How to take a screenshot on a Chromebook

Here’s how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook

You might be familiar with how to take a screenshot in Windows, but if you are a new user to Chromebooks, you might be unsure about how to do it. The process is not different, but it is far from the same. Even the best Chromebooks do not include a “Print screen” key, learning how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook is actually fairly simple, whether you need to grab the whole screen or just a part.

Quick tips

  • Hold the key of the CtrlSwitch window key to take a full screenshot.
  • Hold the CtrlShift + Switch window key to take a partial screenshot.

Capturing a full screenshot on a Chromebook

How to take a screenshot on a Chromebook

To take a screenshot of everything you see on your Chrome book’s screen at once, hold the Ctrl and press the Switch window key. The latter button is typically located in the top row, in between the Full-screen and Brightness down buttons, and looks like a rectangle followed by lines.

When you press these keys, you will see a notification in the bottom corner of the screen alerting you, this shows that your screenshot has been saved. Screenshot files save directly to the Chrome book’s in the Downloads folder, so you can take and access screenshots even when you are offline and are arranged with the date and time they were recorded. Click the notification button to open the Downloads folder and select the file.

Note: Screenshots are store locally and would not be available on Google Drive unless you move the file.

If you happen to have a Chrome book with a 360-degree hinge like a Pixel book, there is one other method you can use for taking a full screenshot.

Capturing a partial screenshot on a Chromebook

Capturing a partial screenshot on a Chrome book

Chrome Operating System can also specify a portion of your screen to take and save a snapshot of. Here we explain how to do it.

Step 1: Hold the Ctrl key and Shift keys at once then press the Switch window key.

Step 2: Chrome’s pointer will be temporarily replaced with a crosshair. Click and drag a square across the portion of the screen you want to save then release the mouse button or trackpad.

The partial screenshot will also be saved in the Downloads folder, the same as a full screenshot.

Screenshots in tablet mode

A number of Chromebooks like tablets where you may not have immediate access to a keyboard. Don’t worry; there is a very easy screenshot shorthand you can use in tablet mode. Simply press the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time. Your screen will register the screenshot and take an image of the screen.

If you have a stylus tool that you are using in tablet mode, you should be able to use a stylus tool to take a screenshot of a specific area of the screen and annotate it as needed.

Other tips and tricks

Copying screenshots

Chrome Operating system does not save screenshots as copied images like Windows does when the Print Screen key is pressed.

If you do like to simply copy a screenshot watch the notification that shows above the system clock. Click the Copy to clipboard button and then press Ctrl+V when you want to paste it.

Editing screenshots

The screenshots that captured by Chrome operating system are ready to share, but if you want to do a little more with them, you should familiarize yourself with Chrome’s built-in image editor. Here we show how to access it.

Step 1: Open Downloads folder and double-click your file to open it in the image viewer.
Step 2: Click the pen icon in the bottom-right corner of the window to enter edit mode. Tools for rotation, cropping and brightness adjustments will appear at the bottom of the window.
Step 3: When you are done, to finalize your edits again click the pen icon. The built-in editor does not allow you to save the copies, so you want to copy the image manually before working on it.

Other screenshot tools

The built-in image tools for Chrome operating systems are a bit anemic, but luckily there are the number of apps and extensions on Google’s Chrome Web Store to help add extra functionality. Here are some helpful picks:

Lightshot:

It is a great beginner option that allows you to drop and drag a screenshot over whatever section of your screen that you want. You can also edit the screenshot in place, then download it or send it to the cloud. It is very easy to use and widely applicable for most purposes.

FireShot:

It saves an entire page as an image without multiple screenshots files. You can save in multiple formats and send them directly to email or OneNote.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *