How to Do a Print Screen and Paste in Gmail

By C. Taylor

The
i Photodisc/Photodisc/Getty Images

Words can only describe so much, so the next time you need to accurately describe what you're seeing on your computer desktop to your company's IT department, consider performing a print screen. Despite its name, you don’t actually print anything. Instead, this native function captures the visible area of your screen and places the image on your clipboard. You can then paste the image directly into Gmail and even adjust the size without having to create or open a separate file.

Arrange the windows on your desktop in the manner best suited to your situation. If you only need to capture a single window rather than the entire desktop, click anywhere in the window to make it the active window.

Press the "Print Screen" or "PrtSc" key on your keyboard to capture the entire desktop. Alternatively, press "Alt-Print Screen" or "Alt-PrtSc" to capture the active window. The captured image is saved to your clipboard.

Click "Compose" in your Gmail account to open a new composition window. Create the email as you normally would.

Click in the body of the email where you want the screenshot to appear and press "Ctrl-V" to paste it.

Click the image and select the size you prefer from the bottom-left of the image. You can choose "Small," "Medium," "Large" or "Original Size." Alternatively, click and drag the sides or corners of the image to manually resize it.

Click "Send" to send your email with the screenshot.

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