This handy ChromeOS screenshot trick can really boost your productivity

Once upon a time, Chromebooks didn’t have many options for screenshots. There was a shortcut that performed a basic snapshot and it was up to you to edit, move and use that image as you saw fit after the initial capture. It was a workable system, sure, but the new version of the screen capture tool has taken the entire process to the next level, and we all love/use it on a regular basis. But there’s something I stumbled upon the other day that I didn’t realize was a thing, and it has already become such a useful trick that I thought it probably needed to be shared with everyone.

Screenshots can be pasted immediately

The process these days for a screenshot on your Chromebook is pretty simple. Hit CTRL+SHIFT+OVERVIEW (or the screenshot key if your Chromebook has one) or simply go to your quick settings panel and click the Screen Capture button and you are in the updated and highly-useful Screen Capture mode. You can capture a full screen, a portion, a window or choose to record a video of all these sections as well.

Once you finish the capture, you can even choose where you want your files to save. From there, you can quickly access your screen capture and use it in whatever way you need. But what if there was a quicker way to drop that freshly-snagged image into whatever workflow you had going? That would be nice, right?

Turns out, as soon as you perform a screen capture (this applies to images only, not videos), that image is automatically added to your clipboard. That means you can CTRL+V or SEARCH+V to your heart’s delight right after getting your screen grab and your Chromebook will attempt to paste that new image into whatever you are working with. This means an immediate paste right into a browser window, social media, a messaging service, email, etc.

For me, this has saved so much time. Generally, I’m getting a screenshot to share with a family member, friend, or coworker and other times I need to drop it into a post or an image editor right away. Though it’s only a few steps to find the image in my file picker and select it, the time I save each time I get to simply paste my screenshot into another app feels fantastic.

Being in front of a Chromebook every day makes me think that there are no surprises left in the OS for me to find, but I feel like this one has perhaps been around for a long time and I simply missed it. I’m not completely sure about that, but it really doesn’t matter: if you, like me, are just realizing that you can screen grab and move right to pasting that image into the app you like, you are in for a little productivity boost that is awesome in every way – no matter how long it has been a thing.