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How to Take Screenshots on Linux
Shortcuts and tools for capturing the screen on the most used distributions and desktop environments.
| Shortcut (GNOME, most distributions) | What it does |
|---|---|
PrtScn | Captures the full screen, saves it automatically |
Shift + PrtScn | Selects a specific area |
Alt + PrtScn | Captures only the active window |
Screenshots are saved automatically to your "Pictures" folder, with no need to manually paste them into any program first.
Note: these are GNOME's shortcuts (Ubuntu's default desktop environment) — KDE Plasma and other environments use slightly different combinations, though the concept of PrtScn as the base holds for most of them.
Frequently asked questions
Where are screenshots saved?
Automatically to your 'Pictures' folder, with no need to manually paste them into any program first.
Do these shortcuts work on any desktop environment?
They are GNOME's specifically — KDE and other environments use slightly different combinations, though they usually also start from the PrtScn key.