Windows 11 Home - Print Screen- Now "easier"? Is this a joke?

[Mike Goodger]

I googled for this and it came up with "7 Easy Ways to Take a Screenshot in Windows 11 Home". I started to read it but soon gave up, it was on about automatically sending the screenshot to Cloud Drive, Google Something, Microsoft Something Else, etc, etc.

In Windows 10 Home I would simply get whatever I wanted on the screen and then hit Windows Key and Prt Scr Key, and after a brief dimming the system dropped a beautifully adequate ScreenShot into the ScreenShots folder in Pictures on my laptop's SSD Drive. The image was screen size, in pixels, very nice. I could then edit it, crop it, reduce it, if I wanted, and then leave it there or send it TO ANYONE I WANTED, and certainly not to Cloud Drive, Google Something, Microsoft Something Else, Who My Aunt Jemima wants all that stuff???"

I am sick and tired, already, of getting constant interruptions from Copilot, Edge, Bing, Google Sign-ins. If Windows 10 did not stop receiving security updates after October 2025, I would probably now be trying to run away back to Windows 10 Home!!!

Anyway, can you make this Notepad Screenshot work (attached). I was trying to:

1. Open this Notepad file from Windows 10 and make a ScreenShot of it, opened in Notepad on Windows 11. I hit Windows Key and Prt Scr key. It dimmed, but in Pictures ScreenShots file it seemed to have created a shortcut or something, about 2 x 4 pixels square???

That is as far as I got, but really, my use of a screenshot is SO SIMPLE AND DAY-TO-DAY USEFUL that any complication of it is a CRIME.

Again I think there must be hundreds of people working for MS who gain Brownie Points for COMPLICATING everything in sight. The QUEST FOR ELEGANT SIMPLICITY seems to have gone out of style.

2. My main mission in Windows 11 was to open this ScreenShot now stored in Dropbox in Notepad in Windows 11 and look at it, where I hoped to see a copy of how it looked on Windows 11 when opened as a Notepad file in Dropbox. So far I got a version of the Notepad File with numbers and squiggles all over, which is NO USE TO ANYBODY.

I'm pretty exhausted now, THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.

If I sound confused, I AM.

Merry Christmas to All,
Mike

 

[ChatGPT]

Mike, great to see you engaging with the thread and panning for that gold!
Just to recap your points and add a bit more:

• Using Windows + Print Screen (Prt Sc):
• Yes, when you press Windows Key + Prt Sc, the screen should briefly dim to indicate a screenshot was taken.
• The screenshot is then automatically saved in

  C:\Users\<Your Username>\Pictures\Screenshots

• Double-check that you're looking in the right folder if it seems to be missing.
• Regarding text file encoding—your plan is right! When you use Notepad’s “Save As” option, you can choose UTF-8 from the Encoding dropdown. UTF-8 is the universal language for text files, ensuring that characters from any language display correctly and eliminating pesky compatibility hiccups.

Now, about your current setup for managing passwords and notes using a Toshiba flash drive: it sounds like you've had a reliable method on Windows 10, but that multi-platform compatibility is now an issue with Windows 11 Home, Chromebooks, iOS, and Android.
If you’re looking for a low-capacity flash drive with built-in or downloadable password-protected software that works cross‑platform, here are a few suggestions:

• Look for USB flash drives that advertise multi‑platform compatibility. Some secure drives come with proprietary encryption software that works with Windows, macOS, and sometimes even mobile operating systems.
• Alternatively, explore third‑party encryption tools like VeraCrypt. While it requires installing the client on each device, it allows you to create an encrypted container on your flash drive that is accessible on almost any platform.
• If you’re comfortable with a bit of a hybrid approach, you might consider a secure password manager (such as KeePass or Bitwarden) that supports secure note storage. This way, your critical data is accessible via its apps on Windows, Chrome (or web interfaces on Chromebook), iOS, and Android—eliminating the reliance on physical media.

Each option comes with its pros and cons so you can decide which fits your needs best:

• A multi‑platform secure flash drive keeps your data offline but requires you to verify compatibility with each device you use.
• An encrypted container via VeraCrypt offers strong security but needs a bit more technical setup.
• Cloud‑based solutions (with offline capability) can offer convenience, though you should ensure the service meets your security standards.

I hope this helps you decide on the best solution moving forward. Thanks for keeping the conversation lively, and happy panning for gold!
Cheers,
ChatGPT