Snipping Tool for Ubuntu 24.04

Ubuntu 24.04 already includes a Snipping Tool equivalent. Press Print (sometimes labeled PrtSc) or open the screenshot control from the system menu. Choose an area, window, or entire screen, then capture. Ubuntu saves the image in Pictures/Screenshots and copies it to the clipboard.

Use the built-in tool first because it is integrated with GNOME and avoids installing another application. Install Flameshot if you need drawing and annotation, custom save paths, command-line capture, delays, or configurable shortcuts.

Use Ubuntu 24.04’s built-in screenshot tool

1. Open the capture controls

Press Print.
If that key is unavailable, open the system menu in the top-right corner and choose the screenshot control.

Ubuntu’s screenshot interface also includes a screencast mode. That records video and saves it under Videos/Screencasts; choose the still-image mode for a normal snip. See Ubuntu’s Screenshots and screencasts documentation for the documented workflow.

2. Select what to capture

Mode	What it captures	How to use it
Area	A rectangular portion of the desktop	Choose the area option, drag from one corner to the opposite corner, and confirm.
Screen	The entire display	Choose the screen option, then capture. With multiple monitors, check which display is selected.
Window	One open application window	Choose the window option and select the window.

3. Find or paste the image

Open ~/Pictures/Screenshots in Files to find the saved image.
Paste immediately with Ctrl + V because Ubuntu also copies the capture to the clipboard.
If you cannot see the file, sort the folder by date and check that you are looking in the current user’s home directory.

Useful keyboard shortcuts

Action	Shortcut or method
Open screenshot controls	`Print`
Capture a selected region	Open the controls, choose Area, drag the rectangle, and confirm.
Capture a window	Open the controls, choose Window, select the target window, and confirm.
Capture the complete display	Open the controls, choose Screen, and confirm.
Copy the result elsewhere	Use `Ctrl` + `V` in an image editor, document, chat, or issue tracker.

Shortcut names and menu wording can vary with language, desktop session, and Ubuntu updates. If Print does nothing, open Settings → Keyboard → View and Customize Shortcuts and inspect the screenshot bindings.

Install Flameshot for annotations and command-line capture

Flameshot adds an interactive region editor, arrows, boxes, text, blur or pixelation tools, configurable save locations, clipboard output, delays, and command-line modes. Its project documentation describes GNOME Wayland support as experimental, so keep Ubuntu’s built-in tool as your default if Wayland compatibility is the priority.

Install with APT

sudo apt update
sudo apt install flameshot

The upstream Linux installation guide lists this APT method for Ubuntu 18.04 and later. Package versions and availability can change; use the current upstream instructions if APT cannot find the package.

Install through App Center

Open App Center (called Software in some desktop views).
Search for Flameshot.
Open the application entry and click Install.
Authenticate when Ubuntu asks for your password.

Ubuntu’s desktop documentation explains that App Center shows snaps by default and can also expose packages from the official Ubuntu repositories. Prefer a trusted package source and check the publisher before installing.

Capture and annotate with the GUI

Launch flameshot gui from a terminal or the application launcher.
Drag over the region to capture.
Use the on-screen tools to add arrows, rectangles, freehand marks, text, or blur.
Choose the save or clipboard action from the capture toolbar.

Useful CLI patterns

# Interactive region selection
flameshot gui

# Save an interactive selection to a specific file
flameshot gui -p "$HOME/Pictures/bug.png"

# Capture the full screen after a delay (milliseconds)
flameshot full -p "$HOME/Pictures/full.png" -d 3000

# Put an interactive selection on the clipboard
flameshot gui -c

Run flameshot --help on your installed version for the exact options available there. CLI flags and desktop integration can differ between package versions.

Assign Flameshot to the Print key

Flameshot documents a custom GNOME shortcut setup: remove or change the existing screenshot binding, create a custom shortcut whose command is flameshot gui, and assign it to Print. Do this only if you want Flameshot to replace the built-in interface. On GNOME Wayland, Flameshot labels support experimental, so test the shortcut before relying on it.

Which option should you choose?

