It can be beneficial to take a screenshot on your PC. With just a few computer shortcuts, you can take a screenshot of your desktop or laptop, whether it’s Windows or macOS. This can help you remember information from a website or get a picture of your bank accounts. That’s great, but what about the many people who use Chromebooks around the world?
How to capture a full screenshot on a Chromebook
Press all of these keys at the same time to take a picture of your whole screen: Press and hold Ctrl to show windows.
As you can see above, this button is usually in the top row, between the Full-Screen and Brightness down buttons. It looks like a rectangle with two lines going through it, and it takes the place of the F5 key on most computers.
How to upload screenshots to the cloud
As shown above, when you press both keys at the same time, a notification pops up in the bottom right area with a thumbnail of your screenshot. When you click on the picture, you’ll be taken to the Downloads folder, where all screenshots are saved by default and can be accessed when you’re not online. You can also get screenshots by clicking on the blue icon on the Shelf that looks like a folder and picking Images or Downloads.
All photos in Chrome OS have the date and time they were taken written on them.
Chrome OS saves screenshots on your device, so you will only be able to find them on Google Drive if you share them there yourself. Here are the steps you need to take:
Step 1: Open the Files app and choose either Images or Downloads from the list on the left.
Step 2: Choose the image you wish to transmit. In either the thumbnail view (where you can see each image individually) or the list view (where you can see all the files at once), you can add several pictures by clicking the checkbox next to each one.
Step 3: Locate the share icon in the top right corner of your screen and click on it.
Step 4: From the drop-down box, choose “Save to drive.” As you can see below, you can send the picture to OneDrive, Dropbox, or another account. For more helpful hints, please read our article on how to use Google Drive.
You can skip to the “Screenshots in Tablet Mode” part of this guide if your Chromebook has a 360-degree hinge like a Pixelbook. There is another touch-based method there.
Methods for taking a targeted screenshot on a Chromebook
Besides taking a picture of the whole screen, the Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows command lets you make a window and screenshot a part of it.
Step 1: When prompted, press the Show Windows button after simultaneously pressing Ctrl and Shift.
Step 2: The screen goes dark, and the pointer turns into a crosshair for a short time. Place the crosshair in the corner of the area you want to catch and press and hold the mouse button or tablet.
Step 3: Use your mouse or finger to move the image across the screen until you make a box.
Step 4: To finish the box and take a picture of the screen, let go of the mouse button or lift your finger.
Step 5: Next, take a picture of the window. It will save to the Images and Downloads folders just like a full screenshot.
Important: If you have Chrome OS 88 or higher and used flags to allow the new Screen Capture utility, the new toolbar will show up at the bottom of the screen with the Screenshot and Partial buttons already chosen. Some buttons let you switch between full-screen and window views.
How to use the buttons to take screenshots in tablet mode
A keyboard might be challenging to get to on many 2-in-1 and tablet computers that run Chrome OS. Don’t worry—you can quickly take a screenshot when you’re on a computer.
Step 1: Keep both the Power and Volume buttons pressed simultaneously.
Step 2: Your screen records the screenshot and takes a picture of the whole thing.
How to use a stylus to take full-capture photos in tablet mode
In tablet mode, use a stylus to take a picture. Here’s how to do it.
Step 1: Choose Stylus (or Pen) in the first step.
Step 2: Pick up the pen and press the “Capture screen” button. This takes a picture of your whole screen.
How to use a stylus to take partial-capture pictures in tablet mode
Want to take a picture of only a part of your computer screen with a stylus? Do these things:
Step 1: Choose Stylus (or Pen) in the first step.
Step 2: Pick out the Region choice with the stylus.
Step 3: Hold down your index finger on the screen while you use the pen.
Step 4: Make a box by dragging your pen to the last point.
Step 5: Press “Release” to take a picture.
Editing screenshots
Chrome OS takes screenshots that are ready to share, but if you need to change them first, learn how to use the built-in picture editor. How to use it:
Step 1: On the Shelf, click on the blue Files folder button. Then, on the left, click on Images or Downloads.
Step 2: Select the photo to open in Gallery. If the file isn’t in the Gallery, right-click and select Gallery.
Step 3: There is a menu at the top of the Gallery app that has two Crop and Rotate tools and two Rescale tools. These are the Lighting filters. Each tool opens a screen on the right that lets you change the settings. As you can see above, the Lighting Filters tool has settings for Exposure, Contrast, and Saturation.
Step 4: You’ll see buttons that let you undo and redo any changes you make.
Step 5: Click the blue “Save” button to save your changes to the source file.
Step 6: You can also click the blue Down arrow icon to save the changed picture as a changed copy.
Using external keyboards
Chromebox laptops running Chrome OS or external keyboards attached into Chromebooks may have a conventional row of function keys instead of Chrome’s unique buttons. Instead of function keys, Chrome OS uses these commands:
- F1 — Previous page
- F2 — Next page
- F3 — Refresh
- F4 — Fullscreen
- F5 — Show windows
- F6 — Decrease brightness
- F7 — Increase brightness
- F8 — Mute
- F9 — Decrease volume
- F10 — Increase volume
Step 1: Press Ctrl + F5 on a regular computer to take a screenshot.
Step 2: Press Ctrl + Shift and then F5 to make a partial picture.
Step 3: Press Alt + Shift + S to change the key even more.
Step 4: Next, go to Settings > Device > Keyboard. That’s where you can change what your keys do.
Other screenshot tools
Even though Chrome OS doesn’t come with great picture tools, there are a lot of apps and extensions in Google’s Chrome Web Store that can help you make them better. Here are some excellent choices:
Lightshot: You can drag and drop a picture over any part of the screen with Lightshot, making it an excellent choice for beginners. You can change the picture right where it is and then save it or send it to the cloud. It is simple to use and can be used for many things.
FireShot: FireShot lets you save a whole page as a picture without having to take multiple pictures. You can save them in a number of different forms and email them or send them directly to OneNote.
Awesome Screenshot and Screen Recorder: You can choose between screen capture and screen recording with Awesome Screenshot and Screen Recorder, which gives you a more comprehensive range of tools and more power. You can also record videos whenever you want with this tool. The app lets you add notes and hide images easily.
