Whether you want to save a recipe, capture an error message for tech support, or grab a funny chat to share with a friend, knowing how to take a screenshot is one of the most useful skills on any device. If you are new to ChromeOS, though, the process can feel a little different from Windows or Mac. There is no Print Screen key, and the shortcuts depend on your keyboard and whether your device is in laptop or tablet mode.
The good news: Chromebooks make screenshots easy, and they come with a built-in capture tool that handles screenshots and screen recordings alike. In this guide, you will learn every method, where your screenshots are saved, how to edit and share them, and how to fix common problems.
The Quickest Way: Capture the Full Screen
If you just want a picture of everything currently on your display, this is the shortcut to remember:
Press Ctrl + Show windows
The "Show windows" key (also called the Overview key) sits in the top row of your keyboard, usually between the Full screen key and the Brightness Down key. It looks like a rectangle with two vertical lines beside it.
When you press the combination, your screen briefly flashes, and a small preview appears in the bottom-right corner. That means the screenshot was captured. The image is saved automatically, and you can click the preview to open it right away.
This method captures everything visible on your screen, including all open windows and the shelf (the taskbar at the bottom). If you use multiple monitors, it captures the display where your cursor or active window is located.
Capture Just Part of the Screen
Often you do not need the whole screen. Maybe you only want a single paragraph, a chart, or one section of a web page. To do this, use the partial screenshot shortcut:
Show windows Ctrl + Shift +
This will open the Screen capture toolbar at the bottom of the screen. Your mouse pointer turns into a crosshair, and you can click and drag to draw a rectangle around what you want. Release the mouse or trackpad button, and the screenshot is taken.
If your selection is slightly off, do not worry. Before you finish, you can drag the corners and edges of the box to resize it, or drag from inside the box to move it. Once you are happy, click the Capture button in the toolbar.
Using the Screen Capture Toolbar
The toolbar that appears with the partial screenshot shortcut is the heart of the ChromeOS capture experience. It provides a number of options in one place:
Toggle screenshot or screen record: switch between taking a still image and recording video.
Full screen: Capture everything on the display.
Partial: Capture a rectangle you choose.
Window: Capture only one app/window, not whatever is behind it and other windows.
Settings (gear icon): Choose where files are saved, and enable or disable features like the camera preview and microphone for recordings.
The Window option deserves special attention. If you have several windows open and only want one, click Window, then hover over the one you want and click. You get a clean image without clutter, which looks far more professional in guides, presentations, and bug reports.
You can also open this same toolbar without any keyboard shortcut. Click the clock area in the bottom-right corner to open Quick Settings, then select Screen capture.
Screenshot Shortcuts at a Glance
Here is a quick summary of the main keyboard shortcuts:
Full screen: Ctrl + Show windows
Partial or window capture (opens toolbar): Ctrl + Shift + Show windows
Screen recording (opens toolbar): Ctrl + Shift + Show windows, then choose the record option
While you are learning, it helps to remember that adding Shift brings up the toolbar and its options, while the plain Ctrl version takes an instant full-screen shot.
What If Your Keyboard Has No Show Windows Key?
Some external keyboards, and a few older Chromebook models, do not have a dedicated Show Windows key. You are not out of luck. If you connect a standard keyboard, use Ctrl + F5 for a full-screen screenshot and Ctrl + Shift + F5 to open the capture toolbar. The F5 key corresponds to the Show windows key on a Chromebook layout.
If you are using a Windows-style external keyboard and the function keys do not respond as expected, check your keyboard settings. Open Settings, go to Device, then Keyboard, and review how the top-row keys are mapped.
Taking Screenshots in Tablet Mode
Many Chromebooks are 2-in-1 convertibles that fold into tablets. When you use one without a keyboard, you obviously cannot press Ctrl and Show windows. Instead, you have two simple options.
Option 1: Use the hardware buttons. It’s just like on an Android phone. Press the Power button and Volume Down button at the same time. The screen flashes, and the screenshot is saved.
Option 2: Use Quick Setting. Tap the clock in the bottom-right corner, then tap Screen capture. The same toolbar appears, letting you pick full screen, partial, or window capture with your finger.
Both methods work well, so choose whichever is more comfortable for the way you are holding the device.
Using a Stylus
If your Chromebook supports a stylus, you get a bonus shortcut. Tap the stylus icon on the shelf to open the stylus tools menu, then choose Capture screen to take a full screenshot or Capture region to select a portion. This is especially handy when you want to grab part of a screen and immediately annotate it with the pen.
