How to make a step-by-step guide with screenshots
Show a customer how to book, pay or download something without writing an endless email: numbered screenshots, each with one sentence, as an image or a PDF.
What you'll find here
On this page · 7 sections
Some questions are easier to answer with pictures than with words. "Where do I download my invoice?", "How do I change my password?", "Where do I book a class?". Explaining it in writing takes time, and the customer still gets lost. With three numbered screenshots and one sentence on each, they get it the first time.
Here are the ways to make a step-by-step guide with screenshots on Windows, the pros and cons of each, and how to make one for free with NexoPad, without uploading anything to the internet.
1When a guide with screenshots saves you time
- Showing a customer how to do something on your website or in your app: booking, paying, downloading an invoice or updating their details.
- Answering the same support question you get every week: make the guide once and send it whenever you need it.
- Teaching a process to a new teammate without having to sit next to them.
- Writing down how to do something you only do once a month and always forget.
2The ways to make a step-by-step guide, compared
| Option | How it works | The good | The bad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word or Google Docs, by hand | You take each screenshot, paste it and type below | Full control, nothing to install | Slow: cropping, numbering and marking every image by hand |
| Steps Recorder (Windows) | Records your clicks and creates a document with screenshots | Comes with Windows | Microsoft stopped updating it in 2023 and plans to remove it; you can't mark up the screenshots |
| Scribe and Tango | Record your clicks in the browser and write the steps for you | Automatic and fast | On the free plan, browser only, no PDF and no hiding data; guides live in their cloud |
| Snagit (Step Capture) | Turns your clicks into a guide | Very complete, on Windows and Mac | Paid: $39 a year |
| NexoPad for Windows | You capture each step, in any app, and it puts them together numbered | Free, on your PC, with pixelate, your style and PDF | Doesn't record your clicks: you take each screenshot yourself |
Data taken on October 27, 2026 from the official websites: scribe.com/pricing, tango.ai/pricing, techsmith.com and Microsoft's notice about Steps Recorder. Prices may vary by country.
Automatic or by hand?
Scribe, Tango and Snagit record your clicks and build the guide for you. That's handy if you document long processes every day. But their free plans don't let you download a PDF or hide data, and Scribe and Tango only work in the browser unless you pay.
If you just need to explain something to a customer now and then, in three or four steps, taking the screenshots yourself takes a minute and you choose exactly what to show. That's what NexoPad's step-by-step guide is for.
3Make it free with NexoPad for Windows
NexoPad for Windows is a free Microsoft Store app that types your text with shortcuts in any program and includes a screenshot editor. Since version 2.1 it has a step-by-step guide: you capture each step with Alt+2, mark it up, type what to do, and the app puts it all together, numbered and in the same style.
It works in any Windows program, including your browser, and everything stays on your PC.
4How to make the guide, step by step
Take the first screenshot and start the guide
Press Alt+2 and select the area for the first step. In the editor, open the ▾ menu next to Copy and click Step-by-step guide: that screenshot becomes step 1. You can also start from the NexoPad icon next to the clock, with New step-by-step guide.
Mark what matters and type what to do
Point at the button with an arrow, a rectangle or a number, and use Hide (B key) on any personal data you can see. Below, in What to do in this step, type a short sentence: "Click "Book" on the class you want".
Add the rest of the steps
Click Add step (or press Enter) and take the next screenshot with Alt+2. A notice confirms each step. When you're done, click Finish guide.
Review it and choose how it looks
The guide window opens. You can edit the texts, move steps up or down, remove them and add a Title. Pick a Style from My styles, the Width (Normal or For email) and whether it carries your brand.
5One image, one per step or PDF
With One image, all the steps go in a single image, one below the other: ideal for an email or a document. Choose the For email width so it reads well without zooming.
With One per step, each step is its own image. When you click Copy, they all paste at once into WhatsApp, Teams or Outlook. It's the best option for chats, which shrink very long images.
With Save as PDF you get one page per step, to print or send as a manual. The screenshots for each step don't fill up your folder: only the finished guide is saved.
Get NexoPad for Windows
Step-by-step guides, a screenshot editor and your text shortcuts. Free on the Microsoft Store, for Windows 10 and 11.
6Tips for a guide people understand the first time
- One action per step. If a step needs two clicks, split it into two.
- Start each sentence with a verb. "Open", "Click", "Choose", "Check". It reads like a clear instruction.
- Capture only the area that matters. A small crop with the button marked is easier to follow than the whole screen.
- Use a title that states the goal. "How to book a class" tells the customer what they'll achieve.
- Hide other people's data. Pixelate any names, emails or phone numbers in the screenshot before you send it.
- Always use the same style. With a style saved in My styles, all your guides look the same and look like your company's.
Tip
All the details about the guide are in the NexoPad screenshots guide. If you want your single screenshots to look good too, see our CleanShot X alternative for Windows.
7Frequently asked questions
How do I make a tutorial with screenshots for free?
You can paste the screenshots into Word and number them by hand, or use NexoPad for Windows, which is free: take each screenshot with Alt+2, type what to do in each step and the app puts it all together as an image or a PDF.
What happened to Windows Steps Recorder?
Microsoft stopped updating it at the end of 2023 and announced it will be removed in a future version of Windows. For screenshots, it recommends the Snipping Tool, which doesn't make step-by-step guides.
Does NexoPad record my clicks automatically, like Scribe or Tango?
No. In NexoPad you take each screenshot yourself. In return, you choose exactly what to show, it works in any Windows program and nothing is uploaded to the internet.
Can I make the guide from screenshots I already have?
Yes. On NexoPad's Screenshots page, click Select, pick the screenshots you want and click Create guide.
How do I send it on WhatsApp?
Choose the One per step format and click Copy. In the chat, press Ctrl+V and all the images paste at once, in order.
Does it work on Mac?
No. NexoPad for Windows runs on Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11. On Mac you can use the NexoPad browser extension, which has text shortcuts, notes and links, but no screenshots.
Published on October 27, 20267 min read
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