How to take scrolling, long screen screenshots in Windows

Windows provides many ways to take basic or scrolling screenshots, such as pressing Win + PrtScn or Fn + PrtScn to instantly add a screenshot. There's even a built-in tool called Snip & Sketch (Snipping Tool in Windows 11) that allows you to capture part of windows and pop-up menus.

But all methods only allow you to capture content that is within the browser's view area size. What if you want to take a screenshot of the scrolling window of a web page, document, or any other content outside the viewable area?

This guide shows the best tools for taking scrolling, long screen screenshots in Windows 11 and Windows 10.

How to take a scrolling screenshot on the browser

To take scrolling screenshots on any Windows browser, you need that browser-specific options or a supported online store extension.

1. Microsoft Edge

Windows' native browser, Microsoft Edge, is packed with cool stuff, including a built-in feature that lets you capture entire web pages as scrolling screenshots. Refer: How to take a screenshot of the entire web page content on Microsoft Edge for details on how to do it.

2. Mozilla Firefox

Since the launch of Firefox Quantum, there has been a built-in method for taking scrolling screenshots in the browser, making it the only browser other than Edge to offer this feature without requiring an extension. To take a scrolling screenshot:

1. Click the three dashes menu icon in the top right, then click More tools > Customize toolbar .

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2. Search for the icons listed for 'Screenshot' and drag it to the Firefox toolbar or, if you don't want the icon to clutter up your toolbar, go to the 'Overflow Menu' on the right. .

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3. Click Done to exit the customization window.

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4. You can now use the Screenshot button on the toolbar to capture any screen in the Firefox browser window.

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5. Navigate to the page you want to capture, click the new screenshot icon in the toolbar, then click 'Save full page' . (If you added a button to the Overflow Menu , click the '>>' button to bring up the Screenshot button ).

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6. A full screen shot will appear, which you can save to your PC.

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Use the extension

Firefox's built-in screen capturer is sufficient for most purposes. If you need more advanced options, you can download an extension called FireShot.

1. After adding the FireShot extension, click its toolbar icon when you need to capture an area of ​​view in the Firefox browser window.

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2. Select 'Capture entire page' from the list of screen capture options.

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3. You can save the image as a JPEG file or another option, such as 'Save to PDFF' .

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3. Google Chrome

There is an easy method using 'Developer Tools' in Chrome to quickly capture an entire web page with a scrolling screenshot.

1. Click the three-dot menu, followed by More tools > Developer tools .

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2. Inside the control panel, click the three dots next to the Settings icon (gear), then select 'Run command' in the drop-down list.

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3. Type 'screenshot' next to the Run command to display a list of screenshot commands in the browser.

4. To take a full-size screenshot of the entire browser window, select 'Capture full size screenshot' .

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5. A JPEG image of the entire Chrome scroll window is saved in your Downloads folder .

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Use the extension

If you're looking to take scrolling screenshots on Chrome or Edge (which lets you install Chrome-like Chromium extensions), an extension, such as GoFullPage, will do the job.

1. Install GoFullPage and click on its icon in the upper right corner of the browser. (If it's not there right away, click the puzzle piece icon, then click GoFullPage from the list of extensions).

2. Click the Pin icon next to the extension name to have it permanently appear on your browser bar.

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3. When you want to record scrolling in the browser window, GoFullPage will have full access to that web page.

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4. Once you have clicked on GoFullPage, it will scan the entire web page you are visiting, showing the status 'Screen capture in progress' .

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5. As you can see in the screenshot below, the shot is quite long.

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6. From here you can edit, annotate and download the screenshot, as a PDF or PNG file.

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Another scrolling screenshot extension option for Chrome and Edge is Full Screenshot.

How to take scrolling screenshots with software

The above browser-based methods can only take scrolling screenshots in the browser window. But what if you want to shoot in an app or game? In such a case, you will need to download and install the app for your Windows 11/10 laptop or PC.

1. ShareX

Available for purchase on its own website and game platform Steam, its own dedicated Discord channel of great interest, the free screenshot app ShareX is validated by its immense popularity in the game streaming community. .

