I'm sure I missed a few shortcuts but this list should give you plenty of new things to try.
If you have any questions, have any more shortcuts that you would like to see added to the list or noticed any errors please leave a comment, but be nice! :D

How to hide and unhide files in Windows

If you have some files or folders that you want to hide for any reason, you can set the files as hidden so that they do not appear on your desktop or whatever folder they are in.

This is very quick and easy to do.

Ok, here is an example of how to do it using a new text document which was created on the desktop.

To hide the file, right-click on it and click properties in the menu.

In the properties window click the checkbox beside Hidden near the bottom of the window.

Click Apply then OK to hide the file.

There you go, it has disappeared from the desktop.

Even though your file is no longer visible, you can still access it. For this example, click in the Address bar and type "Desktop\new text document.txt", without quotes, then press Enter which will open the file in Notepad. You can still edit the file as normal even though it is hidden.

If you want to make it visible again do the following:

Press the Windows key and E together, or open the Start menu then click Computer to open a new window similar to the image below.

For Windows 7,  click Organize in the top-left of the window, then Folder and search options.

For other versions of Windows, Folder options can be found under the Tools section in the menu bar at the top of the window.

In the Folder Options window, click on the View tab. Under Advanced settings, click the button beside Show hidden files, folders, and drives.

Click Apply and OK.

Now, all the hidden files on your computer will be visible. Their icons will be slightly transparent.

On the desktop, find the new text document, right-click it and open the properties window.

In the Attributes section, uncheck Hidden, then click OK.

The file will now be visible as normal.

To hide all the files and folders that should normally be hidden again, simply go back to the Folder and search options window pictured above and click Don't show hidden files, folders, or dives, then press Apply.

How to automatically shutdown Windows 7 at a specified time

The Task Scheduler program in Windows 7 is very useful for allowing your PC to perform certain tasks automatically and, luckily, it's very easy to use.
The following example shows how to shutdown Windows 7 at a specified time.

First, click the Start button, open the Control Panel, then click System and Security.

 Click image to enlarge

Click Schedule tasks, which can be found under the Administrative Tools heading, to see the following screen. Alternatively, you may click the Start button and type "Task Scheduler", without quotes, into the search box and run Task Scheduler from here.

Click image to enlarge

This may look complicated but it's actually quite easy to use. On the right, there is a column titled Actions. Click "Create Basic Task..."

A new window will appear which will allow you to enter a name and description of the task. When you are finished click next.

Click image to enlarge

Now, you will see the Task Trigger screen. Here, you can specify when your new task will occur.

For this example, we only want the computer to be shutdown automatically once, so select the "One time" option.

Click image to enlarge

Click Next to see the following Window, which will allow you to set the time and date for when you want the task to occur.

Click image to enlarge

Click Next again to choose which action to perform. In this case, we will start a program.

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Click Next to go to the Start a Program screen.

Enter C:\\Windows\System32\shutdown.exe in the program/script box, and /s in the Add arguments text box. When you are finished, click Next.

A full list of arguments can be found at the end of this post.

Click image to enlarge

The Summary window will be displayed.

Click image to enlarge

Now, click Finish.

Look in the Active Tasks list and scroll until you find the task you have created.

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If the task does not appear press refresh, then scroll through the list again.

If you want to change any of the settings double click on on the name of the task, "Shutdown" in this case,  you will then be presented with the following screen:

Click image to enlarge

To make sure that the task will be run properly, look in the general tab and scroll down to Security options.

Click "Run whether user is logged on or not" and "Run with the highest privileges".

If you change your mind and want to delete the task you created, click on its name then click delete on the right side of the screen.

When the task is run, a message box will appear saying Windows will shutdown in less than a minute:

The image below shows the list of parameters for shutdown.exe.

Click image to enlarge

This can be seen by opening the command prompt and typing "shutdown.exe /?", without quotes.

If you want to log off or restart the computer instead of shutting down, you would enter "/l" (Log Off) or "/r" (Restart) in the Add arguments text box in the Task Scheduler wizard.

You can also use the "/h" parameter to make the computer hibernate.

Refer to the image for the full list of shutdown.exe parameters.

How to delete browsing history on an Android phone or tablet

If you want to protect your privacy from nosy friends or partners who may have access to your Android phone or tablet, it's a good idea to delete your internet browsing history after you have finished using the browser on your Android device.

If you have installed more than one browser, each one will have it's own browsing history and these will need to be deleted separately.

Default Android Browser (Internet)

Phones or tablets using Android 4.0 or earlier versions have a built-in browser called "Internet". To delete the browsing history from this go to Menu > Settings > Privacy Settings.

You will see a list of options including "Clear cache, Clear history, Clear all cookie data, Clear form data, and Clear location access". Select all of these to clear your browsing history.

If you would also like to remove any stored passwords, go to Security settings and choose the clear passwords option.

Opera Mobile Browser

Open the Opera browser, go to Settings > Privacy.

Choose which to delete by tapping the X beside each option.

Firefox for Android

Open Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Clear Private Data.

Choose what you want to delete and then press Clear data.

Chrome for Android

Open Chrome, go to Menu > Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data.

 

Select whatever you want to delete and press Clear.

How to find your IP address

If you want to find the IP address of your computer here are a couple of simple ways to do it in Windows. 

The easiest way is to open your browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and use one of the many sites that can display your computer's IP, such as www.whatsmyip.org, www.whatismyip.com or www.whatsmyip.net.  Google will also display your IP if you enter "what's my ip" in the search box, your IP will be shown at the top of the first results page.

Alternatively, click the Windows "start" button and type "cmd", without quotes, in the search box. 

In the search results click the "cmd" program to open the command prompt. You should see something like the image below:

Now, type "ipconfig" (without quotes) and press "Enter". This will display your IP address and other related information.

Click image to enlarge

How to renew an IP Address in Windows 7 and Vista

If your computer is having problems and can't connect to the internet and you are seeing messages such as "Webpage not available", "Limited or No Connectivity" or "Network Cable Unplugged" you may need to renew your IP (Internet Protocol) address.
"Network Cable Unplugged" could simply mean that an Ethernet or USB cable actually has been unplugged, so if you see that message then the first thing to do is to check that all the relevant cables are securely plugged in both to your computer and modem.

If the cables are OK then you may need to renew your IP address. Sounds a bit daunting? Don't worry, it's very easy to do in Windows 7 and Vista if you follow the steps below.

Instructions

1. Open the "Start" menu, click "Control Panel", "Network and Internet" then "Network and Sharing Center." For Windows 7 users, click "Change Network Adapter Settings" and a Local Area Connection Manager dialog box will appear. For Windows Vista, click "Manage Network Connections" under the "Tasks" heading.


2. Right click on "Local Area Connection" and choose "Disable." Doing this will release the IP address. 


3. Switch off your modem, make sure all the lights on it are off then wait for about 20 seconds before switching it back on. Allow the modem to reset, wait for all the lights to come back on as usual.


4. Right click on the Local Area Connection icon and select "Enable." This should solve your problem and allow you to access the internet again.