Where Are My Screenshots Saved?
By default, ChromeOS saves screenshots to the Downloads folder. To find them:
1. Click the Launcher (circle in lower left hand corner).
2. Open the Files app.
3. In the left sidebar, choose Downloads.
Screenshots are named with the date and time they were taken, making them simple to sort and locate, such as “Screenshot 2026-10-28 at 10.15.32 AM.png.”
You can also reach your recent screenshots from the Tote, a small tray on the shelf that collects your latest screenshots, recordings, downloads, and pinned files. Click it, and your newest captures are right there, ready to open, copy, or drag into an email or document.
Changing the Save Location
If you would rather save screenshots to Google Drive or a specific folder, open the Screen capture toolbar, click the gear icon, and choose Select folder. Pick a new destination, and every future screenshot goes there. Saving directly to Google Drive is a great way to access your images from any device.
Copying a Screenshot to the Clipboard
Sometimes you do not need a saved file at all. You may just want to paste the image into an email, a chat message, or a document. After you take a screenshot, the preview that appears in the corner includes a Copy to clipboard option. Click it, and then paste the image wherever you like with Ctrl + V.
This saves you from hunting for the file and attaching it manually. It is one of the most efficient tricks for everyday use.
Editing and Annotating Your Screenshots
A raw screenshot is not always ready to share. Maybe you want to crop it, highlight something, or add a note. ChromeOS includes tools to do this:
Gallery app: Open any screenshot and double tap it in the Files app. The edit tools let you crop, rotate, adjust brightness and contrast and draw on the image.
Markup tools: Arrows, circles, text, and highlights help point out what really matters. This can be especially helpful if you need to explain a problem to a colleague or relative.
Photo editors: Web apps like Google Photos, Canva or Photopea work great on a Chromebook if you need more power.
Make sure you don’t have any private information on the screen like email addresses, passwords, account numbers, personal notifications, etc. before posting a screenshot. Cropping them out or blurring them protects your privacy.
How to Record Your Screen Instead
Sometimes a still image does not tell the whole story. If you are creating a tutorial or showing how to fix a problem, a video is clearer. The same toolbar handles this.
Press Ctrl + Shift + Show windows, then switch the toggle from the camera icon to the video camera icon. Choose whether to record the full screen, a portion, or a window, and click Record. A countdown begins, and recording starts. When you finish, click the red stop button that appears in the shelf area.
In the toolbar settings, you can turn the microphone on or off, and some devices also let you include your webcam in the recording. Recordings are saved in the same folder as your screenshots, usually as WebM files, and some newer versions can also produce GIFs.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
If your screenshot shortcut is not working, try these fixes:
The keys do nothing. Make sure you are pressing the correct key. The Show Windows key is easy to confuse with the Full Screen key next to it. Also confirm that your keyboard is working normally by testing other keys.
The screenshot is blank or blocked. Some apps, particularly those that display protected video content, will not allow screen capture. Banking apps and streaming services often do this deliberately to protect their content.
You cannot find your screenshots. Check the Tote, then the Downloads folder. If you changed the save location in the toolbar settings, look in that folder instead.
Your storage is full. If your Chromebook is running low on storage, it might not be able to save the file. Delete old downloads, or move files to Google Drive, to clear space.
Your device is blocked at school or work. The admins can turn off screenshots on the Chromebooks they admin. If none of these work, ask your IT department.
Power User Tips & Tricks
Cancel fast: If you open the capture toolbar by accident, press Esc to close it.
Use clean visuals through window capture: It removes distractions and gives you clear, focused images.
Capture a long web page: ChromeOS does not natively scroll-capture, but with Chrome extensions like GoFullPage you can capture a full page from top to bottom.
Organise early: Set a “Screenshots” folder as your default save location to keep your Downloads folder tidy.
Practice the shortcuts: After a few tries, the combinations become muscle memory and you will capture in less than a second.
Concluding Thoughts
Taking a screenshot on a Chromebook is easy if you know the shortcuts. For a quick full-screen capture, press Ctrl + Show windows. For more control over what you capture, press Ctrl + Shift + Show windows to open the toolbar and choose between full screen, a partial area, or a single window. On a tablet, press Power + Volume Down or use Quick Settings. Afterward, find your images in the Tote or the Downloads folder, copy them to the clipboard, and polish them with the built-in editing tools.
Once you add screen recording to your toolkit, you can explain almost anything visually, from fixing a Wi-Fi problem to walking a classmate through a homework assignment. Give each method a try, see which one fits your style, and you will be capturing like a pro in no time.