Almost everyone has to create them from time to time, whether at work, university, or school: PowerPoint presentations. PowerPoint is a very versatile and practical tool for creating presentations that visually support a lecture.

However, many users are overwhelmed by the sheer endless design and selection options of the software.

It's quite easy to create appealing presentations with PowerPoint, and it's worthwhile to be able to use some of its very practical features. In the following article, we'd like to introduce you to one particularly helpful and versatile feature: the ability to create screenshots directly in PowerPoint and insert them into your presentation.

Images are ideal for livening up a PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint also offers the option of inserting your own screenshots. For example, screenshots can be used to perfectly illustrate the process in a tutorial.

A screenshot can be, for example, a section of a program or an image of your own desktop. Anything that appears on your screen can be saved as a screenshot and added to your PowerPoint presentation.

PowerPoint has a built-in screenshot function for this purpose. This makes it quick and easy to insert screenshots into presentations. The function can also be used to easily create and insert images from PDF files.

Creating screenshots in PowerPoint – it's that easy

To insert an entire window, proceed as follows. First, the window must be opened. Make sure that it is not minimized, but remains open in the background.

Now, switch to the open PowerPoint presentation via the taskbar, into which you want to insert the entire window. Then, select and open the "Insert" tab. Finally, in the "Pictures" section, select "Screenshot".

Here you'll find the "Available Windows" function. This displays all currently open windows. Each of them can be inserted into the presentation as a screenshot. Simply select the desired image here. The entire window will then be inserted onto the open slide. It's that easy to display an open window in PowerPoint.

Insert screen clipping into PowerPoint

It's also possible to insert a screenshot into the presentation. To do this, you first need to open the window from which you want to insert a screenshot. Again, remember not to minimize the window, but to leave it open. Only then can you later select the desired area for the screenshot. Once the desired window is open, you can switch to the PowerPoint presentation using the taskbar.

Here's the usual procedure. Go to the "Insert" tab, then "Pictures," and then "Screenshot." Under Screenshot, select "Screen Clipping." This will automatically minimize the PowerPoint program. The screen will also be overlaid with a semi-transparent layer, and the mouse pointer will change to a crosshair.

To select an area to include in the presentation, click and hold the left mouse button. The selected area will lose its semi-transparent overlay and appear as normal. The selected area will then be automatically inserted into the PowerPoint presentation.

Take screenshots using the "Print Screen" key

Another way to take a screenshot is by pressing the "Print Screen" key. This saves the image on the screen directly as a screenshot. It can then be pasted into another program, such as PowerPoint, using "Paste" or "Ctrl + V".

This function also captures the entire screen as a screenshot. If needed, this can be cropped and adjusted in a program like Paint. This feature thus offers another way to create screenshots and insert them into PowerPoint or other programs.

First, press the "Print Screen" key on your keyboard. The current screenshot is now saved to the clipboard. To view it, open a suitable program, such as Microsoft Word. Once open, paste the screenshot using the "Paste" command or the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + V".

This program allows you to further edit the screenshot (for example, enlarge or reduce its size). Once the screenshot is the correct size, it can simply be copied into the PowerPoint presentation. Every PC offers this functionality, as every keyboard has a "Print Screen" key. It's a very simple and common method for creating screenshots .

Creating screenshots in PowerPoint using the Windows Snipping Tool

To take screenshots on a Windows computer, you can also use the "Snipping Tool". First, you need to start the program. To do this, select the "Start" icon. If the Snipping Tool isn't directly in the Start menu, you can search for it by typing "snip" in the search field.

The Snipping Tool will then appear in the search results. Simply click on it to launch it. In Windows 8, the search function works the same way, via the tile interface. Searching is also possible in Windows 10 using the search function.

The Snipping Tool offers various functions. Besides "New," there's a small square that displays the selection options. To create a screenshot, first select "New." The screen will then tint as if it were facing frosted glass. With the mouse button pressed, you can then drag a rectangle on the screen. Only this area will be captured as a screenshot.

After releasing the mouse button, the selected area appears in a small window. Various tools appear above the toolbar, allowing you to further select individual areas within the screenshot. The screenshot can be saved using the floppy disk icon.

After saving, it can be opened in PowerPoint like a normal image and thus added to the presentation.
The symbol that shows two pages on top of each other is called copy, and it takes the new screenshot directly to the clipboard, making it particularly easy to quickly paste it.

Editing and customizing screenshots

The screenshots you create can then be edited as desired. For example, you can adjust their size, add a frame, or apply other image effects. There are also many other design options available. It's worth experimenting. This way, you can perfectly integrate the screenshots into your presentation.

PowerPoint offers many different options in this area. Screenshots can be displayed one after the other or integrated directly onto a slide. In the latter case, text can also be placed around the screenshot. This is particularly useful when explaining how a program works, as screenshots clearly illustrate the steps to be taken.

Creating screenshots in PowerPoint – different ways

There are various ways to create screenshots in PowerPoint, which have been presented here. These methods allow you to enhance your PowerPoint presentation with inserted screenshots and illustrate concepts more easily. Inserting screenshots, especially using the appropriate function in PowerPoint, is very simple and can be done by any user. Regardless of the method you choose, you'll be impressed with the final result.

Screenshots in PowerPoint offer the opportunity to show the recipient of the presentation the processes directly on their own desktop. This is often the simplest way to illustrate a complex topic. The function integrated directly into PowerPoint is very convenient, allowing you to create and insert screenshots in just one step. With other methods, an additional step is required to insert the created screenshot into the PowerPoint presentation.

All these methods are very reliable and suitable for creating screenshots and inserting them into your presentation. Furthermore, they can be used by any PowerPoint user. With these methods, anyone can visually enhance their presentation and liven it up with their own screenshots .