How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook

Chromebooks have been designed to offer convenience and ease of use to users. However, simplicity often leads to confusion. There are several features that users don’t understand well. Taking screenshots is one of them.

If you’re interested in finding out how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook, this guide is for you!

We’ll discuss various ways of taking screenshots on Chrome OS. Once you get the hang of it, this task will be a breeze.

Before we dive right in, let’s quickly go over how taking a screenshot on a Chromebook is different than taking one on a Windows PC or an iMac.

How is Taking Screenshots on a Chromebook Different?

If you’re used to capturing screenshots on MacBooks or Windows laptops, you’ll be surprised to learn that there’s a different trick for taking a screenshot on Chromebooks.

For starters, a Chromebook keyboard doesn’t have the numerical function keys (F1 – F12) you may have the habit of using. It comes with unique keys on the top row. It might take some time to familiarize yourself with these, but it’ll happen, so don’t worry.

For taking screenshots on a Chromebook, you need to pay special attention to the “Show Windows” button in the middle of the row. It resembles a rectangle with two vertical lines on the right.

How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook

Thanks to Chrome OS 89, users can benefit from a screen recorder and screenshot tool. Before that, users relied on keyboard shortcuts. These still work, though, so we’ll also discuss them in this guide. The former, however, is a more convenient solution, especially if you have a 2-in-1 Chromebook that can be converted into tablet mode (e.g., Acer Chromebook Spin 713).

Without further ado, let’s explore different ways to take a screenshot on Chromebooks.

Method 1: Use the Screen Capture Tool

Chromebook has a built-in tool for capturing screenshots. You can also do video screen recordings using this tool.

Follow the steps below.

1. Tap on the clock on the taskbar in the bottom right corner of the screen. This will open the Quick Settings panel.
2. Click on the arrow in the top right corner of the menu if the window isn’t fully expanded.
3. Find the “Screen Capture” button and tap on it.
4. Make sure the screenshot icon that resembles a camera is highlighted before you try taking a screenshot on your Chromebook.

Now, you’ll have three options: take the screenshot of the full screen, partial screen, or a particular window. You must select the option of your choice to proceed.

Keep in mind that each of these options works differently. Here’s what you need to do:

• For a Full-Screen Screenshot: Click anywhere on the screen to capture the screenshot of the entire screen.
• For a Partial Screen Screenshot: Tap and drag your touchpad pointer or mouse to select your desired portion of the screen before clicking “Capture.”
• For a Screenshot of a Specific Window: Click the particular area of the screen or window you want to take a screenshot of.

Once you’ve captured a screenshot, you’ll be able to see it in the bottom right corner of the screen. It’ll automatically be copied to your Chromebook’s clipboard as well. The preview thumbnail allows you to edit or delete the screenshot right there and then.

Method 2: Use Keyboard Shortcuts

Although the Screen Capture tool is easy to use and oh-so-convenient, you may find it a little time-consuming if you tend to take a lot of screenshots.

In this case, you’d want to use keyboard shortcuts.

There are three shortcuts that you can use to capture three different types of screenshots on your Chromebook. All of them use the “Window” key that we talked about earlier.

The keyboard shortcuts are as follows.

• CTRL + Window: Pressing these keys together will capture a screenshot of the entire screen in a heartbeat.
• CTRL + ALT + Window: These keys will open the Screen Capture tool for you. You can then select the preferred area to take a partial screenshot.
• CTROL + Shift + Window: This will also open the Screen Capture tool, asking you to choose a particular window for taking a screenshot.

Method 3: Let the Stylus Do the Job

If your device supports Stylus input, you have the option to capture screenshots using the pen as well.

Check out the two ways of doing so below.

For a Full-Screen Screenshot:

1. Pair the stylus with your Chromebook.
2. Click the pen icon in the taskbar. A pop-up menu will appear.
3. Tap on “Capture Screen” from the menu to take a screenshot of the whole screen.

For a Partial Screen Screenshot:

1. Click the pen button in the taskbar.
2. Tap on “Capture Region” on the pop-up menu.
3. Use the stylus to select an area of the screen that you want to screenshot.
4. Lift the pen from the display to capture the screenshot.

Where Are the Screenshots Saved on a Chromebook?

All the screenshots that you take on your Chromebook are automatically saved in the “Downloads” folder.

Yes, this may sound strange, but it is how it is. Also, unfortunately, you can’t change where your screenshots are stored by default.

You can access the “Downloads” folder by following the steps below.

1. Go to the App Launcher by tapping its icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. This will show all the apps that are installed on your device.
2. Look for the “Files” app and click its icon.
3. Tap on “Downloads” in the sidebar. All your screenshots will appear on the right.

Our Final Thoughts

As discussed, there are multiple ways of taking a screenshot on a Chromebook. It all boils down to your preferences. Now that you know how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook, you can try different methods and see what works best for your situation.