How to insert screenshots in Word without leaving the document

Last update: 24/07/2025
Author Isaac
  • The native function of Become allows you to insert screenshots of any active window and specific clippings directly.
  • Inserted screenshots can be quickly edited, cropped, and formatted from within the document.
  • This process streamlines the creation of tutorials, white papers, and presentations with an efficient workflow.

Word screenshot

Inserting screenshots directly into Word is a tremendously useful feature. For those looking to create professional, visually compelling documents without relying on external tools or complicated workflows. It's often thought that you need to use additional programs or perform several actions to achieve this, but the reality is that Word offers a native feature which allows you to capture and integrate images of what you see on the screen with just a few clicks, making the task much easier.

In this guide I'm going to tell you step by step and with all the details how you can get the most out of this feature, as well as practical tips on editing, area selection, integrating with other Office applications, and optimizing your documents. Whether you are a student, a professional, or simply want to improve your presentations, reports, or tutorialsThis article will serve as a reference for getting the most out of screenshots in Word.

Why insert screenshots directly into Word?

Screenshots have become An indispensable resource for illustrating processes, highlighting errors, sharing visual information, or complementing technical explanations.. The fact of being able to insert them without leaving Word implies an important time saving and a reduction in errors, since there is no need to jump from one program to another or manage unnecessary intermediate files.

Virtually all recent versions of Word, as well as Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, integrate this technology via the tab Insert, with the option Screenshot. Also This feature automatically recognizes all the windows you have open (and are not minimized), allowing you to choose the one you need or select just a part.

Where to find the screenshot option in Word

The button that allows you to insert screenshots is located on the Insert tab, in the Illustrations group, under the name Screenshot. When you unfold it, Word displays a gallery called Available windows where all active windows appear in thumbnail format, except those minimized to the taskbar.

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This gallery is especially useful because allows you to identify at a glance the window you want to captureIf you have a lot of apps open, just hover over each thumbnail to see the name of the corresponding app or document.

How to insert screenshots in Word step by step

The procedure is very simple and it will only take a few seconds:

  1. Open your Word document and place the cursor in the area where you would like to insert the image.
  2. Go to the Insert tab and press Screenshot.
  3. A list of Available windows with thumbnails of active apps. You have two options here:
    • Click on the window thumbnail to insert that entire window as a screenshot directly into your document.
    • If you prefer to select only a specific part, choose Screen snip. When you do this, the screen will become opaque and the cursor will turn into a crosshair. Hold down the left mouse button and drag to define the area you want to capture.
  4. The image will be automatically inserted into Word at the point where the cursor is.

Advantages of the built-in screenshot function

  • speed and comfort: : There is no need to open or save image files separately.
  • Accuracy: The capture reflects exactly what you see, without accidental cropping or loss of quality.
  • Immediate release: Since the screenshot is already in Word, you can edit it instantly with the built-in image tools.
  • Compatibility: This feature is also found in other Office applications, facilitating a consistent workflow.

Editing options after inserting a screenshot

Once the image is in your document, Word automatically opens the Picture Tools Format tab.From here, you have access to multiple tools to customize your capture:

  • Cut out the image to show only the relevant part.
  • Apply borders, shadows, artistic effects, or reshape your image to better integrate it into the document design.
  • Resize and rotate the image as needed.
  • Remove the background or adjust the transparency if the image allows it.
  • Modify brightness and contrast to improve visibility.
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This avoids having to resort to other basic editing programs such as Paint, since Word includes virtually all the essential tools for fast and functional editing.

Differences between full screenshots and screenshots

One of the great advantages of working with Word is the ability to choose between capturing entire windows or just specific areas.

  • If you select a whole window, the screenshot will reflect all of its content just as you see it.
  • If you prefer a partial clipping, you can decide exactly which snippet you are interested in, such as an icon, a button, or an error message.

This flexibility is especially useful in tutorials, presentations or technical documents where It is not always necessary or convenient to show the entire application.

What if you need to capture multiple windows?

On many occasions, you need to integrate information on different programs or compare multiple visual sources. With Word's screenshot option, you can switch between open applications and add as many images as you need. If you have multiple windows open, it'll be easy to identify which one you need with the thumbnail preview and mouse-over names.

For example, you can capture an Excel table, a PowerPoint chart, and a web page from Chrome, all of them without leaving your Word document and without intermediate steps.

Tip for workflows with many captures

When the number of screenshots to be taken is high, it's common to wonder whether it's better to do it all at once after finishing the text or directly as it's being written. Word's integrated system allows you to include images exactly when you need them., maintaining context and avoiding oversights. There's no time wasted saving and reorganizing images later, which is common with traditional methods where you have to search for each file separately.

Therefore, inserting screenshots as you progress through writing reduces the risk of leaving out important information and improves the visual consistency of the document.

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Alternatives on other operating systems: key combinations and external methods

If you are a user of Mac, the process to capture screen is not integrated exactly the same as in Windows, but they exist keyboard shortcuts very efficient:

  • Shift + Command (⌘) + 3: Capture the entire screen.
  • Shift + Command (⌘) + 4: Allows you to select a specific area by dragging the mouse over the desired area. When you release it, the image is automatically saved.
  • Shift + Command (⌘) + 4 + Spacebar: Capture a specific window or menu. The cursor becomes a camera, and you simply click on the window you want to capture. If you don't want the shadow, hold down Option while clicking.

Captured images are saved by default in the Desktop or in the Recent folderYou can then open them in your preferred editor to make adjustments, and finally, insert them into Word using Insert → Pictures → Picture from File.

What happens if you only have one app open?

In case that there is only one window available to capture or simply want to crop a part of the desktop, the option to Screen snip It's still available. When you activate it, the entire screen will become translucent, and you can use your mouse to select exactly the area you need, whether it's your active application or the desktop itself.

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