Shutter

What Shutter is

Shutter is a free, open source screenshot program for Linux. It captures selected areas, desktops, windows, menus, tooltips, and websites; desktop captures include multi-monitor settings. Scrolling capture is also supported. Its built-in editor can add text, arrows, and shapes, crop images, censor or pixelize content, and create auto-increment shapes. Plugins provide additional screenshot effects. After editing, users can upload screenshots and format the resulting links for forums, wikis, and similar destinations. Export formats include JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, PDF, PS, SVG, WebP, and AVIF. The project is licensed under GPL v3 and says Shutter is available for major GNU/Linux distributions through package managers. GNOME users can set global screenshot shortcuts. On Wayland, capture is limited to XDG Portal capture, while the editor, uploads, and plugins remain available. The project describes Shutter as mostly in maintenance mode and says technical difficulties currently prevent full Wayland support. Its FAQ explains that Shutter depends on Linux-specific components and does not describe Windows or macOS versions. For bug reports, feature requests, and questions, the project recommends GitHub and also lists IRC and a contact form.

Who it suits

Shutter suits Linux users who need to capture and annotate screenshots, including website, scrolling, and multi-monitor captures. It can also suit people who want to upload screenshots and share formatted links, though Wayland users have limited capture support.

Limits

On Wayland, capture is limited to XDG Portal capture, although the editor, uploads, and plugins remain available. The project says it is mostly in maintenance mode, and its FAQ does not describe Windows or macOS versions.

Getting started

1. Visit the Shutter website for project information.
2. Install Shutter through a package manager on a supported GNU/Linux distribution.
3. On GNOME, set global screenshot shortcuts if useful.
4. Capture an area, desktop, window, menu, tooltip, or website, then edit or upload the screenshot as needed.

Verdict

Choose Shutter if you use Linux and want a screenshot tool with editing, plugins, uploads, and a wide range of export formats. It is a less suitable choice if you need full Wayland capture support or a documented Windows or macOS version. The project describes its current development state as mostly maintenance mode.