There are times when you want to include the mouse cursor in the screenshot, but most third-party screenshot apps (including the Windows native options) hide the cursor from the screenshot. So I tried out multiple screenshots apps and found out a few apps that can help me take screenshots including the mouse pointer. Let’s check them out.
Apps to take Screenshots with Mouse Pointer
1. Steps Recorder
Steps Recorder is a built-in assistance tool used to record actions taken by a user on a computer. Once recorded, the information can be sent to other users to help with troubleshooting. Anyhow, we can take advantage of this app to take a screenshot with the mouse pointer.
Open Start menu and search for “Steps recorder” and open the app. Now you can see a small window with an option to “Start Record”. Click on it.
Now minimize the Step recorder window and place the cursor where you want to take a screenshot. Step Recorder app only records your actions, so make a left-click with your mouse just like you are opening a link. That action will be recorded as a screenshot.
Then go back to the Step recorder app and click on the “Stop recording” option.
You can see the recorded steps and screenshots of it. Just click on the save button to save these steps as a zip file.
Open that zip file and open the MHTML file in it. Here you can find the screenshots, just right-click on the image and click on the “save picture as” option and save it.
And that’s it, the image along with the mouse cursor will get saved.
Pros
- No need to download any third-party app
- Great for taking a series of screenshots
Cons
- You need to click with the mouse in order to take a screenshot, which can be tricky when you want to take a screenshot showing the link or button
- User Interface is not intuitive
- It doesn’t support custom cursors if you are using any.
2. ShareX
Share X is one of the most popular screenshot apps for Windows. It not only lets you take screenshots with the mouse pointer, but also partial screenshots or screenshots for specific windows, tabs, menu, etc. If you are already a ShareX user, here is how you can take a screenshot with a mouse using Share X.
Download the Share X app and open it.
Now click on the Task settings option.
You can see a Task Settings window, select the option “Capture”. Here make sure that “Show cursor in the Screenshots” is checked.
Now place the cursor when you want to take the screenshot and press ctrl + PrtSc, now you can move the mouse and select the portion you want to take a screenshot. That’s it screenshot will be taken when you leave your mouse cursor.
Now you can open the Share X app, preview the screenshot of you want and then right-click on it and click on the “Download” option.
Pros
- Feature-packed options and customization for your needs
- Ability to take partial screenshots easily
- Can take a preview before downloading the image.
Cons
- Nothing much.
3. Greenshot
As the name says, Greenshot is a screenshot tool that takes screenshots with mouse pointer by default. Among the remaining apps in the list, the process of taking a screenshot with Greenshot is much simpler and faster.
To get started, download the Greenshot app and install it on your system. The hotkey for taking a screenshot for this app is ctrl + PrtSc. If you are having any existing shortcut with that hotkey, this app will automatically override it.
Once downloaded, just place the cursor where you want to take a screenshot and press ctrl + PrtSc. The app will take a screenshot and show you a popup menu. You can move your cursor and click “Save as” option to save the image directly
Or you can click on “Open in image editor” to take a preview and make some changes like cropping before saving the screenshot.
Pros:-
- In-build image editor
- Easy and fast process
Cons:-
- Cannot change the screenshot hotkey
4. Irfan View
Irfan View is one of the most popular image viewer or converter app on windows. It is a feature-rich app and also supports the screenshot functionality. Here is how you can do that with Irfan View.
First, download the Irfan View app and install it on your Windows. Then search for the app in the start menu and open it. The app will open with a black blank screen. Click on Options and select Capture/Screenshot.
In the pop-up windows that appeared, select the option desktop area and make sure the Hotkey is set to ctrl+F11. Click on the start option at the bottom of the pop-up window
Now place your cursor where you want to take the screenshot and press the hotkey ctrl+ F11. Irfan View app will pop-up with the image of your screenshot. You can click S and save the image to your system
Pros:-
- Can even use it as a default Image Viewer and it is faster than the default viewer we get with Windows.
Cons:-
- User-Interface is not quite intuitive
Wrapping up
If you want to take a screenshot for a single time, Steps recorder is a good option as it is in-built into the system already. If now, you can choose Greenshot, Irfan View, or ShareX according to your need. I prefer ShareX for the number of options you get. So what’s your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.
