How to Take Screenshots on Linux

By Gnome Screenshot

The key PrtScndoes not work as a shortcut on all Linux distributions, but it does work with most GNOME desktop environments such as Ubuntu and Linux Mint. If this doesn't work, try one of the next methods.

Press . PrtScn to take a full screen photo. The screenshot will show everything on the screen. You will be prompted to choose where to save the image file.

The Print Screen key is usually located at the top of the keyboard, between the F12and ScrLk. This key may also be named "Print Screen", "PrtScn", "PrntScrn" or similar.

Press . Alt+ PrtScn to take a screenshot of the window. This shortcut combination will create a screenshot of the active window. The file will be saved in the Pictures folder.

Press . ⇧ Shift+ PrtScn to select what you want to capture. You can click and drag the selection to define the screenshot content. The image file will be saved in the Pictures folder.

Open the Screenshot utility. The Gnome Screenshot utility allows us to perform some additional screen features, such as adding time delay. You can find the Screenshot utility in the Accessories folder of the Applications menu.

Choose a screenshot style. You can choose from the listed options.

Add delay time. If the screenshot is time-dependent, you can use the Screenshot utility to add a delay before the screen is captured. This allows you to control the content on the screen.

Choose an effect. You can choose to include the mouse pointer on the screenshot, as well as add a border to the photo.

By GIMP

Install GIMP. GIMP is an image editor installed on some Linux distributions. If you don't have GIMP, you can install it for free through the Software Center. Open the Software Center, search for "gimp" and install "GIMP Image Editor".

Click the "File" menu and choose "Create" → "Screenshot". The Screenshot Creator opens. This tool is similar to Gnome Screenshot.

Select the type of screenshot you want to take. You can choose from three types of screenshots: single window, full screen, or custom selection. With the option to capture a window, you may need to click on the window you want to take a screenshot of.

Add delay time. You can add a delay before capturing so you can arrange the screen layout precisely. With the option to capture a window or customize the screen, you will need to arrange the screen to capture after the delay time expires.

Click "Snap" to take a screenshot. Depending on your settings, the screen may be captured immediately. Once completed, the screenshot will open in GIMP's editing window.

Save the screenshot. If you do not want to edit, you can skip and save to your hard drive. Click the "File" menu and select "Export." Name the screenshot and choose the location where you want to save it. Click the "Export" button once you are satisfied.

By ImageMagick

Open Terminal. ImageMagick is a command-line utility capable of taking screenshots. Many distributions come pre-installed with ImageMagick, but if you don't have it, you can install it yourself for free.

To quickly open Terminal on Ubuntu and many other distributions, press Ctrl+ Alt+ T.

Install ImageMagick. Enter sudo apt-get install imagemagickand press ↵ Enter. You will be asked to enter the administrator password. If ImageMagick is not installed, the utility will begin downloading and installing. If ImageMagick is already installed, you will be notified.

Take a photo of the entire screen. Enter and press . Replace fileName with the name you want to give the image file.import -window root Pictures/fileName.png↵ Enter

Take a screenshot of a specific window. Enter and press . Replace fileName with the name you want to give the image file. The mouse pointer will change to a pair of scissors, click on the window you want to take a photo of.import Pictures/fileName.png↵ Enter

Add delay time for screenshots. Enter and press . Replace # with the number of seconds you want to wait before the screen is captured. When the timer expires, a screenshot will be taken and you will return to the terminal command prompt.import -window root -pause # Pictures/fileName.png↵ Enter

By Shutter

Install Shutter. This is a popular screenshot program with some advanced editing and uploading features. If you regularly take and share screenshots, this program is worth a try.

You can find Shutter through your distribution's package managers. Just search for the keyword "Shutter" and install the program.

To install Shutter from Terminal, type sudo add-apt-repository ppa:shutter/ppaand press ↵ Enter. Enter sudo apt-get updateto update your repositories and then install Shutter with the command sudo apt-get install shutter.

Select the type of screenshot you want to take. Along the top edge of the Shutter window are three options you might consider: "Selection," "Desktop," and "Window." Click the corresponding button to select the type of screenshot you want to take.

Take screenshots. If you select "Desktop", the screen will be captured automatically. With the "Selection" option, the screen will dim and you can click and drag the selection frame. Any objects within the frame will be captured. If you select "Window", click the window you want to capture.

The screenshot will automatically be saved to the Pictures folder.

Edit screenshots. After taking a screenshot, a preview will appear in the Shutter window. Click the "Edit" button to open the Shutter editor. You can use the editor to highlight what's on your screen or create notes. Click "Save" once you are satisfied.

Export screenshots. You can send screenshots to a photo publishing service, or add an FTP server to upload photos. Click "Export" to open the Export menu.

On the "Public hosting" tab, you can choose to upload screenshots to your Dropbox account or other online photo storage websites. After selecting a service, you will be asked to enter your account login information.

On the "FTP" tab, you can enter connection information for the FTP server, which will be useful when you upload screenshots to a blog or website.

On the "Places" tab, you can move the screenshot to another location on your computer or network.