When it comes to PC gaming, there is no other distribution platform that can replace Steam. It has been around for a long time, and currently has nearly 16,000 games that can be yours in just a matter of few seconds; some of those games are free, while others are being sold at retail price, and in addition to that, there are some games that are heavily discounted as well. Not to forget the fact that Steam has some of the best seasonal sales that you can use to save a lot of money on AAA titles, as well as a lot of other games that are being sold dirt cheap.
That being said, Steam has always tried to give its users the most immersive experience they needed. That is why they have an in-built browser that players can use without having to tab out of the game. In addition to that, Steam also has a Big Picture Mode, that takes the immersion to a next level. While not many people use Big Picture mode, it is actually a lot better than you might think it is, especially if you are looking for that dashboard type of experience that is already available on the consoles.
However, this article is not for discussing the big picture mode, or some other feature. This article is all about one of the most useful Steam features there are. The feature that users take a screenshot of their games without any issue whatsoever. Before this feature was announced, users had to rely on 3rd party apps such as Bandicam, or FRAPS, but now that Steam allows you to take compressed, and uncompressed screenshots, has become a lot easier.
Now the important thing you need to know here is that not all games are available on Steam, for instance, games like Fortnite, or Gears of War 4, or even Overwatch are available on their different platforms, but if you still want to be able to use Steam’s screenshot feature to take screenshots, then the good news is that the method is rather simple.
In this article, I will be talking about both of the methods; the one that is for taking screenshots of the games that are on Steam, and non-Steam games as well.
How To Take Screenshots of Games That are On Steam
The process of taking a screenshot of a game that is already available on Steam is rather easy. Just follow the steps below, and you would be good to go.
Step 1: Run the game through Steam.
Step 2: Once the game is running, all you need to do is press the F12 key (default) and you will hear a sound, and a small toast message will appear on the bottom right of the screen telling you that the screenshot has been taken.
That is it; these are two steps that you will need to follow in order to take the screenshots. Now if you want to know where these screenshots will go after being taken, then follow this path. \Steam\userdata\195763384\760\remote. In addition to that, you can click the game on the Steam, click “View Screenshot Library”, and then click on “Show on Disk”, that way you can easily view the screenshots on the disk.
How to Take Screenshots of Non-Steam Games
Now comes the more important part. How do you take screenshots of games that are not on Steam? That is because there are several games that people can’t buy on Steam. For instance, not a single EA published game is on Steam, similarly, Overwatch, Fortnite, and several of the Microsoft published titles are also not on Steam.
The process is just a little trickier as compared to the previous one, but the good thing is that you only have to go through it once.
Step 1: Open Steam.
Step 2: On the bottom left corner, click on “Add a Game”.
Step 3: You will be given three options there, you have to choose “Add a Non-Steam Game”.
Step 4: Now you have to navigate to the folder where the game is installed, and choose the .exe file in order to add it on Steam.
Step 5: Once that is done, all you have to do is go back to Steam, and launch the game.
Step 6: Once the game is up and running, you just have to press F12, and you will be able to take the screenshots.
The screenshots can be accessed the same way as written above.
If you are wondering how you can change the default screenshot key, then the process is rather easy. Just have a look at the few steps below.
How to Change Default Screenshot Key
A lot of users have complained that the default key is a bit out of reach when it comes to taking screenshots, and I agree with that. The good thing is that Steam allows you to remap the key to something that is far more accessible than the F12 key. The steps to change the default screenshot key are below, and the good thing that they are really, really easy to follow. So, let us have a look.
Step 1: Open Steam.
Step 2: Now click on Steam on the top left corner, and click on Settings.
Step 3: The next step is to click on In-Game.
Step 4: Now you just need to look at Screenshot shortcut keys and change the default key from something that is easily accessible for you.
Once that is done, simply press the OK button and you would be good to go.
How to Change the Screenshot Folder
There have been a lot of complains regarding the default screenshot folder on Steam as some people have found difficulties in finding the folder. There have been reports that the folder is different for every user. The good thing is that you can actually use the folder, just follow the process below.
Step 1: Open Steam.
Step 2: Now click on Steam on the top left corner, and click on Settings.
Step 3: The next step is to click on In-Game.
Step 4: Now you need to click on Screenshot Folder button, and once that is done, you just need to choose the folder of your choice, and you would be good to go.
Conclusion
Steam is a great platform for PC gamers, especially knowing the number of games you can find, and not to forget Steam is always churning out some of the best discounts on your favourite games. The screenshot feature is something I believe a bit overlooked by a lot of people but considering how I have had problems with nearly every 3rd party screenshot taking tool in the market at one point or the other, taking screenshots through Steam is a blessing.
Not only that, another great reason for you to take screenshot on Steam is that you can easily share them on your Steam profile for all your friends or followers to see, or comment.
