Quick Answer
Press Ctrl + Show Windows (the key with a rectangle and two lines, usually in place of F5) for a full-screen screenshot. Press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows to select a specific area instead. Screenshots save automatically to your Downloads folder and a preview appears briefly in the bottom corner.
Screenshot Methods
Method 1: Full-screen screenshot
Press Ctrl + Show Windows. The whole screen is captured instantly and saved as a PNG in Downloads. A thumbnail pops up in the corner — click it to open, annotate, or share right away.
Method 2: Capture a specific area
Press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows, then click and drag over the area you want. Release to capture just that selection. This is the fastest way to crop out anything you don’t need instead of editing afterward.
Method 3: Capture a single window
After pressing Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows, look for the window-capture option in the toolbar that appears at the bottom of the screen, then click directly on the window you want. Only that window is captured, even if others overlap it.
Method 4: Screen Capture from Quick Settings
Click the clock in the bottom-right corner to open Quick Settings, then select Screen capture. This gives you the same full-screen, partial, and window options through a menu instead of a keyboard shortcut — useful if a key is missing or remapped.
Method 5: On a tablet or convertible Chromebook
If you’re using a Chromebook in tablet mode without a keyboard, press Power + Volume Down at the same time to capture the full screen.
Still Not Working?
If the shortcut does nothing, confirm the Show Windows key hasn’t been remapped in Settings > Device > Keyboard. If your keyboard isn’t responding at all, fix that first, then use the Quick Settings method as a workaround. If screenshots aren’t saving, check that Downloads isn’t full — a Chromebook that’s running slow or low on storage can silently fail to write new files.
FAQ
Where do screenshots get saved?
By default, to the Downloads folder, visible in the Files app. You can change this in the Screen Capture menu before taking the shot.
Can I edit a screenshot right after taking it?
Yes. Click the thumbnail preview that appears after capture to open it in the built-in editor, where you can crop, annotate, or highlight before saving.
What if my Chromebook doesn’t have a Show Windows key?
Older or non-standard keyboard layouts sometimes use F5 instead. If neither works, use the Quick Settings > Screen capture menu, which works regardless of physical key layout.
