Taking a screenshot on your Chromebook

Screenshots allow you to capture an image of your screen and save it for future reference. They're helpful for troubleshooting problems and storing content you don't want to lose. If you own a Chromebook™, you're in luck—there are several ways to capture screenshots (or even record your screen).

Asurion Experts help you get the most from your favorite devices. Whether you want to rotate your Chromebook screen or need assistance with a Chromebook repair, count on us for a solution. Here's how to screenshot on Chromebook using a few different methods. 

Basic screenshot techniques

There are a lot of neat Chromebook tricks you may not be aware of, and maybe screenshots are one of them. With the click of a few buttons, you can take a picture of your entire screen—or just a part of it.

Taking a full-screen screenshot

To capture your entire screen, follow these steps.

1. Press the Screenshot key. Its icon resembles a rectangle with a circle in the middle.
   • If your Chromebook doesn't have a Screenshot key, open Settings > Screen Capture. 
2. Click Screenshot from the available options in the menu.
3. Click the Full Screenshot icon. It's shaped like a broken-line rectangle. 

Capturing a partial screen 

A partial screen capture saves an image of a smaller portion of your screen. It's useful for capturing specific items, such as a picture or short text.

1. Press the Screenshot key. 
   • If your Chromebook doesn't have a Screenshot key, open Settings > Screen Capture. 
2. Click Screenshot from the available options in the menu.
3. Click the Partial Screenshot icon. It's a dashed-line square with a plus sign in the bottom-right corner.

To modify the position of the screenshot, press the Tab key. When a circle appears in the corner of the screen capture tool, click and drag it to your preferred positioning. 

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard to adjust the screenshot. Press the Up and Down arrow keys on your keyboard to modify screenshot height. To change the screenshot width, press the Left or Right arrow keys. 

Window capture method

Use Window capture to take a screenshot of a single window on your screen.

1. Press the Screenshot key. 
   • If your Chromebook doesn't have a Screenshot key, open Settings > Screen Capture. 
2. Click Screenshot from the available options in the menu.
3. Click the Window Screenshot icon. It's a square with a bolded top line. 

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts let you take a screenshot without using your mouse or trackpad.

1. Press Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows key. The Show Windows key icon resembles a rectangle followed by two straight lines. 
2. If your Chromebook doesn't have a Show Windows key, press Shift + Ctrl + F5.
3. Click Screenshot from the menu. 
4. Click the Full Screenshot, Partial Screenshot, or Window Screenshot icon.

Use the Up and Down arrow keys on your Chromebook's keyboard to modify screenshot height. The Left and Right arrow keys allow you to adjust the screenshot width. 

Screenshot management

Chromebooks save screenshots as image files. You can open the image to view your capture. 

Accessing saved screenshots

Your saved screenshots are in your Chromebook's Downloads folder. To access the Downloads file, follow these steps.

1. Open Files.
2. Click My files to expand the file listing.
3. Click Downloads.
4. Click the screenshot's name to view it. 

Organizing your screenshots for easy retrieval

If you frequently take screenshots, it's worth setting up an organized file system to save them. Chromebook lets you change the file path of saved screenshots so they don't automatically go to Downloads. Instead, you can store them in a dedicated file of your choice. 

1. Press Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows keys.
2. Click Settings > Select folder.
3. Choose a preferred folder from the available options.  

If you're concerned about storage space on your device, you can select a Google Drive™ cloud folder as the destination. Saving to Google Drive also makes screenshots accessible when you log into your Google® account from other devices. 

Renaming screenshots for convenience

Chromebook uses an automated naming system for screenshots. The name is usually a mix of letters and numbers and does not describe the contents. You can rename the screenshot by following these steps.

1. Click Launcher.
2. Open Files.
3. Click the screenshot's file name.
4. Press Ctrl + Enter.
5. Type the new name.
6. Press Enter to save your changes.

Editing screenshots

Screenshots are essentially photos. You can edit them using the basic editing tools found in the Google Photos™ app or with third-party Chromebook apps. 

1. Open Google Photos.
2. Locate and open the screenshot.
3. Click Edit.
4. Click the editing tool you want to use.
5. Click Save to store the screenshot with its changes.