Shortcut answer
How to Screenshot on a Chromebook
Capture the whole screen, a selected region, or an individual window on a Chromebook using the built-in ChromeOS screenshot shortcuts.
Quick answer
Press Ctrl+Show windows to capture the full Chromebook screen. Press Ctrl+Shift+Show windows to select part of the screen. The Show windows key looks like a rectangle with two lines beside it and is usually in the top row, where F5 would be on another keyboard.
Shortcut reference
Full screen
Ctrl + Show windows
Capture everything currently visible.
Selected area
Ctrl + Shift + Show windows
Drag around the region you want to capture.
Screenshot toolbar
Shift + Ctrl + Show windows
On current ChromeOS versions, opens capture controls for screen, window, or region.
Tablet mode
Power + Volume Down
Capture a screenshot without the physical keyboard.
How the shortcut works
ChromeOS saves keyboard screenshots in the Downloads folder by default and shows a notification after the capture. From that notification you can copy the image, open it in the image editor, or view the file location.
The Show windows key is Chromebook-specific. It has a rectangle icon with two vertical lines and may be labeled with a small window symbol instead of a name. On an external keyboard, the same shortcut often uses the F5 key.
Helpful tips
- Use the screenshot toolbar when you need to capture a single window, record the screen, or choose a different save location.
- To copy a screenshot instead of saving it for later, open the preview notification and choose Copy to clipboard, then paste it into your message or document.