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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Flameshot gives Ubuntu a fast, keyboard-friendly way to capture part of the screen, annotate it, then copy or save the finished image. Install the Ubuntu package, start an interactive capture with flameshot gui, and assign that command to Prt Sc if you want Flameshot to replace Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot action. Behavior depends on your Ubuntu release, desktop (GNOME or KDE), display server (Wayland or X11), and packaging format.
Check your Ubuntu session first
When troubleshooting, record both your release and display server:
lsb_release -a
echo "$XDG_SESSION_TYPE"
The second command normally prints wayland or x11. The Flameshot project describes GNOME Wayland support as experimental, so do not assume that changing from APT to Flatpak will solve a display-server limitation. KDE Plasma, GNOME, X11 and Wayland can behave differently.
Install Flameshot
Recommended: Ubuntu APT package
Ubuntu’s repository is the simplest starting point because updates and removal use the normal package manager:
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sudo apt update
sudo apt install flameshot
flameshot --version
command -v flameshot
apt policy flameshot
The repository version can lag behind upstream on some Ubuntu releases. Check the package shown by apt policy rather than assuming it is the newest release. Ubuntu packaging instructions are documented by the project at Flameshot’s Linux installation guide.
Flatpak
Use Flatpak when the repository package is unavailable or its version does not meet your needs:
flatpak install flathub org.flameshot.Flameshot
flatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot gui
flatpak update
flatpak list | grep -i flameshot
flatpak info org.flameshot.Flameshot
Flatpak uses a different command path, which matters when creating a keyboard shortcut. The project documents a possible command symlink, but the export location differs between system-wide and per-user installations:
ln --symbolic
/var/lib/flatpak/exports/bin/org.flameshot.Flameshot
~/.local/bin/flameshot
Verify that the source path exists before using this example.
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- - Capture by touch (Notification area, overlay icon, shaking)
- - Recording screen to mp4(Resolution, Frame rate, Bit rate, audio)
- - Web page whole scroll capture (in-app web browser)
AppImage
An AppImage is useful when you need a manually selected upstream build, but you must handle updates and desktop integration yourself:
mkdir --parents ~/Applications/Flameshot
cd ~/Applications/Flameshot
# Download an AppImage from the official release page
chmod +x Flameshot-*.x86_64.AppImage
./Flameshot-*.x86_64.AppImage
You can expose the downloaded file as flameshot, replacing the version text with the actual filename:
ln --symbolic
~/Applications/Flameshot/Flameshot-<version>.x86_64.AppImage
~/.local/bin/flameshot
Which package should you choose?
| Method | Best fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| APT | Most Ubuntu users | Native updates and integration; repository version may be behind upstream. |
| Flatpak | Users wanting a separately updated, distro-independent package | Different command path and sandbox/shortcut considerations. |
| AppImage | Users needing a portable or specifically selected build | Manual permissions, updates and desktop integration. |
| Third-party PPA | Users who specifically need its supported build | Adds a repository and trust/update dependency; it is not the default recommendation. |
Launch Flameshot correctly
These commands have different jobs:
flameshotstarts the background application and normally offers a tray icon; it does not itself begin a capture.flameshot guiopens the interactive region-selection interface.- From the Applications menu, launching Flameshot generally starts the background process. Use the tray menu or run
flameshot guifor a capture.
Tray visibility depends on desktop support. GNOME may require an AppIndicator/KStatusNotifierItem extension, and a missing icon does not prove that Flameshot is stopped.
Take and annotate a screenshot
- Run
flameshot gui. - Click and drag around the area you want. Drag the selection handles to adjust it.
- Choose an annotation tool, set its color and thickness, and draw or type.
- Use undo or redo as needed, then copy or save the result.
Annotation tools
- Pencil: freehand marks.
- Line and arrow: straight lines and directional callouts.
- Rectangle and circle: outline an area.
- Marker: thicker translucent highlighting.
- Text: labels and instructions.
- Pixelate: obscure information. For highly sensitive data, crop it out or use a dedicated redaction workflow; pixelation is not cryptographically secure redaction.
- Color picker and thickness control: change annotation appearance.
Capture-screen shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| P | Pencil |
| D | Line |
| A | Arrow |
| S | Selection tool |
| R | Rectangle |
| C | Circle |
| M | Marker |
| T | Text |
| B | Pixelate |
| Ctrl+C | Copy |
| Ctrl+S | Save |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z | Undo / redo |
| Esc or Ctrl+Q | Leave capture |
| Spacebar | Toggle sidebar |
| G | Color picker |
| Right-click | Color wheel |
| Mouse wheel | Change tool thickness |
These are shortcuts inside the capture interface, not automatically global desktop shortcuts. The complete, version-specific list is in the project README.
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- Take screenshots on your tablet, phone or other Android device.
