Have you ever wanted to take a picture of something on your computer screen to send to someone else? You can! It’s called taking a “screenshot”.
A screenshot is a picture of whatever is displayed on your computer screen. You can save that image to your computer or send it to someone else. In this article, I’ll share a few options for taking a screenshot on your computer, depending on your device, browser, and whether you want to capture the whole page or just part of it.
Why Use Screenshots?
Screenshots are easy to do and very useful when you want to explain something visually. They can be used to communicate information to your team and are also a quick, simple way to capture important information you may need to reference later.
Screenshots come in very handy when you’re trying to explain a tech problem to customer support. Talking to a tech support person can be challenging. If you send them a screenshot of what you’re seeing, it can help them understand the exact issue.
How to Take a Screenshot of the Visible Part Only
In many cases, you don’t need a screenshot of the entire page, just what’s currently visible on your screen without scrolling. Think of it like taking a photo of your computer screen exactly as it looks right now. Fortunately, your computer already has a built-in tool for this task:
Mac: Press Shift+Apple Command (⌘)+3 to capture everything on your screen or Shift+Apple Command (⌘)+4 to click and drag to select just a portion of it. You can also press Shift+Apple Command (⌘)+5 to open a small toolbar with all your screenshot options in one place.
Windows PC: Press Win+Shift+S to open the Snipping Tool, then drag to select the area you want to capture. Or, press Win+PrtSc to instantly save a full screenshot to your Pictures/Screenshots folder.
Firefox Browser (any device): Right-click anywhere on the page and choose “Take Screenshot,” then select the area you want to capture.
Here is a webpage that is helpful when figuring out how to take screenshots: https://www.take-a-screenshot.org/
How to Take a Full Page Screenshot (on Your Browser)
A full screenshot means the entire webpage, including everything you would have to scroll down to see. There are ways to do this in your browser, plus handy extensions to get the job done. They automatically scroll through the page and stitch it all together into one image for you.
Option 1) Using Chrome Browser
Watch this video below on how to take a screenshot with Chrome
Instructions on how to take a screenshot with Chrome:
1) Open Chrome.
2) Go to the page that you want to take a screenshot of.
3) In the upper right corner, click on the 3 dots and go to “More Tools,” then click “Developer Tools.” (or right click and then select ‘Inspect’)
4) Then click on the 3 other dots (where all the coding is listed) and go to “Run Command.”
5) In the dialog box, click “Screenshot” and up will come the option that says “Capture full-size screenshot.”
6) Click on the “Capture full-size screenshot” and save the file to your computer (or it may automatically go to your ‘Downloads’ folder).
7) Now you will have a screenshot saved to your computer that you can rename and send to anyone.
8) When done, click the “X” to close the developer tools
Option 2) Using Firefox Browser
Watch this video below on how to take a screenshot with Firefox
Instructions on how to take a screenshot with Firefox:
1) Open Firefox.
2) Go to the page that you want to take a screenshot of.
3) Right-click and in the box that pops up, click “Take Screenshot.”
4) Click and drag to select what you want to take a screenshot of. (See screenshot below)
5) Then click “Download” (see screenshot below)
6) The image will download to your downloads folder or wherever your computer is set up to download things to. If you’re not sure, you can click on the down arrow in the upper right to find where it is. (see screenshot below)
How to download the screenshot to your computer
See this article for more information: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-screenshots
Another Great Option: Use An Extension
Remember, the purpose of extensions is to make your life easier. They are browser add-ons that perform functions the browser can’t do. I’ve written about my favorite browser extensions in the past, and I use them all the time.
Option 1) GoFullPage
GoFullPage is designed specifically to capture the entire webpage, including everything below the fold that you’d have to scroll to see. It does this automatically with one click, capturing everything into a single image. It’s minimal and focused on that one job. Available for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge only.
Option 2) Awesome Screenshot
Awesome Screenshot is one of the most popular all-in-one options. It has over 2 million users and a 4.6-star rating with nearly 18,500 reviews. It offers viewport, full-page, selected-area, and visible-portion capture modes, plus screen recording and basic annotation tools such as arrows, text, shapes, blur, and crop. The free version covers the basics well. Available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari (the Firefox version has some limitations compared to Chrome and Edge).
Option 3) FireShot
FireShot has been around for over 15 years and is especially useful if you need the image in PDF format (instead of .jpg or .png). Its PDF output actually preserves links, making captured webpages somewhat interactive, which is unique among screenshot extensions. It can also capture all open tabs at once. The free version handles basic captures. Available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Brave, and many more browsers.
Option 3) Lightshot
Lightshot is designed for quick, partial screenshots. You click the icon and drag to select just the area of the screen you want. It’s better suited for grabbing a specific section rather than a whole page. It also has built-in simple annotation tools, so you can add text or arrows right away. Available as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. It’s also available as a desktop app for Windows and Mac.
Final Thoughts…
You’ve heard the old saying… “A picture is worth a thousand words.” I use screenshots almost daily to store images of websites, communicate with my team, and help my students solve website problems.
A simple screenshot can sometimes communicate more effectively than a lengthy explanation. Whether you need a quick snapshot of what’s on your screen or a full capture of an entire webpage, there’s a tool for every situation, and most of them are free.
The best way to get started is with a little practice. If you decide to use a browser extension, be sure to follow my step-by-step guide to installing a browser extension. Go ahead, follow the instructions above and give it a try!
(Originally published Jul 2022; Updated June 2026)
