How to Screenshot on a Chromebook [5 Ways]

The quickest way to take screenshots on your Chromebook is with a keyboard shortcut: Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows. It opens the Screen Capture tool and lets you capture a screenshot of a specific area on your screen.

Also, if you simply want to take a quick screenshot of your full screen, you can use the Ctrl + Show Windows shortcut (Chromebook’s Print Screen button equivalent).

If you don't want to remember shortcut keys, you can make screen captures without using the Windows key. On the Chromebook's taskbar (a.k.a. “Shelf”), click on the time to open the Quick Settings menu. Then, just press Screen Capture and the toolbar will appear.

The Screen Capture tool not only allows you to take screenshots but also enables you to capture screen recordings. On the left side of the toolbar there is the button for switching between photo and video recording modes. In the middle of the toolbar, you have options to capture your entire screen, a single window, or a specific part of your screen. These options work for both screenshotting and video recording.

Some Chrome OS tablet devices may not have a physical keyboard. Don’t worry; instead, there is a simple combination of buttons you can use for screenshotting on tablets.

To take a screenshot, simultaneously press the Power and Volume Down buttons. Then, your screen will register the screenshot and take a picture of your entire screen.

If your device supports stylus input – like HP Chromebooks, you also can use the stylus to capture a screen.

First, tap the Pen button on the Chromebook’s shelf. From the drop-down menu, select Capture Region. Secondly, use the stylus to select a portion of your screen to capture. Finally, lift it off of the display to capture your screenshot.

Where is the result? When you take a screenshot or screencast it's instantly accessible from the Clipboard. It stores the last five things you’ve saved to it. To view what's available, just press Search + V.

You can also find recent screenshots in a holding space called Tote. To open it, click the Tote button on the shelf.

Screenshots that are already removed from the Clipboard can be found in your files. Simply launch the Files app on your Chromebook device and you'll find your screenshots in the Images folder and screencasts in the Videos folder.

The built-in screenshotting tool in Chrome OS may seem a bit dull and feature-limited, but luckily there are a variety of apps and Chrome extensions available with extra functionality. Below are our picks of the easiest tools for Chromebook laptops, including Acer, Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung.

LightShot is one of the most popular screen capture freeware. It’s multi-platform, so you can download it as a Chrome extension or as a program. The app lets you take, edit, and upload your screenshots to the server.

To use LightShot, double-click the feather icon. Move the cursor over the window to capture. When a black dashed border appears, click to select the area you want to capture.

LightShot also provides a large variety of tools such as text boxes, comment boxes, arrows, rectangles, and much more. Once you have all of your edits made, just click the Save icon to complete.

Awesome Screenshot is a screen-recording tool for Chromebooks that enables users to record the screen when they want to explain something and share it instantly.

You can capture screenshots, blur personal info, add notes and comments, and share with one-click uploads to other platforms (or just save it to your computer).

Awesome also integrates and synchronizes with popular tools like Slack, Asana, Trello to make your collaboration with colleagues and clients easier.

As opposed to the above software, Flamory has some extra features along with capturing, editing, and sharing your screenshots.

The tool allows you to create page snapshots with searchable screen grabs and content, bookmark or make thumbnails. It saves a copy of the file or web page that appears on your screen; if you double-click the screen grab, it’ll take you to the precise location on the web page.

Also, if your snapshots contain private data, you don’t need not to worry about it being spreaded all over the Internet. Flamory saves all snips and history on your Chromebook and ignores hidden files or confidential browsing sessions.

1. Using keyboard shortcuts – quick screenshots
2. Via the Quick Settings menu – customized screenshots
3. Using the side buttons combination – for tablets
4. Using a stylus – best for devices with a stylus
5. With third-party software – best for advanced use