Chromebooks are great for general users as they come with most of the essential tools, and there are plenty of great Chromebooks you can buy. If you want to take a screenshot on your Chromebook, you can easily do it with a combination of hotkeys. You don’t need to install any third party apps as Chrome OS lets you take any kind of screenshot including full screen, window and partial snapshots with Screen Capture feature. Besides that, if you are looking for a complete tool with features like annotation and screen recording, I have mentioned a third-party app. With all that said, let’s go ahead and learn how to take screenshots on Chromebooks.
Take Screenshots on Chromebooks (2021)
Here we’ve included multiple ways to take screenshots on Chromebooks, including full screen, partial, and window screenshots. The following method is for a school or Lenovo, Asus, HP, Acer etc. It works on any type of Chromebook, whether it’s your personal Chromebook. You can refer to the table below to find the relevant section.
Also, check out some great Chrome OS tips and tricks if you want to take your Chromebook gaming to the next level.
Take Screenshots with Keyboard Shortcuts
1. Full screen screenshot: Ctrl + Overview key
If you want to take screenshot on Chromebook, the simplest way is to press Ctrl and Overview button at the same time. The overview button is located just above the “6” key. It will instantly take a full screen snapshot of the entire screen and the snapshot will be saved in the Files app.
Just open the Files app and you will find the screenshot under the “Downloads” folder.
Apart from that, when you take a screenshot, a pop-up appears in the lower right corner. From there you can click “Edit” and annotate the screenshot. You also have the usual editing tools like cropping, resizing, adding filters and more.
Since screenshots are automatically copied to the clipboard in Chrome OS, you can paste the screenshot directly into your favorite photo editor for Chromebook, Gmail or any other media space. For example, in the Compose Gmail window, I just pressed the “Ctrl +V” keyboard shortcut and the screenshot was added.
Also, if you enable clipboard history feature on Chromebook, you can save history screenshots, copied images, texts, etc. using Chrome OS keyboard shortcuts. you can find. Just press the “Search +V” hotkey and the Clipboard History menu will open. From here you can easily paste your past screenshots. This is beautiful, isn’t it?
2. Window screenshot: Ctrl + Alt + Overview key
If you want to take a screenshot of the current window press Ctrl, Alt and the Overview button. After that, select the window on your screen. You can press enter or click on the window using your mouse to take a screenshot of the active window.
3. Partial screenshot: Ctrl + Shift + Overview key
If you want to take a screenshot of a particular area freely, press Ctrl, Shift and Overview button. The screen will go black and then you can choose the perfect area to take a screenshot on your Chromebook. Personally, I love this shortcut and use it all the time to take screenshots on my Chromebook.
Screenshot on Chromebook with Screen Capture
While many love the keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots, if you want a simple button with which you can take screenshots, Chrome OS has made things easy for you. Google has added a Screen Capture feature to Chrome OS that lets you take screenshots From the Quick Settings menu. Not only that, you can also record screen with Screen Capture on Chromebook. Here’s how to use it.
1. First, you need to be updated to the latest version of Chrome OS. if you are open Chrome OS 89 or higher then this feature will be enabled by default on your Chromebook. Also, the feature is available on all channels including Stable, Beta and Dev.
2. Next, open the Quick Settings menu in the lower right corner and select a “Screenshot” choice.
3. Click on it and a tool will open. Now you can choose what kind of screenshot you want: full screen, window or partial. make sure you have “Camera” selected and not the video indicator in the left menu. For example, here I take a partial screenshot using screen capture. Now, click on “Capture” or hit enter. The screenshot will be saved in the Downloads folder.
Take Screenshots with Buttons in Tablet Mode
If you want to take a screenshot on a Chromebook in tablet or tent mode, press the power and volume buttons at the same time, similar to a smartphone. You don’t need to hold down; Simply press and release the buttons at the same time. A full screen screenshot will be captured instantly.
- Shortcut: One of the Power + Volume buttons
Take Screenshots with Stylus
1. Full Screen Screenshot: If you’ve connected a stylus to your Chromebook, a “Stylus” menu will appear at the bottom right. Open it and choose “Screen Capture” and it will take a full page screenshot on your Chromebook.
2. Partial Screenshot: If you want to take a partial screenshot, click on the “Stylus” menu and select “Capture Region”. You can now use your stylus, touch and hold somewhere on the screen, and then drag to select an area. After that, release the pen and a screenshot will be taken.
Take Screenshots on Chromebook with Chrome Extensions
So you can take a screenshot locally on a Chromebook. If you are looking for a more versatile and powerful screenshot tool, check out the Nimbus extension (Free). It allows you to take all kinds of screenshots and also Offers screen recording and on-screen annotation. If you are looking for some of the other best Chrome extensions to take screenshots, you can check out Cool Screenshot (Free) and Screencastify (Free).
Take Screenshots Using External Keyboard
1. Full Page Screenshot: Ctrl + F5
If you have connected an external keyboard to your Chromebook, you can take a screenshot by simultaneously pressing the Ctrl and F5 keys. It works similarly to the native Chromebook shortcut, but instead of the overview button, you have to press F5.
2. Window Screenshot: Ctrl + Alt + F5
Similarly, to screenshot a window using an external keyboard, press Ctrl, Alt, and F5. It will instantly take a screenshot of the current window.
3. Partial Screenshot: Ctrl + Shift + F5
Finally, press Ctrl, Shift and F5 to take a partial screenshot using an external keyboard. The screen will dim automatically and then you can easily select a region.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Where do screenshots go on a Chromebook?
Everything Screenshots on Chromebooks are saved in the “Downloads” folder. Just open the “Files” app and navigate to the “Downloads” folder and there it is. If you want to change the location of the screenshot, you can do so from Settings -> Advanced -> Downloads -> Change.
Q. What is F5 on Chromebook?
Simply put, F5 on a Chromebook is the overview key, usually located above the 6 key. You can press it together with Ctrl to take a screenshot.
Q. What is a Keypad on a Chromebook?
The toggle key is still the same as the overview key. It’s used to switch windows on a Chromebook, hence it’s called the Toggle key.
How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook Like a Pro
This was our guide on how to take a screenshot on a Chromebook. We’ve presented all the ways to take a screenshot, including native and a third-party extension. While the built-in shortcuts are sufficient for me, some users want a complete solution, from descriptions to freestyle cropping selection. In that case, go to the third-party app I mentioned above.
Anyway, that’s it for us. If you want to enable Phone Hub on your Chromebook or turn on the much needed Recycle Bin feature on your Chromebook, head over to our linked guides. Also, if you miss a special Caps Lock key, you can enable the Caps Lock key on your Chromebook. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comment section below.
