One of the first things you should do once you’ve purchased one of these adaptable small computers or laptops is learn how to screenshot on a Chromebook. Whether you’ve just bought one of the best Chromebooks and are new to the system, or you’ve not used one in a while and have forgotten, it’s super easy to learn how to screenshot on Chromebook.
You’ll really use the screenshot capability constantly after you’ve mastered it because Chrome OS has a variety of capture choices for various settings utilizing its own screenshot widget. All in all, it’s a cinch, and we’re here to show you how to do it.
How to Screenshot on Chromebook with keyboard
- Hold Ctrl + Show Windows to screenshot
- Hold Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows for a partial screenshot
- Drag to select the capture area
- Hold Ctrl + Alt + Show Windows to screenshot a window
- Select the Window icon (a complete square)
- Click the window you want to screenshot
How to Screenshot on Chromebook Touchscreen
If your Chromebook is a touchscreen device and comes with a stylus pen, you can use it as another way of taking screenshots. All you have to do is press the power button on your stylus and then select “Capture screenshot” from the menu. The stylus will take a screenshot of your entire screen and save it to your Downloads folder in JPEG format.
You can also use the stylus pen to mark up and draw on screenshots, which can come in handy if you’re working with annotated images or diagrams. This is a great way of taking screenshots on touchscreen Chromebooks, as it makes the process very fast and efficient.
How to Take a Full Screenshot on Chromebook
Taking a basic screenshot on a Chromebook is very simple. This is the method you’d use if you want to capture whatever happens to be displayed on your screen at a given time.
1. Find the content you want to screenshot. On a Chromebook, this can be pretty much anything: it’ll work for web pages, apps, your desktop… whatever you want to capture.
2. Hold down the Ctrl key and then press the Show Windows key. Here’s what that looks like:
3. Find your screenshot. By default, Chrome OS will have saved it to the Downloads folder within My Files. You can find this by opening the Files app (search for it via the launcher, if you don’t know where it is).
Your screenshot will also have been copied to your clipboard, which is useful if you want to paste it straight into a Google Docs or Slides document.
And finally, on some Chromebooks you’ll also see a window appear in the bottom right of the screen once you take it. You can click on this to take you directly to the Files app.
How to Take a Partial Screenshot on Chromebook
Taking a partial screenshot that only captures a specific area of the Chromebook display is just as easy as taking a standard screenshot.
1. Find the content you want to take a screenshot of.
2. Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys and then press the Show Windows key.
3. A message will appear telling you to ‘Drag to select an area to capture.’ Your cursor will also have changed into a crosshair and the screen will have dimmed.
4. Using the mouse/trackpad, drag to select the area you wish to capture. The area you are capturing will be highlighted.
5. Press the ‘Capture’ button in the centre of the screenshot. As before, your screenshot will be saved into the My Files/Downloads area.
How to Take a Screenshot of a Window on Chromebook
If you don’t want a messy screenshot that also includes your taskbar, you can use the screenshot tool in Chrome OS to capture just one specific window. Below is how you do it:
1. Find the content you want to take a screenshot of.
2. Hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys and then press the Show Windows key.
3. This will bring up the Chrome OS Screenshot toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
4. Press the right-most of the three central icons on the toolbar. This is the ‘Window screenshot’ option.
5. With that option selected, your cursor will have changed into a camera icon. Position the icon over the window you want to screenshot and click. This will capture just the one window, rather than your entire screen. As before, your screenshot will be saved into your My Files folder.
How to Screenshot on a Chromebook Tablet
If you are an Android user, this won’t come as much of a surprise. All you need to do to capture your screen is push Volume Down + Power at the same time. You’ll have to get your hands in just the right position to pull it off, but once you figure out your go-to clutch, it is fairly simple.
One thing to remember: Chromebooks still don’t rotate the volume based on the orientation of the device. Dumb, I know, but it’s not a thing right now. So, you need to figure out which side of the volume rocker is up and which side is down before hitting the combo.
Once you’ve identified the Volume Down button, just hit that and the power key simultaneously. Simple and effective, just like we like it.
Also learn: How to Screenshot on Chromebook without Windows Key
