How to take screenshots?

Just pressing PrtScn copies the entire desktop to your clipboard, which has to be pasted into Paint, or some other image handling program, to be accessed. Alt+PrtScn copies the active window to the clipboard.

To take a screenshot on Windows 10 or Windows 11 and automatically save the file to the Screenshots folder, press the Windows key + PrtScn. Your screen will go dim and a screenshot of your entire screen will be saved to the folder.

Quick tip: You can find the Screenshots folder by opening File Explorer (press the Windows key + E) and clicking Pictures in the left side panel (navigation pane). If you have OneDrive enabled, the screenshot will be saved there as well.

Ah, so they both capture the same thing, but the WIN+ saves instead of copying to the pasteboard. Thanks.

What I would love is the ability to press one button, have it remove the HUD and player names, take the screenshot, and re-enable those things.

If I could figure out how those two are controlled I’d take a swing at creating a mod.

Very timely finding this post, I’ve been trying to figure it out today.

Hmmm


Well, for me, just PrtSc by itself only copies to the clipboard. You then have to paste the image somewhere to save it. If not, every time you hit PrtSc again, it overwrites what’s in the clipboard.

Win+PrtSc OTOH saves the image as a separate .png file to the \Pictures\Screenshots folder every time you use the command, no pasting required and no overwrites.

Best way to do it while in VR?

My keyboard does not have a PrtSc key.

I use Win + Shift + S.
or
Click the Windows Snipping Tool icon on my Taskbar.
or
Win + G and use the Xbox Game Bar to take the screenshot.

I wish there is a native MSFS command so that I can take a screenshot with my XBOX controller that I only use when I’m in drone cam mode.

This was for the Xbox folks, but the button procedure should work with Pc as well. Have you tried step 1?

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Most of us don’t have Xbox controllers because we prefer joysticks and yokes.
We have a very useful keyboard shortcut: WINDOWS + PrtScr.
This key combination takes a screenshot of entire screen and automatically saves it as a file in the “Screenshots” folder within “Pictures” library.

Quick and convenient without needing any additional software or Xbox controller.



FYI
Windows 11

  1. Select the Start button  and then Settings.
  2. Under Gaming, select Captures. Make sure Record what happened is set to On, and (if necessary) select the down arrow for more options.
  3. Select the Record the last dropdown box to choose the length of the recording.

If you’re using an Xbox Wireless Controller with a Share button on Windows 11:

  • Press the Share button once to take a screenshot.
  • Press and hold the Share button for 3 seconds and then release to start recording. Repeat this step to stop recording.

Source Capture game clips and screenshots | Xbox Support

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My Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard does not have a PrtScn key.
So, I use the Windows Snipping Tool.
And put the Snipping Tool app on the Taskbar for easy access.

Windows 11 has several keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots:

  1. Alt + PrtScn
    Captures the active window and copies it to the clipboard. You can then open the screenshot in an image editor to save it.

  2. Windows key + Shift + S
    Opens the Snipping Tool, which allows you to take a screenshot of a specific area of your screen. You can choose to capture a rectangular area, freehand selection, window, or the entire screen. After taking the screenshot, a screen is displayed. You can edit it and/or save it to whatever disk\folder you desire.

  3. Windows key + PrtScn
    Captures your entire screen and automatically saves it to the Screenshots folder as a PNG file. You can find the Screenshots folder in File Explorer, or in the Pictures folder if you don’t see it immediately. If you have OneDrive enabled, the screenshot will also be saved there.

If your device doesn’t have a PrtScn button, you can try using the Fn + Windows logo key + Space Bar to take a screenshot.

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Thanks for the info!
I‘ll try this as soon as I get my hand on the sim.

Thanks!
I too use stick, throttle quadrant and rudders to control aircraft.
Xbox controller is for drone cam only (assignments for aircraft control are deleted). It‘s very very good for controlling drone, but having to reach keyboard to capture the right moment was a small inconvenient.

*JoyToKey* enables PC game controllers to emulate the keyboard

I think what you’re looking for is the JoyToKey program where you can assign a button on your controller to the PrtSc key.
JoyToKey - Basic Features

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Tried nice tips but didn’t work. maybe because mine is not a genuine, but a 3rd party controller. I think I should try JoyToKey out as the last resort. Thank you everyone!

Since no one else has mentioned this, I’ll point out that there is an event in the SDK that is bindable with something like AxisAndOhs (what I use) or similar.

CAPTURE_SCREENSHOT

I have this bound to a button on my controller so I can take a quick screenshot on final without having to pause or do other keys.

This captures screenshots to your “Pictures\Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 Files” folder by default. Happy picture taking!

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Tried using SPAD.neXt and I see it’s registering the click but no folder gets created and no image gets saved.