Table of contents

If your device has the full-size keyboard layout, then you are probably familiar with the Print Screen (PrtScrn) key. Normally, when you press the Print Screen key or use the Alt + Print Screen combination, Windows takes a screenshot, saves the image to a specific folder, and then copies it to your clipboard.

In this guide, we intend to show you how to enable sound alerts for screenshots in Windows 10. This way, with the sound setup for alerts, you get solid confirmation that the screenshot task was successful – whenever you instruct Windows to take a screenshot.

You will also learn how to change certain screenshot settings in Windows 10. Let’s go.

How to add a sound to the Print Screen screenshot in Windows 10

In some cases, when you instruct Windows to take a screenshot, you have no means of determining whether the task was done. Your computer screen is supposed to flash briefly (for a moment), but you may miss this event, or the setup may not even apply to your system in the first place.

Then, to verify that the screenshot was taken, you may have to paste the item on your clipboard (to see if the image appears), or you can go to the location where the screenshot is supposed to have been saved (to see if it is there). Both procedures are impractical.

Therefore, adding a sound as an alert for screenshots comes as a good setup.

  1. How to enable a sound alert for Print Screen screenshots:

These are the instructions you must follow to make the necessary changes to your computer:

  • Fire up the Run application:

Press and hold down the Windows button on your PC’s keyboard and then hit the letter R key.

  • Assuming the small Run dialog or window is now on your screen, you must input Regedit into the text box there.
  • Hit the Enter button on your machine’s keyboard.
  • Click on the Yes button to affirm the program launch task – if User Account Control (UAC) brings up a dialog to get some form of confirmation.
  • Once the Registry Editor window appears, you have to navigate to its top-left corner, locate Computer, and then double-click on this primary entry to see its contents.
  • Now, to get to your destination, you have to navigate through the directories here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default

  • In your current location, you have to locate SnapShot and then right-click on it.
  • From the options presented, you must select New and then choose Key.
  • Input SnapShot into the field for Name.
  • Save the changes: click on the OK button.
  • Now, you must close the Registry Editor application.
  • Here, you must fire up the Run application again (the Windows button + letter R key combination comes in handy).
  • This time, once the Run dialog appears, you have to fill the box on it with this code:

rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL mmsys.cpl ,2

Your computer will bring up the main Sound window or dialog now.

  • Assuming you are on the Sounds tab (default location), you have to go through the items under Program Events.
  • Locate Snapshot and then click on it to get it highlighted.
  • Now, you must click on the drop-down menu under Sounds.
  • From the list of preset sounds, you have to select your preferred tune for the screenshot sound.

Note: if you want to use a custom tune, then you have to download the audio file first, convert it to the WAV format, and then select the tune from the list.

  • Click on the Apply button. To finish things, click on the OK button.

If you did everything correctly, now, when you try taking a screenshot by pressing the Print Screen key (or the Alt + PrtScr combination), your computer will play a sound to tell you that the screenshot was taken and saved to the appropriate location.

Note: If you installed a special third-party utility – such as Snagit – to take screenshots on your computer – which means the Print Screen hotkey for screenshots is already being controlled by the utility – then you are unlikely to hear the sound alert, or the procedure to configure Windows to play sound (as notifications for screenshot operations) does not apply in your case.

How to change screenshot settings in Windows 10

Here, we will describe some procedures that deliver changes that can improve your experience with screenshots in Windows 10.

  1. How to configure Windows to open screen snipping with the Print Screen key:

If you want Windows to bring up the screen snipping application (instead of taking screenshots directly) when you press the Print Screen key, then you must go through these steps to make the necessary changes to your computer configuration:

  • First, you have to open the Settings app. You can take advantage of the Windows button + letter I keyboard shortcut here.
  • Once the Settings window gets brought up, you must click on Ease of Access (one of the main screen options).
  • Now, from the list of items on the pane to the left, you must click on Keyboard.

You will be directed to the Keyboard menu for Ease of Access.

  • Here, on the pane to the right, you must locate the Print Screen shortcut. Click on the toggle for Use the PrtScn button to open screen snipping (to select this parameter).
  • At this point, you can close the Settings application.

Now, with the described setup in place, when you press the Print Screen button, you will see the screen snipping overlay. The screen snipping overlay will provide you with several options – such as the capture the full screen, draw a freeform area, and capture the image inside an object functions – that you can use to perform screenshot tasks.

  1. How to change the location of screenshots taken with the Print Screen key:

By default, when you use the Print Screen key (or a combination involving it) to take a screenshot of your display, Windows saves the image in the Screenshots directory, which exists inside the Picture folder on your computer.

If you want Windows to save your screenshots to a different location, then you have to go through these steps:

  • First, you have to open the File Explorer app. The Windows button + letter E key combination is useful here.
  • Once the File Explorer window gets brought up, you have to click or double-click on This PC and then navigate to the place where you want Windows to save your screenshots.
  • In your preferred location, you must create a new folder. Right-click on the area there to see some options, select New, and then choose Folder.
  • Rename the new folder Screenshots. Yes, it must have this name.
  • Now, you must go to the Pictures directory, which houses the Screenshot folder (currently the default location for screenshots).
  • Right-click on the Screenshots folder (the default folder). Choose Properties.

Windows will bring up the Properties window for the selected Screenshot folder.

  • Click on the Location tab. Click on the Move button.

Windows will bring up a new File Explorer window.

  • Now, you must navigate to the new Screenshots folder (the one you created) and then click on it (to get it highlighted or selected).
  • Click on the Select Folder button (in the bottom-right corner).
  • Save the changes you made to Screenshot Properties – if this step applies in your case.

If you did everything correctly, then Windows will start saving all your screenshots to the new Screenshots folder that you specified.

TIP


If you are looking to keep all your drivers updated – to ensure all your devices function at their best – then you may want to get Auslogics Driver Updater. With this utility, updating drivers becomes a breeze. The application will perform all the tedious, complicated driver update procedures on your behalf.