HomeWinBuzzer TipsHow to Take a Screenshot on Chromebooks / ChromeOS / CloudReady

How to Take a Screenshot on Chromebooks / ChromeOS / CloudReady

We show you how to take screenshots and to screen record on your Chromebook using different hotkeys and tools.

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Taking Screenshots on laptops is very useful. You may use them to demonstrate how to utilize a new app, just like we do in every tutorial.

You may use them to send screenshots to the IT division of your business. From rapidly demonstrating a problem you're fixing to gathering inspiration for your next major project, to help a friend or member of your family by presenting how to accomplish something. But how to take a screenshot varies depending on the device and operating system— for instance, and .

Screenshot on Chromebook: It's easy

The screenshot function of Chromebooks used to be limited and only accessible using a weird keyboard shortcut. That changed a year ago when released a dedicated tool to capture screenshots and videos of what is visible on your Chromebook.

This tutorial shows you two methods for starting the screen capture tool, how to utilize it, and where to find your captured images and videos on your device.

There aren't as many choices for third-party screenshot programs for Chromebooks as for Windows or . Although there are many add-ons, using the built-in features of is the easiest method to record what is on your screen. Here's how you can use it for a quick and easy screen capture.

How to take screenshots on Chromebooks using a hotkey

On a Chromebook, taking a simple screenshot is easy. Use this technique to record whatever is visible on your screen. Find the content you wish to capture. It will work for web pages, apps, your desktop, and anything else you want to capture.

  1. Press the “ctrl” key and the “Show All Open Windows” key at the same time

    It is a quick screenshot shortcut. Pressing these two keys will take a screenshot of the entire screen of the Chromebook. When you take a screenshot on a Chromebook, you will notice the screenshot appears at the bottom right corner of your screen, as shown in the next step. 

    Chromebook - Keyboard - Ctrl Key+Show Windows Key

  2. The screenshot you took appears at the bottom right corner of the Chromebook

    The screenshots are already copied to your clipboard. Paste it anywhere you'd like by pressing “ctrl + v.”

    Chromebook - Screenshot Hotkey

How to take a partial screenshot on Chromebooks using a hotkey

You can also take a partial screenshot on Chromebook. You can consider it as a snipping tool on Chromebook. It works like a snipping tool on Windows 10 and 11. 

  1. Press the “Shift + ctrl + show all open Windows” button at the same time to take a partial screenshot

    Chromebook - Keyboard - Ctrl Key+Shift Key+Show Windows Key

  2. Use your cursor to click and drag a box around the area you want to screenshot

    After you take a partial screenshot, you can open it as it appears at the bottom right corner. 

    Chromebook - Keyboard - Partial Screenshot Hotkey - Click&Drag

  3. Click on the picture appearing at the bottom right corner to open the partial screenshot you took

    Chromebook - Keyboard - Partial Screenshot Hotkey - Click&Drag - Result

How to take a screenshot of a window on Chromebooks using a hotkey

Use Chrome OS's snapshot tool to choose a single window to capture if you don't want a cluttered screenshot that includes your taskbar.

This is how you do it:

  1. Press the “ctrl + alt + Show All Open Windows” keys to open a Chrome OS Screenshot Toolbar

    Chromebook - Keyboard - Ctrl Key+Alt Key+Show Windows Key

  2. The toolbar appears at the bottom of the screen with different icons and functionalities

    Chromebook - Screenshot Toolbar

  3. Press the icon at the left of the “Settings” icon to take a window screenshot on your ChromebookYour cursor will be switched to a camera icon after these steps. Click the icon when it is over the window you wish to take a screenshot of. Instead of capturing the entire screen, this will capture one window. ChromeOS will save screenshots in the “My Files” folder – see below where to find them.

    Chromebook - Screenshot Toolbar - Windows Screenshot Icon

How to take a screenshot on a Chromebook using “Quick Settings”

Both screenshots and screen recordings are possible with your screen capture tool. Here's how to use the Screen Capture feature when you want to take a screenshot.

  1. Click the clock at the bottom right corner of your screen and select “Screen Capture” from the quick settings

    Chromebook - Quick Settings - Screen Capture

How to use the Chrome OS screenshot toolbar

This is how to screen record on Chromebook. You may record screen activity using the Screen Capture toolbar in addition to taking screenshots.

  1. Click on the toggle at the left corner of the Screen Capture Toolbar to shift to

    Chromebook - Screenshot Toolbar - Video

  2. Click on the “Full-Screen” icon to take a full-screen screenshot on Chromebooks

    Chromebook - Screenshot Toolbar - Full Screenshot

  3. Click on the “Partial Screenshot” icon to take a partial screenshot on a Chromebook

    Chromebook - Screenshot Toolbar - Partial Screenshot

  4. You can easily add voiceover to video screen captures by using the settings button on the toolbar to switch on or off the microphone

    Chromebook - Screenshot Toolbar - Turn Mic On Off

How to take a screenshot on CloudReady (ChromeOS for PC/Mac)

CloudReady is an installable version of ChromeOS which can be used to turn any PC/Mac into a Chromebook. This is how you take a screenshot on CloudReady.

  1. Press the “Ctrl + F5” key to take a fullscreen screenshot

    Windows 11 - CloudReady - Screenshot Hotkey

  2. Press “Shift + ctrl + F5” to take a partial screenshot on CloudReady

    Windows 11 - CloudReady - Partial Screenshot Hotkey

Where to find saved screenshots on your Chromebook

To find and open locally stored screenshots on Chromebooks you just need to go to the respective folder using the ChromeOS “file explorer”.

  1. Click the “circular button” at the bottom left corner of the screen and select “Files” from the options

    Chromebook - Menu - Files

  2. Select Downloads from the sidebar and click on the screenshot you want to open

    Chromebook - Menu - Files - Downloads - Screenshot

Haider Ali
Haider Ali
Haider specialises in Technical Writing. He has a solid background in computer sciences that allows him to create engaging, original, and effective technical blogs. In his free time, he enjoys adding new skills to his repertoire and watching netflix.