Screenshot tools for the command line
Say Cheese
Linux is awash in desktop screenshot tools, but what if you want to take a quick screenshot from a terminal window?
Suppose you want to record the contents of a computer screen or window. Linux is blessed with a number of useful tools that capture the view on your screen at a given moment. You can use screenshots to preserve critical information, document the contents of web forms, or illustrate application procedures. Most of the popular screenshot tools, however, are desktop applications. What if you don't want to slow down and maneuver through a GUI just to capture the contents of your screen? Many users don't realize you can also create screenshots from the command line. Command-line screenshots are a quick and useful option when you are working in a terminal window, and conjuring up a screenshot through a one-line command means you can add screenshots to your Bash scripts. In this article, I'll show you three powerful screenshot utilities available in the Ubuntu 22.04 Linux command-line interface (CLI): scrot, gnome-screenshot, and import.
scrot
SCReen shOT (scrot) is a lightweight and simple command-line tool for capturing screenshots in Linux [1]. It offers a range of options and is highly configurable. To install scrot on an Ubuntu 22.04 system (Figure 1), enter:
$ sudo apt install scrot
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Related content
-
Console Screenshots with Scrot
Scrot helps users grab screenshots conveniently and quickly at the command line.
-
Ruby and Glade
Application development shouldn’t be a chore. We’ll show you how to simplify the development process with the Ruby programming language and the Glade interface design utility.
-
Shutter Screenshots
Take control of your screenshots with Shutter, which puts other screen
capture programs to shame. -
Shutter: Finally, a screen capture utility worth having
-
Screenshots with Xfce
The Xfce Screenshooter for the Xfce desktop with the current Version 1.6.0 has no cause to fear the competition.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.