How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook

Chromebook screenshots use different keys than Windows or Mac. Once you know the shortcut, it's just as easy. Here's every way to capture your Chromebook screen.

Find the "Show Windows" key

Look at the top row of your Chromebook keyboard. The key that looks like a rectangle with two lines next to it (sometimes called the Overview key). It's usually where F5 would be on a regular keyboard.

Screenshot the entire screen

• Press Ctrl + Show Windows
• You'll see a notification: "Screenshot taken"
• Click the notification to open it

Screenshot part of the screen

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows
2. Crosshair cursor appears
3. Click and drag a rectangle around the area you want
4. Release. Screenshot is saved

Screenshot a specific window

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Show Windows
2. Click the window you want to capture

Screen recording (video)

1. Press Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows (same as partial screenshot)
2. In the toolbar at the bottom, click the video camera icon
3. Choose Full screen, Window, or Partial
4. Click Record
5. A 3-2-1 countdown plays, then recording starts
6. Click the red stop button in the system tray to end

Without a Show Windows key (external keyboard)

If you have a Chromebook connected to a regular keyboard without the Show Windows key:

• Full screen: Ctrl + F5
• Partial: Ctrl + Shift + F5

On a Chromebook tablet (no keyboard)

Press Power + Volume Down simultaneously. Just like a phone screenshot.

Where do screenshots go?

By default: the Downloads folder.

1. Open the Files app (looks like a folder, in the app drawer)
2. Click Downloads in the left sidebar
3. Your screenshots are there, named "Screenshot YYYY-MM-DD..."

Change where screenshots are saved

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows to bring up the screen capture toolbar
2. Click the Settings gear icon
3. Choose a new folder, like Google Drive, so screenshots sync automatically

Edit a screenshot

1. Click the screenshot notification
2. Or open the file from Downloads, click Open with > Gallery
3. Gallery has tools to crop, annotate, draw arrows, add text

Copy screenshot to clipboard instead of saving

When the screenshot toolbar is open (Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows), look in the bottom toolbar. The screenshot is automatically copied to your clipboard so you can paste with Ctrl + V. The file is also saved to Downloads.

Quick reference

• Full screen: Ctrl + Show Windows
• Partial: Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows
• Single window: Ctrl + Alt + Show Windows
• Screen record: Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows > camera icon
• Tablet mode: Power + Volume Down
• External keyboard: use F5 instead of Show Windows