Android versions: A living history from 1.0 to 15
How To Use Your Tablet As A Drawing Pad For PC
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PCs are great devices but when it comes to exploring your creative side especially for graphic designers, you may need to use your tablet as a drawing pad for a stress-free experience.
The main reasoning for making this connection is ergonomics and stylus support for better precision. Essentially, you'll be screen mirroring your phone or tablet via a USB or wireless internet connection.
For the tablet, you'll need a drawing tablet that comes with a stylus pen to draw on the tablet. You'll also need drawing software installed on your tablet.
1. Duet DisplayDuet Display is that one app that works with both Android and iOS tablets or iPad. What makes it our top choice is its energy-saving options. If you have a lower-end or older hardware, it may not be powerful enough to handle the task and may experience performance bottlenecks.
Duet Display offers the option to switch between a 30Hz and a 60Hz refresh rate. You therefore get an enhanced drawing experience and improved responsiveness.
1.1 Install Duet Display
This happens to be a fan-favorite app for this task and it's easy to see why. It supports both wired and wireless connections making it a versatile option. It is also available for iOS users which is a win.
For the wired connection, you get to connect your tablet to your PC and at the same time charge it. It's common for your tablet to drain battery faster than usual when performing resource-intensive tasks so this is another advantage.
Read more about this topic 3. WeylusIf you'd like to exercise a little bit more control on how you draw and what your chosen app can do, we advise going for an open-source option like Weylus. It is available on all operating systems and supports physical keyboards.
What's more, you can edit the source code and tailor some of the settings to work for you.
Additional tips for better drawingRemember to keep your drivers and all software up-to-date to avoid compatibility issues as well as creating backups of your work.
On the downside, you may experience performance issues especially with input lag because of the connection but you can always speed up your Windows 11 and switch to a wired connection with high-speed data cables where possible.
The good thing about using your tablet as a drawing pad for your PC is cross platform compatibility. Not only can you control your PC from an Android phone but also, you can use your iPad as a second monitor and achieve similar results.
That's all we had for this article. If you've tried this connection before, we'd love to get your thoughts on your experience. What software did you use and would you recommend it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Claire Moraa
All The Ways To Take Screenshots On Windows
Windows gives you plenty of ways to take quick screenshots of anything you want. You can use keyboard shortcuts and built-in tools to capture, annotate, and save screenshots and screen recordings. Most of the screenshot shortcuts in Windows 11 are the same as on Windows 10, but there are a few lesser-known screen capture features unique to Windows 11, like tools for capturing specific parts of your screen instead of your entire desktop.
The screenshot methods listed in our step-by-step guide work on both laptop and desktop computers running Windows, so if you're looking for how to take screenshots on Dell, Asus, Acer, HP, Lenovo, and Surface devices, these are the best ways to do so.
Use Windows 11 Print Screen shortcutsLet's start with the most obvious method: the Print Screen key (truncated to "PrtScr" on some keyboards), which is your keyboard's dedicated screenshot button.
Full-size keyboards usually have a dedicated Print Screen key, but smaller keyboards and laptops often put the Print Screen key as a secondary function elsewhere (normally on the F12 key), in which case you need to press the "FN" key and the Print Screen key at the same time.
There are several ways to use this key for screenshots, but these are the most common:
Press Windows key + Print Screen key to save a PNG image of whatever is currently on-screen in the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
The other standard screenshot technique for Windows is to just press Print Screen (or FN + Print Screen) to copy an image of the current desktop to your clipboard. With the screenshot copied, open any image editing app or word-processing app that supports images, and paste it (either Right-click > Paste, or press Ctrl + V), then save the document.
Press Alt + Print Screen to copy a screenshot of just the window or app that you're actively using to the clipboard. Make sure you click on the app or folder window you want to capture before pressing the shortcut. Remember to paste and save the screenshot in another program.
If your keyboard doesn't have a Print Screen key at all, the Windows key + FN + Space shortcut will also copy a screenshot to your clipboard.
Along with the default Print Screen shortcuts, Windows 11 also has a built-in app that lets you click and drag to select specific areas to screenshot: Snipping Tool.
Snipping Tool incorporates a previous Windows function, Snip & Sketch, to let you take a screenshot, then crop, edit, or draw over the selection and save it as an image. The Snipping Tool menu also includes a capture delay, so you can time your screenshot to happen three, five, or 10 seconds later.
The easiest way to get started is to search for "Snipping Tool" in the Start menu and open it from the search results.
Alternatively, you can change the Print Key function to open the Snipping Tool instead of taking a screengrab. This is done in the Windows 11 settings menu:
Go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard.
Enable "Use the Print Screen button to open screen snipping."
Close the Settings menu, then press "Print Screen" to open the Snipping Tool.
You can also find this option Snipping Tool's in-app settings.
Here's how to take a screenshot with the tool once it's opened:
Click "New" from the Snipping Tool pop-up menu.
A tiny menu appears at the top of the screen, and your desktop will dim slightly.
The menu includes four icons that will change your snippet shape: The first icon on the left is a rectangular selection; the second is a "freeform" selection, which lets you draw an outline to snip; third captures the currently selected app or folder window (like Alt + Print Screen); and the right-most icon is a full screen capture (like pressing the Print Screen key or Windows key + Print Screen).
