Making the shift from Windows or any other well-established operating system to Chrome OS can seem like a doubtful step if you’re not aware of what the latter can. Chromebooks are affordable, speedy, and highly efficient when it comes to browsing the internet. Unfortunately, they’re notoriously regarded as just “browsers” and nothing more than that. Still, most modern-day Chromebooks can let users program and write code, install and run top-end Linux applications using a dedicated Linux store, and even play Nintendo DS games. The best part? That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
As far as convenience is concerned, Chrome OS is adorned with effectual simplicity. For instance, taking a screenshot is outright effortless, matching the same practicality of the famous Windows snippet tool, which is scheduled to merge into the Snip & Sketch application in a future update. If you’ve been meaning to find out if there’s a similar tool on Chrome OS that you can use to take snapshots of your screen painlessly, keep on reading this article.
How to use the snipping tool on Chrome OS
Otherwise known as partial screenshot, Chrome OS has an in-built functionality that allows you to reciprocate the handiness of the Windows snippet tool.
While pressing the “CTRL + Show Windows” shortcut key combination will take a fullscreen screenshot, pressing another key in this combination will bring up what can be potentially referred to as the Chrome OS snipping tool. It’s fast, fluid, and gets the job done without breaking a sweat.
- The “Show Windows” key looks like a square with two vertical lines beside it. It’s located to the left of the brightness decreasing key on your Chromebook’s keyboard, in case you were unsure about it.
To bring up the Chrome OS snippet tool, all you have to do is press “CTRL + Shift + Show Windows” together. This will transform your cursor into a crosshair, offering you full flexibility in taking the snapshot, just like the popular Windows snippet tool. The controls are simple from there on out – you have to click and drag the crosshair until the desired part of your screen has been highlighted. After that, you’ll just let go of your touchpad and press the “Enter” key to finalize the process.
All taken screenshots are automatically saved to the “Downloads” folder in your Chromebook’s “Files” app. In addition, there are a couple of other functions that can be utilized in the snippet tool, such as taking a fullscreen snap or simply taking a window screenshot. As a bonus, you will also be able to record your screen. The Microsoft Snippet tool has one advantage over the Chrome OS one, and that is its capacity to save your screenshots in various file formats.
If that is something you require, we highly recommend looking into Monosnap, a free-to-download browser extension from the Chrome Web Store. Please find out about that in detail in one of our articles here.
That’s all about the snipping tool on Chrome OS! We hope that you’ve found this guide useful for your cause. Chrome Ready wishes you good luck!
