Taking Screenshots

You can take a screenshot in any of the following ways:

  • From any panel

    You can add a Take Screenshot button to any panel. For instructions on how to do this, see Section 4.3.2 ― Adding an Object to a Panel. Click on the Take Screenshot button to take a screenshot of the entire screen.

  • Use shortcut keys

    To take a screenshot, use the following shortcut keys:

    Default Shortcut Keys Function
    Print Screen Takes a screenshot of the entire screen.
    Alt+Print Screen Takes a screenshot of the window to which the mouse points.

    You can use the Keyboard Shortcuts preference tool to modify the default shortcut keys.

  • From the Menubar

    Choose Applications ▸ Accessories ▸ Take Screenshot.

  • From the Terminal

    You can use the gnome-screenshot command to take a screenshot. The gnome-screenshot command takes a screenshot of the entire screen, and displays the Save Screenshot dialog. Use the Save Screenshot dialog to save the screenshot.

    You can also use options on the gnome-screenshot command as follows:

    Option Function
    --window Takes a screenshot of the window that has focus.
    --delay=seconds Takes a screenshot after the specified number of seconds, and displays the Save Screenshot dialog. Use the Save Screenshot dialog to save the screenshot.
    --include-border Takes a screenshot including the border of the screen.
    --border-effect=shadow Takes a screenshot and adds a shadow bevel effect arround it.
    --border-effect=border Takes a screenshot and adds a border effect arround it.
    --help Displays the options for the command.

When you take a screenshot, the Save Screenshot dialog opens. To save the screenshot as an image file, enter the filename for the screenshot and choose a location from the drop-down list.