Click the selection type you want, then click and/or drag to select the part of the screen you want to save as a screengrab.
The image will open in the Snipping Tool menu. There will be several editing options, including pen tools, image cropping, and other adjustments you can use, if desired.
Click the Save icon to save the image to the Pictures > Screenshots folder.
If you want to take a screenshot without bothering with the full Snipping Tool app, you can use this shortcut instead:
Press Windows key + Shift + S at any time you're not using the Snipping Tool. This skips the Snipping Tool menu for setting delay timers and takes you directly to the screengrab menu.
After taking the screenshot, it will be copied to your clipboard so you can paste and save it elsewhere.
You can also click the pop-up notification to open your screenshot in the Snipping Tool so you can edit and save it as an image.
The last method we'll cover for taking screenshots in Windows 11 is to use the Xbox Game Bar. The Xbox Game Bar comes pre-installed on Windows 10 and 11 and features several tools like an audio mixer, Xbox social menu, and screen capture tools that are great for recording gameplay videos or screenshots—but you can also use it to take screengrabs of whatever's on screen. You'll need to have Record game clips, screenshots and broadcasts using Game bar toggled on in your settings.
Press Windows Key + G to open the Xbox Game Bar overlay.
Look for the "Capture" window (it's in the upper-left by default) and click the camera icon to take a screenshot. You can also press the keyboard shortcut Windows key + Alt + Print Screen to take the screenshot instead.
Taking screenshots with the Xbox Game Bar is functionally the same as taking them with the Print Screen shortcuts or the Snipping Tool, but it's a worthwhile backup option. And since Xbox Game Bar screenshots are saved to a different folder, it can be helpful for keeping certain screenshots—such as gameplay images—organized to their own separate directory.
How to screen record on WindowsTo take a video of your screen on Windows, open the Snipping Tool and select the Record button in the toolbar, then hit New. Select the part of your screen you want to record and hit Start. Pressing Stop will end the recording and allow you to save or edit the clip—adding captions or audio, for example—in ClipChamp.
You can also record your screen using the Xbox Game Bar: Open the app or game you want to capture, then use the shortcut Windows key + Alt + R to start and stop the recording.
How to set a screenshot timer on WindowsThe Snipping Tool has a timer function if you need a few extra seconds to find the menu or window you want to capture. Select Delay (the timer icon) then choose how long you want the timer to be (3, 5, or 10 seconds). Hit New to start the countdown and get your screen set. When the screen grays, select the area you want to capture.
Where screenshots are saved on WindowsWith most of the Print Screen shortcuts and the Snipping Tool shortcut, Windows copies screenshots to the clipboard. From here, you can paste and save the images wherever you need them, such as in a document or photo editor. The Windows key + Print Screen shortcut, which captures your whole screen, will send your image to Pictures > Screenshots.
For screenshots taken using the Snipping Tool app, you can click Save and send to the Pictures > Screenshots folder. If you are using the Xbox Game Bar, your screenshots will go to the Windows 11 Videos folder (Videos > Capture).
Looking for tips on screenshotting on other platforms? Check out these other Lifehacker guides:
Microsoft's PowerToys For Windows 11 Could Integrate Sysinternals Zoom Tool
There's nothing to hate about PowerToys. It packs all the useful tools that Windows doesn't include by default. Indeed, some have very niche use cases, but it has an excellent collection overall. Now, Zoomit, another powerful tool for zooming into videos, is coming to PowerToys for Windows 11 and Windows 10.
First spotted by Windows Latest, it all started with a tweet by Mark Russinovich, CTO of Azure, suggesting his fellow Microsoft peer Clint Rutkas to add Zoomit to PowerToys. Clint oversees Microsoft PowerToys and other developer-focuses things and responded with a "yes." It happened very quickly, and the bottom line is that you might see Zoomit inside PowerToys soon.
How soon? Well, it has barely been two days since the conversation, so it won't happen suddenly. If you're unaware of Zoomit, it's a lifesaver while giving presentations or recording videos. Its controls are better, and you can even draw shapes and lines using multiple color schemes.
Clint also pointed out, "PowerToys will be the source of truth for the code base. We will target the same settings location. As features are added, PT will be the newest of the new features and then the SysInternals release adopts them."
PowerToys has added some pretty impressive tools this year, including Peek and Workspaces. Some interesting ideas are in active development, which include a revamped version of the New option in the context menu.
If you're a Windows user, it's likely you frequently use the "New" feature in the context menu (right-click menu). This lets you create new folders, files, documents, and more.
With PowerToys turned on, New+ will appear as an additional option in the context menu but with better options.
The idea behind New+ is to offer templates for frequently used items like an invoice, a PowerShell script, etc. So you wouldn't have to write them from scratch or copy the same thing from an older document.
There are plans to create a marketplace for New+ where users can exchange templates. Note that New+ isn't trying to replace the New option in the context menu.
No PowerToys tool replaces any Windows feature, and New+ will also coexist with other options in the right-click context menu.
Of course, you'll see this option only if you use PowerToys and have enabled New+ on your PC.
Another notable change now available in PowerToys is called "Workspaces", which basically lets you groups similar apps together, so you can get back to your "workspace" in a few clicks.
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