Your requirement	Recommended choice	Reason
Quick region, screen, or window capture	Ubuntu built-in tool	Already integrated; saves to `Pictures/Screenshots` and copies to the clipboard.
Arrows, boxes, text, or blur	Flameshot	Provides an annotation toolbar immediately after selecting a region.
Custom path, delay, or automation	Flameshot CLI	Supports command-line capture and explicit output paths.
Minimal Wayland setup	Ubuntu built-in tool	Flameshot documents GNOME Wayland support as experimental.

Troubleshooting

Print does nothing

Open the keyboard shortcut settings and check the screenshot binding. A laptop may require Fn + Print. If another application claimed the key, remove that conflicting binding or use the system menu’s screenshot control.

The capture is not in Pictures/Screenshots

Check ~/Pictures/Screenshots, not a similarly named folder on another account. Sort by modification time. If you only need the image temporarily, paste from the clipboard with Ctrl + V.

The wrong monitor or window was captured

Use Screen mode for the display containing the content, or choose Area and drag precisely around it. For a window capture, select the window after opening the screenshot controls and make sure it is not covered by another window.

Flameshot is not found

Confirm installation with command -v flameshot. If it returns nothing, install it with APT or App Center, then start a new terminal. If APT reports that no package is available, consult the current Flameshot installation page for an alternative supported package format.

Flameshot’s Print shortcut conflicts with Ubuntu

Both applications cannot own the same shortcut reliably. Remove the built-in screenshot binding before assigning flameshot gui, or leave the built-in binding in place and launch Flameshot from the app menu or terminal.

Wayland behavior differs from an Xorg session

Flameshot’s project documentation calls GNOME Wayland support experimental. Try Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot interface first, or log into an Xorg session when your workflow specifically depends on a Flameshot feature.

Annotations or text look wrong

Save a copy before extensive editing. Test the annotation tool on a small capture, and verify the output file after saving. For a clean unmodified image, use Ubuntu’s built-in capture and annotate later in an image editor.

Performance, reliability, and file handling

Speed: The built-in tool avoids launching a separate capture process, making it a sensible choice for one-off screenshots.
Reliability: Keep it as the fallback on GNOME Wayland because Flameshot documents Wayland support as experimental.
Large or multi-monitor desktops: Prefer an area capture when you need a smaller file or only one part of a wide desktop.
Repeatable documentation: Use Flameshot’s explicit output path and CLI command, then keep the command in a script or issue template.
Privacy: Review the selected rectangle before saving. Screenshots can include notifications, passwords, tokens, or other windows.
Cost: Ubuntu’s built-in tool costs nothing extra. Flameshot is optional software; installation method and package availability depend on the source you choose.

Or skip the browser setup

Ubuntu’s tools capture your local desktop. If what you need is a screenshot of a public webpage for documentation, monitoring, or an automated workflow, ScreenshotNeo returns an image or PDF from one request. Its cleanup steps accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the result with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers.

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the full option list, including full-page captures with lazy images, CSS element capture, dark mode, device presets, retina scale, custom CSS and JavaScript, waits, request blocking, headers and cookies, geolocation, caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs, bulk capture, usage data, and PDF output.

cURL

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" \
  -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com \
  -o shot.webp

Python

import requests

r = requests.get(
    "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
    params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
    timeout=90,
)
r.raise_for_status()
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)

Node.js

const q = new URLSearchParams({
  access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY',
  url: 'https://stripe.com'
});
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Screenshot failed: ${res.status}`);
const image = Buffer.from(await res.arrayBuffer());
require('node:fs').writeFileSync('shot.webp', image);

ScreenshotNeo has an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients. The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots each month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account.

FAQ

Is there a Snipping Tool app for Ubuntu 24.04?

Yes. Ubuntu’s built-in screenshot interface provides area, screen, and window capture without installing anything.

Where does Ubuntu save screenshots?

Ubuntu’s help documentation says still images are saved in Pictures/Screenshots and copied to the clipboard.

Can I draw on a screenshot?

Install Flameshot for built-in annotations, or paste the image into an editor after using Ubuntu’s capture tool.

Does Flameshot work on Wayland?

Flameshot documents GNOME Wayland support as experimental. Test your required workflow before replacing Ubuntu’s default shortcut.

Can these tools capture a webpage without showing my desktop?

No. Ubuntu’s built-in tool and Flameshot capture the local display. Use a webpage screenshot API such as ScreenshotNeo for server-side URL capture.