- View, edit or share them directly.
- Crop, edit and share or save this screenshot immediately after taking.
- Sharing the screenshot after it’s taken.
Copy, save or upload the image
Copy to the clipboard
Press Ctrl+C, then paste into a chat, email, document, editor or issue tracker. Flameshot’s documented GUI behavior also allows Enter or Ctrl+C to copy the whole desktop when there is no active selection; desktop-session behavior can vary.
Save a file
Press Ctrl+S and choose a destination. Do not assume ~/Pictures/Screenshots is universal; configure and verify your save directory instead.
Upload to Imgur
The documented GUI workflow uses Return to upload a selection to Imgur. Never upload passwords, API keys, tokens, private messages, customer data or other confidential material.
Bind Prt Sc to Flameshot in GNOME
GNOME may already reserve the key for Ubuntu Screenshot. Remove that binding before adding Flameshot:
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- Open Settings → Keyboard → View and Customise Shortcuts.
- Open Screenshots, select Take a screenshot interactively, and press Backspace.
- Return to the categories and open Custom shortcuts.
- Click +, name the shortcut Flameshot, and enter the command matching your installation.
- For APT, use
/usr/bin/flameshot gui. For Flatpak, useflatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot gui. - Click Set Shortcut and press Prt Sc. Ubuntu may display the key as print.
If the shortcut was created before installation, recreate it or correct its command after installing Flameshot.
Useful commands and multi-monitor captures
flameshot gui
flameshot full
flameshot screen
flameshot config
flameshot --help
flameshot gui -d 2000
flameshot full -p ~/Pictures/Screenshots -d 5000
flameshot full -c -p ~/Pictures/Screenshots
flameshot screen -r
flameshot screen -n 1 -c
fullcaptures all monitors.screentargets a monitor; options select which monitor or output behavior.gui -d 2000waits 2,000 milliseconds before opening selection.full -p ... -d 5000saves after a five-second delay.-ccopies to the clipboard;screen -rwrites PNG data to standard output.
Flags can change between versions. Confirm them on your installation with flameshot --help, flameshot gui --help, flameshot full --help and flameshot screen --help. On multiple monitors, flameshot gui lets you choose interactively, while full includes every monitor.
Configure Flameshot
Open the graphical settings with:
flameshot config
flameshot config -h
Use the panel first for save directory, filename pattern, annotation color, tool thickness, tray behavior, startup behavior, help overlay and upload or external-tool settings. Advanced users can edit:
~/.config/flameshot/flameshot.ini
Direct editing is most useful for scripting or repeatable deployments. Settings and available options can vary by version.
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- Easily capture your device screen and share with your friends.
- Draw over your screenshot images.
- Apply image effects to your screenshots.
- Crop your screenshot images.
- Print your screenshots.
Fix common problems
Print Screen still opens Ubuntu Screenshot
GNOME’s original binding is still active. Remove Take a screenshot interactively, then create the custom shortcut with the correct APT or Flatpak command.
The terminal command works, but the shortcut does not
- Test the exact command manually:
/usr/bin/flameshot guiorflatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot gui. - Confirm the executable with
command -v flameshot. - Start the background process once with
flameshot. - If startup timing is the issue, the project documents this workaround:
( flameshot & ) && ( sleep 0.5s && flameshot gui ). Treat it as a workaround, not a universal fix.
There is no tray icon
Check whether the process exists:
pgrep -a flameshot
flameshot gui
GNOME may need an AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support extension. Direct commands work without relying on a visible tray.
Capture fails on Wayland
- Run
echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPEand confirm the session. - Test
flameshot guidirectly rather than through the shortcut. - Use Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot tool as a control.
- Consult the project’s current Wayland guidance in its README.
- If necessary, test an X11 session, understanding that this changes the desktop session rather than permanently fixing Flameshot.
Portal or blank-screen errors
“Could not locate the org.freedesktop.portal.Desktop service” is documented for minimal X11 window managers where no portal backend implements the Screenshot interface. Follow the project’s minimal-X11 guidance instead of installing random portal packages. Blank captures can also result from Wayland limitations, missing D-Bus or portal support, conflicting screenshot utilities, an incorrect Flatpak command or an incompatible package version.
flameshot --version
echo "$XDG_SESSION_TYPE"
flameshot gui
flameshot --help
flatpak info org.flameshot.Flameshot
flatpak run org.flameshot.Flameshot gui
Flameshot or Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot?
Choose Flameshot when region selection, annotations, clipboard workflows and command-line automation matter. Choose Ubuntu Screenshot when maximum GNOME integration and the simplest Wayland-native workflow are more important. KDE users may also prefer desktop-specific tools such as Spectacle. These are choices based on workflow; compatibility still depends on the desktop session and release.
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