---
title: "Chromebook screenshot shortcuts and the keys behind them"
url: "https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/shortcut-keys/"
platform: "ChromeOS"
section: "Chromebook"
updated: "2026-09-15"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
attribution: "screenshot-laptop.com"
shortcuts:
  - "Ctrl + Show windows"
  - "Ctrl + Alt + /"
  - "F5"
---

# Chromebook screenshot shortcuts and the keys behind them

*Chromebook keyboards replace several familiar keys, which is why Windows and Mac instructions don't map cleanly onto them.*

URL: https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/shortcut-keys/

## The short answer

- `Ctrl` + `Show windows` — Whole screen
- `Ctrl` + `Alt` + `/` — See every shortcut on your model
- `F5` — Show windows on an external keyboard

## What's different about a Chromebook keyboard

Four changes from a standard laptop layout matter here:

- **No Print Screen key.** Nothing occupies that role.
- **No Caps Lock.** A Search or Launcher key sits there instead. `Alt`+Search toggles caps lock when you need it.
- **No dedicated function row.** The top row is browser and system controls: back, forward, reload, full screen, Show windows, brightness, volume.
- **Show windows in the fifth or sixth position**, printed as a rectangle with two lines.

## The full shortcut list

|Keys|Result|
|---|---|
|`Ctrl` + `Show windows`|Full screen, saved immediately|
|`Ctrl` + `Shift` + `Show windows`|Capture toolbar: region, window, full screen, video|
|`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `Show windows`|Active window only|
|`Power` + `Volume down`|Full screen, for tablet mode|
|`Ctrl` + `Alt` + `/`|Opens the on-screen keyboard shortcut viewer|

That last one is the most useful thing on this page. It draws your actual keyboard on screen and highlights what every key does when you hold a modifier. Hold `Ctrl` while it's open and the screenshot keys light up. It reflects your specific model, so it's more reliable than any written guide.

## Using an external keyboard

Plug in a USB or Bluetooth Windows keyboard and ChromeOS maps the row for you, much as [macOS remaps a Windows keyboard](https://screenshot-laptop.com/macbook/windows-keyboard-on-mac/):

- **Show windows** becomes `F5`
- **Full screen** becomes `F4`
- **Search / Launcher** becomes the Windows logo key
- **Print Screen** still does nothing

So `Ctrl`+`F5` takes a full-screen capture, and `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`F5` opens the toolbar.

On keyboards where the top row defaults to media controls, hold `Fn` as well. Keyboards with their own `Fn` lock make this permanent.

## Remapping keys

Settings › Device › Keyboard lets you reassign Search, `Ctrl`, `Alt`, `Esc` and `Backspace`. The same row of keys drives [screen recording](https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/screen-recording/) as well as stills. The capture shortcut itself can't be changed, but remapping the modifiers underneath it gets you part of the way — assigning Search to `Ctrl` gives you a screenshot shortcut you can hit with one hand.

There's also a *Treat top-row keys as function keys* toggle, which swaps the whole row's default. If you enable it, the screenshot shortcuts need `Fn` held down.

## Tablets and detachables

With no physical keyboard attached:

- **`Power`+`Volume down`** for a full-screen capture.
- **Quick settings › Screen capture** for everything else, including region select with your finger.

Drawing a region with a fingertip is imprecise. A stylus, on models that support one, is much better — and on some devices the stylus menu has its own capture button that captures and opens the image for annotation in one step.

With the key located, [the three ChromeOS capture methods](https://screenshot-laptop.com/chromebook/) are straightforward.

## Questions

**What is the Show windows key called on my model?**

Google's current name is Show windows; older keyboards and documentation call it Overview or Window switcher. The icon is the reliable identifier: a rectangle with two lines to the right of it.

**Can I use Ctrl + P to screenshot?**

No, that opens the print dialog. It is a reasonable route to a full-page capture though — print to PDF and save. [Printing to PDF instead](https://screenshot-laptop.com/how-to/screenshot-to-pdf/).

**Does the Everything Button change these shortcuts?**

No. The Launcher key, also called the Everything Button on newer models, isn't part of any screenshot shortcut. It only affects them if you've remapped it to `Ctrl` in keyboard settings.