How to screenshot on a Chromebook

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There are two simple keyboard shortcuts that allow you to take partial or full screenshots on your Chromebook, both of which involve using the Show windows key. We’ll also show you how to find and open your screenshots by going into your Files folder.

Taking a screenshot on a Chromebook is slightly different than a PC or Mac, but it’s still very much simple to do.

Screenshots can be handy for plenty of reasons. You can show a colleague what your current work screen looks like, capture a viral social media post you think will be deleted soon, or snapshot error messages on your screen to support services for help.

If you’ve never used a Chromebook before, it may be a little confusing to understand some of its keyboard shortcuts. But once you become familiar with the primary setup process, basic things like taking screenshots will become easy to do.

The screenshot methods in this article will apply to most Chromebook brands — including Google Pixelbook, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard (HP), Dell, Lenovo (Yoga), Samsung, ASUS, and Acer.

To take full or partial screenshots on your Chromebook, follow the steps below.

Full screen

The most usual way to take a screenshot is to capture the full screen, and your Chromebook can easily do this by using the Ctrl + Show windows key at the same time. The show windows key, which looks like a rectangle with two trailing lines on the right side, and is positioned on your keyboard’s top row between full-screen and reduce brightness keys. It functions similar to the F5 key on a PC.

Partial screen

To take a screenshot of a part of your Chromebook’s screen, press the Shift + Ctrl + Show windows keys. Your mouse cursor will change to a crosshair, click it and drag the part of the screen you want to screenshot, and then let go.

Have a Chromebook that can turn into a tablet? Just press the “power and volume down” keys at the same time.

Another way to screenshot on a Chromebook is via the Chrome browser menu. Select Menu (the three horizontal dot on the top-left) > More tools > Take screenshot. However, you won’t be able to crop or capture a window directly using the Chrome browser menu function.

Locate your Screenshots

After you’ve taken the screenshot, you’ll see a pop-up image of the screenshot appear at the bottom-right of your screen – right-click or double-click the pop-up and then select the screenshot from your “Files” folder.

All your screenshots will always end up in the Download folder. To locate the folder or see an older screenshot, Click the Launcher (circular button) in the bottom-left corner of your screen > Click the Files icon (if you don’t see it, select the up-carrot button and click “Files”). Clicking the file icon will open your file manager. Find your downloads folder under “My Files” on the left. You’ll see your screenshot there.

Screenshot on Chromebook FAQs

Answer to related questions people also ask:

Where is screenshot on Chromebook?

To find your screenshot on a Chromebook, go to your Files app. Press Ctrl + Show windows simultaneously to take a full screenshot on your Chromebook.

Why can’t I take a screenshot on my Chromebook?

If you can’t take a screenshot on your Chromebook or you keep getting “unable to save screenshot!” – the simple solution is to go to your settings and change your downloads destination or storage location. To do so, go to your Settings menu > scroll down and click Advance > scroll to Downloads > click to change where your downloads will be stored.

Another thing to note is if your school is managing your email account or Chromebook, the school can controls what you can and cannot do.

What is show Windows key on Chromebook?

The show Windows key on a Chromebook looks like a rectangle with two trailing lines on the right side. It’s positioned on the top row of the keyboard between the full-screen and reduce brightness keys. it functions similar to the F5 key on a standard PC keyboard

Where is the F5 key on a Chromebook?

To use the F5 key on a Chromebook, press and hold the Search button and then press number five at the same time. The Search button can function like the F keys on a traditional keyboard. To use any other number with the F key, press the Search button and the number of the function key you need simultaneously.