How to Take and Annotate Region Screenshots in Ubuntu Using the Built-In Screenshot Tool

Whether you need to capture an error message for technical support, save an online order receipt, or share a cropped snippet of a document with a colleague, taking screenshots is an essential everyday computer task. In earlier Linux desktop environments, users had to install third-party tools like Shutter or GIMP just to capture a clean rectangle of their screen without capturing their entire multi-monitor setup.

Modern Ubuntu installations (Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS, and newer) include a sleek, interactive screen capture overlay built directly into the GNOME desktop environment. Pressing a single keyboard key darkens your screen and opens an interactive viewfinder allowing you to capture full screens, individual application windows, or custom draggable regions—with instant copying to your clipboard and built-in video recording. This guide explains how to use Ubuntu’s native screenshot tool.

Launching the Interactive Screenshot Overlay

Press the Print Screen (or PrtScn) key on your keyboard. Alternatively, press Super (Windows key), type Screenshot, and click the application icon.

An interactive pill-shaped toolbar appears floating at the bottom of your screen, offering three distinct capture modes:

• Selection: Drag a custom rectangular box to capture only the exact portion of the screen you need.
• Screen: Captures the entire display (or lets you click a specific monitor in multi-display setups).
• Window: Highlights open application windows. Click any window to capture it cleanly with transparent shadow borders.

Step-by-Step: Capturing and Saving a Cropped Region

1. Press Print Screen to summon the overlay.
2. Ensure the Selection button is highlighted on the left of the toolbar.
3. Click and drag your mouse across the target area on screen to draw a selection rectangle. You can click and drag the corner handles to adjust the crop boundaries with pixel precision.
4. To take the photo, click the large white circular Capture button in the center of the toolbar (or press Enter).
5. Ubuntu snaps the picture with an audible camera shutter sound.

Accessing Your Captured Screenshots

When a screenshot is captured, Ubuntu automatically performs two convenient actions:

• Saved to Disk: The image is automatically saved as a high-resolution PNG file inside your user Pictures > Screenshots directory.
• Copied to Clipboard: The image is simultaneously loaded into your system clipboard, allowing you to paste it immediately into an email, Discord chat, or LibreOffice document with standard Ctrl + V.

Switching Between Photo and Screen Video Recording

The native screenshot overlay also doubles as a lightweight desktop screen recorder:

• Press Print Screen.
• Click the Video camera icon on the right side of the floating toolbar (it turns red).
• Select your capture region and click the red circle to begin recording video. A small red timer pill appears in the top bar.
• Click the timer pill in the top bar to stop recording. The finished WebM video is saved inside Videos > Screencasts.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts Summary