Methods to Take Screenshots on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Taking screenshots on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS provides a simple way to capture images of your desktop screen. Whether you need to grab a quick screenshot to illustrate a point or record steps for a tutorial, Ubuntu includes several handy built-in tools.

In this comprehensive guide, we will cover the following methods for taking screenshots on the latest long-term support release of Ubuntu:

• Using the Print Screen key
• Keyboard shortcuts
• GNOME Screenshot utility
• Command line with scrot
• Other GUI screenshot tools

We‘ll also discuss where screenshots are saved and how to customize options. Let‘s get started!

Using the Print Screen Key

The easiest way to take a screenshot on Ubuntu is by pressing the Print Screen key (usually labeled PrtScn or Prnt Scrn) on your keyboard. This will instantly capture the entire visible desktop and save the screenshot image to disk.

By default, Ubuntu saves screenshots to:

/home/your_username/Pictures/Screenshots

For example, if your username is john, screenshots would be saved to:

/home/john/Pictures/Screenshots

You can view your screenshots by opening the folder in the File Manager.

The Print Screen key provides a fast and simple screenshot method without further configuration. But you have no control over the screenshot area. For more options, keyboard shortcuts can help.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Screenshots

Ubuntu includes several keyboard shortcuts for flexible screenshot capturing:

• Print Screen: Takes a screenshot of the entire desktop
• ALT + Print Screen: Captures the currently focused window
• CTRL + Print Screen: Lets you select a screenshot area with your mouse
• SHIFT + Print Screen: Selects a screenshot area to capture

The last two shortcuts will prompt you to click/drag across the specific region you want to capture. This is handy for snipping a subset of your desktop.

As with standard Print Screen, all keyboard screenshot shortcuts save images to your Pictures/Screenshots folder.

Adjust Keyboard Shortcut Settings

If you want to customize the shortcut keys for screenshots, open the Activities overview and search for "keyboard". Open the Keyboard settings.

Navigate to the Shortcuts tab > Screenshots. Here you can view or change the keyboard shortcuts for the various screenshot functions in Ubuntu.

Adjust screenshot keyboard shortcuts under Ubuntu Keyboard Settings

Keyboard shortcuts help you rapidly capture screenshots. But for more power let‘s look at utilities…

Using GNOME Screenshot Utility

All Ubuntu versions ship with an preinstalled screenshot tool called GNOME Screenshot. This gives you a menu-driven UI and additional options for saving and editing screenshots.

To open GNOME Screenshot:

• Press Print Screen
• Or launch it from the Applications list
• Or run gnome-screenshot from the command line

The GNOME Screenshot dialog looks like:

You can choose between capturing the:

• Entire desktop
• Current window
• Screen area selection

Advanced delay options are also available for configuring a timer before the screenshot is taken. This gives you time to set up windows.

Once you take the screenshot, GNOME Screenshot will open an edit window where you can crop the image or draw on it with tools like arrows, boxes, highlights, etc. Very handy for tutorials and demos!

When you save from GNOME Screenshot, by default the utility embeds timestamp information and other metadata into the screenshot filename like:

Screenshot from 2023-02-15 14-23-28.png

This helps keep screenshots well organized by date/time.

GNOME Screenshot File Type and Location

By default, GNOME Screenshot saves files as PNG images to your Pictures/Screenshots folder.

To customize the file format (JPG, BMP and PDF are also supported) and save location, open GNOME Screenshot settings:

gnome-screenshot --preferences

Or change settings directly within the app on save. This allows complete control over screenshot files.

Take Screenshots from Terminal with Scrot

The scrot (SCREENshoT) command provides sophisticated screenshot capturing from the Linux terminal. With scrot you can:

• Specify screenshot delay timer
• Set image format (PNG, JPG)
• Choose save location
• And more

To install scrot:

sudo apt install scrot

Some examples of using scrot:

# Take screenshot instantly  
scrot

# Take screenshot after 5 second delay
scrot -d 5

# Capture screenshot area selection
scrot -s

# Specify JPG format 
scrot -e ‘mv $f ~/screens/$(date +%Y-%m-%d-%H%M%S).jpg‘

# Save screenshot to custom location
scrot -e ‘mv $f /home/john/documents/screenshot.png‘ 

This just scratches the surface of scrot‘s capabilities. See man scrot for more details.

The level of control makes scrot ideal for automated screenshot tasks. For example, capturing application states during software testing.

Other Screenshot Tools for Ubuntu

While GNOME Screenshot and Scrot handle most screenshot needs, many other utility options exist:

• Shutter: Feature-rich screenshot app with annotations and edits
• Flameshot: Popular open source tool with tons of markup functions
• Kazam: Video screencasting program that does screenshots too
• Spectacle: Configurable keyboard-driven screenshots
• And more!

To install any app, simply search for it in the Software Center or use:

sudo apt install app_name

The ability to test and compare utilities lets you find just the right screenshot fit.

Most tools focus on flexibility – delay timers, formats, save locations, etc. And editing built right in for highlighting important details.

Screensharing Alternatives

Beyond static screenshots, consider screensharing applications for recording screencasts or live remote demos:

• Kazam: Video capture of your desktop with microphone audio narration
• Peek: Simple animated GIF recorder good for tutorials
• Zoom: Video meetings with screen sharing

So if you need to document processes through an over-the-shoulder perspective, screensharing is perfect for that.

Customize Where Screenshots Are Saved

As mentioned earlier, Ubuntu‘s default location for saving screenshots is:

/home/your_username/Pictures/Screenshots 

To have screenshots always save to custom folder, open the dconf Editor tool to modify settings:

sudo apt install dconf-editor

Now launch dconf Editor and navigate to:

org > gnome > gnome-screenshot

Change the auto-save-directory key to your desired screenshots folder path.

Set custom screenshot save directory through dconf

Conclusion

Taking screenshots on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS provides simple yet powerful options, once you know the various methods available.

The key points to remember are:

• PrtScn key – Instant fullscreen grab
• Keyboard shortcuts – Flexible screen areas
• GNOME Screenshot – Annotate and edit
• Scrot – Advanced terminal shots
• Others – Shutter, Flameshot, and more

Storing screenshots automatically in dated folders helps keep things organized. But you can always customize locations to meet specific needs as well.

So next time you need to snapshot your Ubuntu desktop, refer to this guide for a quick overview of all the built-in screenshot capabilities. The power is right at your fingertips.