This open source application is widely used by gamers for its powerful screen capture options. One of the cool features - like video recording, GIFs, selection of capture areas and workflows, as well as a large number of filters and effects to add to photos - is the 'screenshot' option. scroll' that you are looking for.

1. Download the file '.setup.exe' to install ShareX.

2. Once installed, open ShareX, then click Capture > Scrolling Capture .

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3. You can specify which window you want to scroll, set a delay before the screen capture starts or not, and the amount of scroll you want to capture.

4. Click Start scrolling capture to begin.

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5. The ShareX application captures the content you want in a scrolling window.

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Unlike the other options on this list, ShareX is free and maintained by a diligent community of open source developers. In addition to just scrolling, it also functions as an all-in-one screen capture tool, which is quite impressive given its small file size.

2. PicPick

PicPick is a screen capture and image editing software developed and owned by NGWIN. This is the favorite screenshot tool of many users. The best thing about PicPick is that it's free for personal use and packs in some cool features that you won't find even in paid programs.

For screen capture, PicPick provides 7 screen capture modes: Full screen, Active Window, Window Control, Scrolling Window, Region, Fixed Region and FreeHand . Each of these modes is suitable for different situations and can help you customize your screenshots. For example, Region mode can help you isolate and capture dialog boxes without any extra detail around.

Fixed Region mode allows you to set the desired screenshot length and width in pixels, helping to ensure all your screenshots are uniform. The tool also has a Scrolling Window mode that allows you to take a scrolling screenshot of a web page or document with just a few clicks as shown below.

1. Open PicPick and select Scrolling Window.

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2. You will see a small toolbar with some screenshot options. Select the scroll window option again.

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3. Press and hold Ctrl + Alt at the same time, then press PRTSC. A rectangular box marked in red will appear.

4. Press and hold the left mouse button. Release the mouse and the auto-scroll will happen slowly. Your entire window will be captured in seconds.

5. You can save the captured scroll image in various file formats, such as JPG, BMP, PNG, GIF and PDF.

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PicPick also comes with a pixel ruler that can be used to measure the size of an image on your screen, a virtual whiteboard that allows users to draw on the screen, and a crosshair to pinpoint the exact position of the pixels that are similar. opposite to.

3. Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro

Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro is an innovative, highly customizable screen capture and photo editing tool. The program has no trouble taking screenshots, thanks to 10 capture modes, including Scrolling Screenshots, Menu and Freehand .

Scrolling window capture allows you to capture the entire web page, document or browser, including content hidden from view. It also comes with a Task Scheduler to take screenshots automatically.

1. Download and install Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro on your PC.

2. Once inside, select the 'Scroll window' option to continue.

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3. A handle is activated at the top left to select as many desktop windows as you want.

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In addition to taking screenshots, Apowersoft Screen Capture Pro also comes with a powerful image editor that provides many options for you to edit your screenshots. Moreover, you can also use this tool to record screen, upload and share online. However, the program is quite expensive. Lifetime license costs $79.95. You can also choose a monthly subscription starting at $12.95/month.

4. FastStone Capture

FastStone Capture is an older piece of software with lots of screen capture options, including scrolling screenshots. This solution is compatible with older versions of Windows, such as Windows 7, but also works pretty well with Windows 11.

1. Download and install FastStone Capture on your device. This is a trial software for 30 days (no credit card required).

2. When the small toolbar is launched, select the Capture Scrolling Window option .

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3. The last screenshot is saved to the FastStone Capture window. Save the output file in various formats, such as JPEG, BMP, GIF, PCX, PNG, TGA, TIFF, FSC and PDF.

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5. Screenpresso

Screenpresso is a very advanced screen capture tool for Windows. Lightweight tool that scrolls screenshots in a jiffy and is free to use for non-business users.

1. Download and install Screenpresso from its official link. You need to install .NET 4.8 on your Windows PC.

2. Launch Screenpresso from the Windows Start menu or the system tray.

3. Navigate to the menu icon named 'Screenshot region' and click on it.

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4. To save a moving web page or application screenshot, select 'Screenshot using autoscroll' .

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Micah Soto

Update 27 June 2023