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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteYes. Ubuntu has a built-in screenshot tool that covers the usual snipping-tool jobs without installing another application. Press Print (also labeled PrtSc or PrtScn), choose a region, window, or screen, and capture it. On the standard GNOME desktop, the image is saved in Pictures/Screenshots and copied to the clipboard. The exact overlay and shortcuts can differ if you use another desktop environment or a customized Ubuntu installation.
This guide explains the graphical workflow, keyboard shortcuts, file locations, screencasts, command-line options, optional annotation software, troubleshooting, and a browser-free API alternative for website captures.
Use Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot tool
The normal Ubuntu desktop does not require a separate “Snipping Tool” app. The screenshot interface is integrated into the desktop shell.
- Press Print (or PrtSc/PrtScn) on your keyboard. You can also open the system menu and select its screenshot button.
- In the overlay, choose whether to capture an area, the current screen, or a window.
- Confirm the capture with Enter, Space, or the on-screen capture control.
Ubuntu’s help documentation describes this workflow for the standard GNOME desktop: Screenshots and screencasts.
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Select a rectangular area
Choose the area option, then drag around the part of the display you need. This is the closest equivalent to dragging a rectangle with Windows Snipping Tool. The selection can include a single dialog, paragraph, image, or any other portion of the desktop.
Capture a window
Choose the window option and select the application window. This avoids manually trimming the desktop around it. The focused-window shortcut, Alt+Print, is faster when the correct window is already active.
Capture a whole screen
Select the screen option to capture an entire display. Ubuntu documents Shift+Print as the predefined shortcut for a full-screen capture.
Keyboard shortcuts and overlay controls
These are the documented shortcuts for Ubuntu’s standard screenshot interface:
| Action | Shortcut or control |
|---|---|
| Open the screenshot interface | |
| Capture the focused window | Alt+Print |
| Capture the entire screen | Shift+Print |
| Start a short screencast | Shift+Ctrl+Alt+R |
| Select an area in the overlay | S |
| Select screen capture | C |
| Select window capture | W |
| Toggle pointer visibility | P |
| Switch between screenshot and screencast | V |
| Confirm a capture | Enter, Space, or Ctrl+C |
Keyboard labels vary by manufacturer. On a compact laptop, the Print function may share a key with another action and require the Fn key. Ubuntu’s help page for setting keyboard shortcuts explains how to inspect or change mappings.
Where Ubuntu saves screenshots
With the standard settings, Ubuntu saves a captured image in Pictures/Screenshots. The filename begins with “Screenshot” and includes the date and time. The same image is copied to the clipboard, so you can immediately paste it into an email, document, chat, image editor, or terminal-based workflow that accepts clipboard data.
If you cannot find the file, open your home folder and check Pictures, then Screenshots. A customized desktop, changed screenshot preferences, or a different capture application may use another destination.
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Take a screencast instead of a still image
The same interface can record a short screencast. Press Shift+Ctrl+Alt+R to start the documented quick recording shortcut, or press Print, switch from screenshot to screencast mode with V, and choose a screen or selection. A recording indicator appears while capture is active. Use the interface’s stop control when you are finished.
A screencast is useful for demonstrating a bug or workflow; it is different from a screenshot, which produces a single image.
Is there an app literally named “Snipping Tool”?
Ubuntu’s official documentation calls this feature the screenshot tool, not “Snipping Tool.” The practical answer is still yes: you can snip a selected region, window, or screen with the software already integrated into the desktop. Ubuntu releases and desktop environments can use different names or layouts, so do not expect every installation to show an application entry with the Windows name.
If Print does nothing
First, check the keyboard itself. Try Alt+Print or Shift+Print, and on a laptop try the key with Fn. Then review the mapping at Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts. Search for screenshot or screen-capture actions and assign an unused combination if another application has claimed Print.
On a non-GNOME desktop (such as a customized KDE, Xfce, or tiling setup), the desktop may provide a different screenshot utility and different shortcuts. The Ubuntu GNOME instructions are not a guarantee that every desktop shell exposes the same overlay.
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Command-line capture with gnome-screenshot
The gnome-screenshot utility is useful for scripts, repeatable captures, and systems where you do not want to operate the overlay. The Ubuntu Jammy manpage documents package version 41.0-2; that version number is specific to Jammy and should not be assumed for every Ubuntu release.
The documented capabilities include:
- Capture the entire screen.
- Capture the active window.
- Let the user select an area.
- Copy the result to the clipboard.
- Add a delay before capture.
- Include the pointer.
- Write directly to a chosen filename.
Examples using the documented options:
gnome-screenshot -a-a starts an interactive area selection.
gnome-screenshot -w-w captures the active window.
gnome-screenshot -c-c sends the capture to the clipboard instead of relying on the default file workflow.
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gnome-screenshot -d 5 -f ~/Pictures/delayed.pngThis waits five seconds and saves to the specified path. The utility also documents pointer-related and full-screen options; run man gnome-screenshot on your installation to confirm the exact switches shipped with your release. The Jammy reference is the Ubuntu gnome-screenshot manpage.
When Flameshot is a better fit
Install an optional screenshot application when you need annotation controls or a more configurable capture workflow than the built-in overlay provides. Ubuntu’s Questing manpage documents Flameshot, including:
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- Clipboard output.
- Capture delays.
- Custom save paths.
- Command-line operation and configurable appearance or tray use.
The Questing manpage lists package version 12.1.0+ds-2. That package version and its availability are release-specific, so check your Ubuntu release’s repositories before installing. See the Ubuntu Flameshot manpage for the options provided by that release.
| Need | Built-in screenshot tool | gnome-screenshot |
Flameshot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Install another app | No | Utility availability depends on the desktop installation | Yes, as an optional application |
| Area, window, or screen capture | Yes, through the overlay | Yes, with command options | Yes |
| Annotations during selection | Basic capture workflow | Not its primary role | Yes, region annotation is a central feature |
| Automation or scripts | Limited to shortcuts | Strong command-line fit | Command-line modes available |
| Compatibility note | GNOME workflow documented by Ubuntu | Jammy manpage cited | Questing manpage cited |
Troubleshooting checklist
The screenshot is not in Pictures/Screenshots
Confirm that the capture actually completed, then check the clipboard by pasting into an image-capable application. If the clipboard contains the image but no file exists, your desktop may have changed the save location or be using a different screenshot program. Search your home directory for files beginning with Screenshot and inspect any custom screenshot settings.
The wrong window was captured
Click the target window so it has focus before using Alt+Print. For a precise result, open the overlay with Print and choose the window manually.
The pointer is missing
Use the overlay’s pointer toggle, P, when the interface is open. In command-line workflows, check the pointer option documented by your installed gnome-screenshot version.
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A shortcut launches another program
Open Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts, locate the screenshot action, and assign a non-conflicting key combination. A desktop extension or vendor utility may have taken the original Print binding.
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Selection or recording controls look different
Check which desktop environment is running. The documented Ubuntu pages describe the standard GNOME desktop; KDE, Xfce, remote sessions, and customized shells can expose different controls. Use that environment’s screenshot settings or install a tool such as Flameshot when you need a consistent workflow.
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ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server, not a replacement for the local Print key. One GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF of a URL. Before capture, it accepts cookie or consent banners and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be disabled. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response reports the result through X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can Ubuntu copy a screenshot without saving a file?
Yes. The screenshot interface copies the captured image to the clipboard, and the command-line utility documents a clipboard option. Paste it directly into a compatible application.
Which Ubuntu documentation covers changing the Print shortcut?
Use Ubuntu’s “Set keyboard shortcuts” guide: View and Customize Shortcuts is the relevant Settings path.
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