On Ubuntu’s standard desktop, press Print to launch the screenshot tool. Press Alt+Print to save a screenshot of the active window, or Shift+Print to save the entire screen. If a shortcut does not work, verify or change it in Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts.
Ubuntu screenshot shortcuts at a glance
| What you want | Shortcut | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Open the screenshot interface | Launches the screenshot tool, where you can choose an area, screen, window, or screencast mode. | |
| Capture a window | Alt+Print | Saves a screenshot of a window, according to Ubuntu’s shortcut table. |
| Capture the whole screen | Shift+Print | Saves a screenshot of the entire screen. |
| Record a short screencast | Shift+Ctrl+Alt+R | Starts or stops Ubuntu’s short screencast shortcut. |
These labels and bindings come from Ubuntu’s stable desktop help: Set keyboard shortcuts. Exact behavior can differ by Ubuntu release, desktop environment, keyboard layout, or local customization, so use the Keyboard settings described below when your key produces no result.
How to take a screenshot with the Print key
Open the screenshot overlay
- Press Print (sometimes labeled PrtSc, PrtScn, or printed on a shared function key).
- If your keyboard has no dedicated key, open the system menu and choose the screenshot button. Ubuntu documents both entry points.
- The overlay presents capture choices for an area, the whole screen, or a window. It also exposes screencast mode on supported Ubuntu desktops.
Select a rectangular area
With the overlay open, choose the area option and drag from one corner of the region to the opposite corner. Adjust the selection before confirming the capture. This is the safest choice when you need to exclude notifications, another monitor, or private information.
Capture a screen or window from the overlay
Choose Screen for a complete display, or Window and then select an open window. The overlay method is useful when you want to decide the scope after seeing your desktop rather than memorizing a direct shortcut.
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Where Ubuntu saves screenshots
Ubuntu’s localized screenshot documentation describes captures being saved in Pictures/Screenshots and copied to the clipboard. Treat that as version- and desktop-dependent rather than a guarantee for every Ubuntu installation. Check your file manager’s Pictures folder and your desktop’s screenshot notification after a capture. If you need the image in another application immediately, try pasting with Ctrl+V; whether clipboard copying occurs can depend on the desktop version and capture path.
For repeatable workflows, create a dedicated folder and move completed files there. Use descriptive names such as bug-report-login-2026-09-30.png so screenshots remain identifiable when several captures share the same default naming pattern.
Changing the Ubuntu screenshot shortcut
- Open the Activities overview and search for Settings.
- Open Settings, select Keyboard, then choose View and Customize Shortcuts.
- Find the screenshot action. Ubuntu’s official labels include Launch the screenshot tool, Save a screenshot of a window, and Save a screenshot of the entire screen.
- Select the action and press the key combination you want to assign.
- Press Backspace to reset an assignment, or Esc to cancel without changing it.
Choose combinations that are not already used by your desktop, terminal, browser, or accessibility tools. If you assign the same combination to two actions, Ubuntu may show a conflict or one action may take precedence.
When the Print shortcut does not work
The key is on a laptop function layer
Many laptop keyboards share Print with another key. Hold Fn while pressing the key marked PrtSc or Print. If that works, inspect your keyboard’s function-lock setting and consider assigning a different shortcut in Keyboard settings.
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Open Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts and inspect all three screenshot actions. A blank assignment, a conflicting binding, or a custom desktop profile can explain why nothing happens. Use Backspace to clear an unwanted binding and assign a new one.
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You are using a different desktop environment
The documented shortcuts describe Ubuntu’s standard desktop help. Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu MATE, GNOME sessions with extensions, remote desktops, and virtual machines can provide different screenshot tools. Check that environment’s keyboard-shortcut panel rather than assuming the GNOME bindings apply.
Remote sessions and virtual machines intercept the key
Remote desktop software, a browser-based console, or a hypervisor may capture Print before Ubuntu receives it. Test the shortcut at the physical Ubuntu machine, or assign an unused combination that the remote client passes through. The overlay button in the system menu is a useful diagnostic: if it works, the capture tool is available and the problem is key delivery or binding.
Only part of a multi-monitor setup is captured
Screen capture scope follows the option you choose and the desktop’s monitor model. Use the overlay’s Screen choice to select a particular display when offered, or use area selection to define exactly what should appear. Verify the result before sharing it, especially when monitors contain confidential windows.
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- Need a quick full-display image: press Shift+Print.
- Need one application window: press Alt+Print.
- Need a crop, a specific monitor, or a last-second choice: press Print and use the overlay.
- Need a short recording: use Shift+Ctrl+Alt+R, where your Ubuntu desktop supports the documented screencast action.
None of these shortcuts is inherently higher quality or faster according to the cited Ubuntu help. The practical difference is capture scope and whether you open the selection interface first.
Privacy and accessibility checks before sharing
- Close password managers, private messages, API keys, and notification previews before using a full-screen shortcut.
- Prefer window or area capture when only one application is relevant.
- Check both monitors and panel indicators; a full-screen image can reveal more than the target window.
- Zoom or enlarge the target content before capturing if text must be readable, then confirm the image dimensions.
- Use the overlay’s selection handles carefully; a small border can include adjacent confidential content.
Automating website screenshots instead of capturing your Ubuntu desktop
The keyboard shortcuts above capture what is visible on your local desktop. If your goal is a repeatable image of a website for documentation, monitoring, testing, or an AI workflow, a browser screenshot API avoids manual window management. ScreenshotNeo is the first service to try here because it removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture, bills only clean shots, and has the lowest paid plan.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo accepts one GET request and returns PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. The API removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before the shot; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing result.
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Read the complete parameter reference in the ScreenshotNeo documentation. This cURL example captures Ubuntu’s website as a WebP file:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://ubuntu.com -o shot.webpPython:
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://ubuntu.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js:
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://ubuntu.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);The service also provides an MCP server for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients, with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools. Other options include full-page lazy-image loading, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, device presets and custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper and page controls, custom CSS or JavaScript, click-before-capture, selector or network-idle waits, request blocking, headers, cookies, user agents, authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, chosen cache TTLs, signed image links, asynchronous signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API, and an OpenAPI specification. Common screenshot-API parameter names are accepted to ease migration.
Every plan includes every feature. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots, followed by Growth at $15 for 15,000, Pro at $39 for 60,000, Scale at $99 for 250,000, and Business at $249 for 1,000,000. Yearly billing provides two months free. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to start with 1,000 screenshots each month and no card.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently asked questions
Is Print the same as PrtSc?
Usually they are labels for the same physical key. Laptop manufacturers may place it behind an Fn layer, so check the key legend and try Fn plus that key.
Can I assign one shortcut to both a window and full-screen capture?
You can configure bindings in Ubuntu’s shortcut editor, but duplicate assignments can conflict. Give each screenshot action its own combination so the result is predictable.
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Does Ubuntu’s screenshot shortcut work in every Linux distribution?
No. The documented bindings are for Ubuntu’s standard desktop help. Other distributions and desktop environments may use different actions or key maps; inspect their own shortcut settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my keyboard has no Print key?
Use the screenshot button in Ubuntu’s system menu, or assign an available combination under Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts.
How do I capture only a small part of a window?
Press Print, choose the area option in the overlay, and drag around the region you want before confirming.
Can I make a website screenshot without opening Ubuntu’s screenshot overlay?
Yes. A service such as ScreenshotNeo can render a URL through its API; its one-call examples and options are documented at https://screenshotneo.com/docs/.
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