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How to take a screenshot on a Google Chrome browser in 4 different ways, using a simple trick

Dave Johnson   

How to take a screenshot on a Google Chrome browser in 4 different ways, using a simple trick

  • You can take a screenshot in Google Chrome with one of your computer's built-in tools, or via Chrome's developer menu.
  • To take a screenshot with Chrome's developer menu, open the Element Inspector and then type "screenshot."
  • You can choose from among four kinds of screenshots, including one that captures an entire web page, even if you can't fit it all on your screen.

You probably know several ways to capture screenshots on your computer, including using the Print Screen button and the Snipping Tool in Windows 10.

But if you use Google Chrome as your web browser and frequently need to take screenshots, you might want to use the relatively obscure – yet easy to use – screenshot tool that's built right into the browser. Few people know about it because it's considered a tool for developers, but in reality, anyone can use it.

Here's how to take a screenshot within Google Chrome, on your Mac or PC.

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How to screenshot on Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome and press Ctrl + Shift + I if you're on a PC, or Command + Option + I if you're on a Mac — that's the letter I, not the letter L. This will open a developer menu called the Element Inspector, which lets you see the HTML the current web page is made with.

2. Next, press Ctrl + Shift P if you're on a PC, or Command + Shift P on a Mac. This will let you search through your list of developer tools.

3. Type "screenshot." Don't press Enter. You should see a set of four screenshot options.

Here's what each of the four screenshot options do:

  • Capture area screenshot. This lets you select a specific part of the screen and save it as a screenshot. If you choose this option, after a moment, you'll be able to drag a box with the mouse anywhere within the Chrome window. Select the part of the page you want to capture and it'll be saved. Note that you can't use this tool to capture the Element Inspector itself — that never gets included in the screenshot.
  • Capture full size screenshot. This option saves a picture of the entire web page, from top to bottom. It's a convenient way to grab an image of a long page that extends well beyond the bottom of the screen.
  • Capture node screenshot. This is more of interest to developers – it lets you capture an image of just a specific HTML element selected in the Element Inspector.
  • Capture screenshot. This is most like a standard screenshot. It saves an image of what's currently visible on your screen.

4. Using the arrow keys on your keyboard, scroll down to the one you want and press Enter. Your screenshot will be taken and automatically saved. You can find it in Chrome's download manager at the bottom of the window.

The main difference between using the Print Screen key and this Chrome tool is that the Chrome screenshot tool doesn't include the borders of the Chrome browser window itself — only the content of the web page.

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