How to take a Chrome screenshot

Taking screenshots in Chrome can be crucial for quickly capturing web page content, yet it can be more challenging than expected. When using a browser like Chrome, understanding the various methods to take screenshots can greatly enhance your efficiency.

Many devices allow users to take a screenshot by pressing a specific combination of buttons or keys. This combination differs depending on the operating system and the device.

Google Chrome has built-in screenshot tools for desktops, but they can be tricky to access. Once you find them, however, they are incredibly user-friendly.

Once you learn how to access them, the tools are easy to use. They work like the methods for taking a screenshot on a PC, or taking a screenshot on macOS.

How to take a Google Chrome screenshot

Once you select an option from the list, the screenshot should be downloaded automatically as a PNG image. The only exception to this is with the 'Capture area screenshot' feature, which will first prompt you to outline an area on the screen to capture. It's important to note that 'Capture area screenshot' only works within the Chrome window you have selected.

While these steps become familiar over time, there are more efficient ways to quickly take a screenshot without navigating through the developer console. Google Chrome offers several extensions that provide easy access to screenshot functionality along with other powerful features. These extensions can simplify capturing and editing screenshots, offering support for multiple image and video file types, including GIFs and screen recordings.

Most extensions are designed to be very user-friendly, allowing you to take screenshots with a simple click of a button. They often include robust editing tools, enabling you to annotate, crop, or enhance your images directly within the browser. Additionally, many of these extensions support various file formats, ensuring that your screenshots can be saved in the format that best suits your needs, whether it's JPEG, PNG, or PDF.

However, it's essential to consider your organization's security policies before installing any extension. Ensure that the tools you use comply with these guidelines to avoid any potential security risks. By leveraging these extensions, you can streamline your workflow, making the process of capturing and managing screenshots more efficient and less time-consuming.

Extensions for taking a screenshot in Chrome

A browser extension is a piece of software you add to your browser to change how it operates or add new functionality to it. There are thousands of extensions available through the Chrome browser, many of which offer screenshot functionality with just a click of a button.

These extensions are particularly useful as they support multiple image and video file types, such as GIFs and screen recordings. Additionally, they often come with powerful editing tools to annotate, crop, or enhance images directly within the browser. This versatility ensures that users can save their screenshots in formats that best suit their needs, whether it be JPEG, PNG, or PDF.

However, before installing any extension, it's essential to consider your organization's security policies to avoid any potential risks. By using these browser extensions, you can streamline your workflow, making the process of capturing and managing screenshots more efficient and less time-consuming.

We've highlighted five such extensions below, each designed to make taking screenshots in Chrome easier:

GoFullPage

This easy-to-use extension lets you capture the entire webpage you’re on with just one click.

Simply click on the icon for the extension at the top right of the browser window, and it will capture the page in a scrolling screenshot. This extension can handle complex pages, including inner scrollable elements as well as embedded iframes.

Once finished, the extension will open a new tab containing the finished screenshot ready to be saved in your desired file format. These include JPEG, PNG, or PDF. If you want a PDF, you can also adjust the PDF page size.

Install GoFullPage here.

Awesome Screen Recorder & Screenshot

This highly-rated extension is free and has lots of useful features, including:

• Capturing an entire webpage or just part of it
• Support for PNG images
• Adding comments or annotations to your screenshots
• Blurring out any sensitive information you want to hide
• Making MP4 video recordings of your computer screen with your narration

Once you complete your screenshot or recording, you can upload it directly to various project management tools, like Jira or Trello. You can also upload your screenshot directly to Google Drive through the extension.

Install Awesome Screenshot here.

Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder

This is a sophisticated browser extension with a number of advanced tools, and its basic version is absolutely free.

Its key free features include:

• Capturing an entire web page or part of it
• Performing a “select and scroll” capture where you select a part of the page and scroll down to capture more of it
• Capturing delayed screenshots
• Capturing a screen in a mobile layout

The premium version starts at $5 (£4) per month and adds a few extra useful features, including:

• Converting your screen recording to a GIF
• Image editing
• Adding a watermark to your screenshots
• Cropping and trimming your video
• Uploading videos to Google Drive or Dropbox

It can also operate with no internet access.

Install Nimbus Screenshot & Screen Video Recorder here.

Fireshot

This is a partly free extension that also has a premium paid version.

As with most of these other extensions, you can capture the entire webpage or just the visible part of it. Or, by using your cursor, you can select a part of the webpage to capture.

You can save your screenshot as a JPEG, PDF, PNG, GIF or BMP. The files can be saved to your computer or sent via email.

Fireshot’s biggest selling point is its built-in image editor. You can easily and immediately crop, edit or annotate your screenshots in the editor.

The basic version of Fireshot is free, but the pro version with all the upgrades comes with a one-time price of $75 (£59). Besides giving you access to the image editor, the pro version also allows you to upload your screenshots to places like social media, Flickr, OneNote, or Picasa.

Install Fireshot here.

Lightshot

This is a free extension that excels in capturing selected areas quickly. It’s lightweight and offers basic online editing capabilities. You can upload your screenshots to the cloud for instant sharing and create quick sharing links. An additional feature allows you to search for similar images online.

Lightshot is particularly useful for users who need a fast and efficient tool for capturing and sharing screenshots without the need for extensive editing. Its simplicity and ease of use make it a popular choice among both casual and professional users. Whether you need to share a snippet of a webpage with a colleague or save an image for future reference, Lightshot provides a reliable and user-friendly solution.

Install Lightshot here.

Other extension options for taking screenshots in Chrome

Needless to say, there are many other screenshot extensions for Chrome. Honourable mentions include:

Blipshot automatically notes the page name, date, and time each time you take a screenshot. This makes it easier to find the screenshot later.

Marker is a paid professional tool used by tech workers who collaborate with teams of web developers. It allows you to “mark up” a screenshot with annotations and send it to teammates via project management tools like Trello, Jira, Asana, Slack, etc. All the reports Marker generates automatically include metadata about the web pages it captures. Marker plans start at $49 (£39) a month.

When it comes to taking screenshots in Chrome, users have a plethora of excellent and free options to choose from. Each extension offers unique features, thus it's essential to select the one that best meets your specific requirements. Whether you need a straightforward tool for quick captures and sharing or a more advanced solution for professional collaboration, there's certainly an extension that will cater to your needs.

Lightshot, for instance, is ideal for users who prioritize speed and simplicity. On the other hand, Blipshot offers the convenience of automatic timestamping for easy retrieval, and Marker provides professional-grade annotation and integration with team collaboration tools.

Ultimately, finding the right screenshot extension can significantly enhance your productivity and streamline your workflow, making it easier to capture, share, and manage visual information with efficiency.

Here's how it generally works: