What makes this unreliable is the fact the Overview ☐|| key is not in the same place on every Chromebook, meaning you would need to press a different F key on the Windows keyboard.įor example, on my personal Lenovo Yoga Chromebook C630, the Overview ☐|| key is at the F5 position (counting rightward from the Esc key), while the Pixelbook and Pixel Slate have Overview ☐|| in the F4 position. The first, more unreliable method is based on the fact that, by default, Chrome OS treats a Windows keyboard’s F1 through F12 keys like your Chromebook keyboard’s top row of keys. There’s actually two different ways to take screenshots on your Chromebook while using a Windows keyboard, though one is a bit less reliable than the other. While the market for Chrome OS accessories has steadily been increasing, most external keyboards are designed with Windows in mind and will still work fairly well on Chrome OS.
How to take a screenshot on Chrome OS with a Windows keyboard To take a full display screenshot, tap “Capture Screen.” Or if you only need part of the screen, tap “Capture region,” then tap-and-drag your stylus over the screen to select the area for which you want to take a screenshot. Inside this stylus menu, you’ll find two helpful options for taking a screenshot. On these Chromebooks, Chrome OS will display a button with a pen icon in the bottom left of the screen, next to the clock. Some Chromebooks, such as the Pixelbook, Pixel Slate, and Lenovo IdeaPad Duet, have a touchscreen that can be used with a stylus. How to take a screenshot on a Chromebook with a stylus
Ctrl + Alt + ☐|| - Takes a single-window screenshot.Ctrl + Shift + ☐|| - Takes a region screenshot.Ctrl + ☐|| - Takes a full display screenshot.Also holding Shift or Alt changes to take a region or single-window screenshot, respectively. On Pixel Slate, Overview is four keys to the right of the “esc” keyįor all three styles of screenshot - full display, region, and single window - you’ll need to hold the Ctrl key. Normally this key is used to show you all of your currently open windows, but by holding other keys like Ctrl, Shift, and Alt, we change the Overview ☐|| key into something of a screenshot key.
The standard way of taking a screenshot on a Chromebook involves a special key called “Overview” which looks like ☐||. How to take a screenshot with your Chromebook’s keyboard This method captures a full display screenshot, with devices in tablet mode being currently unable to take more region or single-window screenshots - at least not without a stylus.
Just like most Android phones, you can press the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time to take a screenshot while a device is in tablet mode. The easiest and most obvious way to take a screenshot is found on Chrome OS tablets. How to take a screenshot on a Chrome OS tablet
Meanwhile, region screenshots allow you to click and drag to select exactly what you want to capture. Single-window screenshots allow you to click on a window and capture only its contents, ignoring everything else on screen. If you’re looking for something more precise, though, there are two other handy kinds of screenshots available. The most basic kind is a full display screenshot that simply captures everything on your Chromebook’s screen - or screens - and saves it. Because of this great variety, Google has had to develop many ways for Chrome OS devices to take screenshots.Īdditionally, Chrome OS has three different types of screenshots that it can take. Over the years, Chrome OS devices have taken on many different shapes and sizes, with Chromebooks, Chrome OS tablets (sometimes awkwardly called “Chromblets”), and desktop machines like Chromeboxes and Chromebases. That said, the way to take screenshots on your Chromebook or Chrome OS tablet isn’t exactly obvious, so here’s a quick how-to. In the age of smartphones, screenshots have become an essential way to quickly share, as they allow others to see exactly what you’re seeing.