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
-
Ubuntu 25.04 Coming Soon
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin) has been given an April release date with many notable updates.
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.