How to take a screenshot on the Chrome browser. Screenshots are still images that capture everything being displayed on your device. For example, if I were to take a screenshot of a game on my smartphone, it would be a still image of that one frame from the game. Knowing how to take a screenshot on Google Chrome will allow you to save certain information that may be important later.
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To take a screenshot on Chrome on Windows, press Control + Alt + Print Screen; this will screenshot your current window.
To take a screenshot on Chrome on Mac, press ⌘ Command + Shift + 3; this will capture the content on your entire screen. ⌘ Command + Shift + 4 will capture a specific area.
How to use keyboard shortcuts to take screenshots on Chrome
Windows keyboard shortcuts
Windows makes taking screenshots unbelievably easy with keyboard shortcuts. Select Print Screen or Control + Print Screen on your keyboard. This will copy the visual information from your entire screen to your clipboard.
Mac keyboard shortcuts
Screenshotting on Mac is fundamentally identical to how you screenshot on a PC. However, there are a few differences in the shortcuts because Apple’s keyboards are different.
- ⌘ Command + Shift + 3 to take a screenshot of your entire screen.
- ⌘ Command + Shift + 4 on your keyboard to make your cursor become a crosshair. Click and drag the crosshair over whichever screen area you wish to screenshot. While dragging your click, you can press and hold the Space bar to move your selection. Release your click to finish taking the screenshot. Press Esc to cancel taking your screenshot.
- Press Shift + ⌘ Command + 4 + Space bar on your keyboard and your cursor will become a camera. Click the window you want to screenshot with the camera icon.
Screenshots are normally found afterward on your desktop, but you can change this location.
How to use developer tools to take screenshots on Chrome
Another way to screenshot Google Chrome is to use some built-in developer tools, to take screenshots of more specific elements.
Open developer tools in Google Chrome. On Windows, select Control + Shift + I or right-click on a Chrome window and click Inspect. On a Mac, select ⌘ Command + Option + I.
Open the Command bar popup within developer tools, by selecting Control + Shift + P in Windows. On a Mac, select ⌘ Command + Shift + P.
The Command bar looks like a little search bar with “Run >” at the beginning. Type Screenshot.
You will see four options appear underneath the area where you typed. Click on the one that suits your needs best:
- Capture area screenshot will turn your cursor into a big + sign; click and drag this over the area you want to screenshot within the open Chrome window. Release the click to save the screenshot.
- Capture full-size screenshot will take a screenshot of the entire webpage, which is incredibly useful for very long pages that extend multiple scrolls. Everything at the top of Chrome, including your tabs, bookmarks bar, and address bar, won’t be in the screenshot.
- Capture node screenshot allows you to screenshot a specific HTML element you can choose in the developer tools.
- Capture screenshot is your standard screenshot. It captures what you can see on-screen minus everything at the top of Chrome, like your tabs, bookmarks bar, and address bar.
