How to Capture Screenshots on Ubuntu 24.04

Screenshots are a convenient way to explain complex ideas clearly. Therefore, capturing screenshots has become a common practice nowadays. Every modern operating system, such as Ubuntu, Windows, MacOS, etc., offers a built-in screenshot tool.

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the latest long-term support release that includes a default screenshot and screencast utility. It enables users to take basic to advanced screenshots. Ubuntu supports various keyboard shortcuts to save time when capturing screenshots. Moreover, users can install third-party screenshot tools from the official repository (if required) to get enhanced features and customization options.

In this tutorial, we’ll discuss several methods of capturing a screenshot or recording a screencast on Ubuntu 24.04.

Capturing Screenshots on Ubuntu 24.04 Using Default Tool

Ubuntu includes a built-in screenshot tool that can be quickly accessed by pressing the “PrtSc” key or you can find it in the “system menu”. It offers basic screenshot features, such as capturing the entire screen, a selected area, the active window, or recording the screen activity as a video. 

Let’s learn how to capture screenshots using Ubuntu’s default screenshot tool:

Step 1: Access the Default Screenshot Tool

To launch Ubuntu’s default screenshot tool, either press the “prt sc” key on your keyboard or go to the system menu and select the highlighted option:

Step 2: Choose the Area to Capture

Once the default screenshot tool is open, you’ll see three options for capturing the screenshot: “Selection”, “Screen”, and “Window”, as illustrated below:

Let’s learn how to use these options to take a screenshot:

1. Selection | Capture Only the Selected Area

To capture a screenshot of a specific area, choose the “Selection” option, resize the area you want to capture, and then hit “Capture” to save the screenshot:

The following message pops up at the top of the window to confirm that the screenshot has been captured. The captured screenshot will be copied to the clipboard and by default, saved to the “Home/Pictures/Screenshots” directory:

Alternatively, you can use the “PRTSC” or “FN + PRT SC” key on your keyboard to capture a specific part of the screen.

2. Screen | Capture the Entire Screen

To capture a complete screen, choose the “Screen” option and then hit the “Capture” button:

Alternatively, we can simply press “SHIFT + PRT SC” to capture the entire screen instantly.

3. Window | Capture Only a Specific Window

In case multiple windows are open, we can capture a specific window using the default screenshot tool. To do this, click on the “Window” option, select the desired window, and then press the “Capture” button, as demonstrated below:

Alternatively, we can use the “ALT+PRTSCN” key to capture a certain window.

How to Take Screenshots on Ubuntu 24.04 Using GNOME-Screenshot?

In Ubuntu 22.04, the “GNOME Screenshot” tool was replaced with a built-in screenshot/screencast feature integrated directly into GNOME Shell. This screenshot tool provides improved features for a better user experience. However, some users still prefer “GNOME Screenshot”. If you are one of them, you can install and use “GNOME Screenshot” on your systems by following the below instructions:

Step 1: Update System Packages

Let’s update the packages list to make sure we get the most recent version of GNOME Screenshot:

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install GNOME Screenshot

Now run the below-mentioned apt command to install the GNOME Screenshot tool on Ubuntu 24.04:

sudo apt install gnome-screenshot

Step 3: Capture Screenshots Using GNOME Screenshot Utility

Open the GNOME screenshot utility from the applications menu, as follows:

After launching the GNOME screenshot, select your preferred option: Screen, Window, or Selection, and click the “Take Screenshot” button to capture a screenshot:

Once we click on the “Take Screenshot” button, it asks us to specify the name of the screenshot and choose the directory where we want to store it. Once done, hit the Save button to store the screenshot in the chosen directory:

Step 4: Capturing Screenshots with GNOME Screenshot via Terminal

The GNOME Screenshot tool allows users to capture screenshots directly from the terminal. To do this, you can run the gnome-screenshot command with various options, as shown below:

Run the gnome-screenshot command without any argument to capture the entire screen:

gnome-screenshot

On successful execution, the cursor will move to the next line and the screenshot will be saved in the “Home/Pictures/Screenshots” directory:

Similarly, you can capture a particular window or a specific part of the screen using the “gnome-screenshot” command with the “-w” and “-a” options, respectively.

Alternative Tools to Capture Screenshots on Ubuntu 24.04

In addition to the default screenshot tool and gnome-screenshot, Ubuntu supports various alternative snipping tools that offer advanced customization options for capturing screenshots. Here are some of the best snipping tool alternatives:

Kazam

Kazam is a commonly used screencast and screenshots tool that can be installed from Ubuntu’s official repository. You can use it to capture the entire screen, all screens, a particular window, or a selected screen area. By default, it takes a screenshot after a five-second delay, but this setting can be customized. Moreover, it allows us to add the mouse pointer and borders to the screenshot. You can use the following command to install this tool on Ubuntu 24.04:

sudo apt install kazam

Flameshot

Flameshot is a user-friendly screenshot tool that is available through Ubuntu’s official repository. It enables users to capture the complete screen, a desired area, or the current window. You can set a delay for taking screenshots and apply various effects, such as adding the pointer or window border. In addition to this, we can customize the screenshot options through its settings.

sudo apt install flameshot

Shutter

Shutter offers a range of features. It can capture various elements including the current window, a specific window, a rectangular region, the entire screen, a child window, a menu, or a cascading menu from an application. Moreover, it provides editing capabilities, such as cropping screenshots and adding text or effects to screenshots, etc.

sudo apt install shutter

Conclusion

We can capture screenshots on Ubuntu 24.04 with both the built-in screenshot tool and alternative tools like GNOME Screenshot. The default tool allows us to capture the full screen, a specified area, or a particular window and supports keyboard shortcuts for efficiency. Users who want advanced customization and editing options can install and use alternative snipping tools like Kazam, Flameshot, or Shutter. In this guide, we covered various screenshot tools, from a default screenshot utility to some advanced utilities, to help you choose the right tool for your needs.

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