How do I create a screenshot of my problem?

A screenshot is an image of your computer screen or portion of the screen. On the Mozilla Support forum, we don't want people to be shy about adding screenshots. A picture is worth a thousand words and can go a long way to help explain a problem.

To take a screenshot, either use the Firefox Screenshots feature or else follow the directions given below to create a screenshot on your computer, iOS device or Android device.

Firefox Screenshots

To take a screenshot in Firefox using the Firefox Screenshots feature: Right-clickHold down the control key while you click on an empty part of the page and select Take Screenshot. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + SCommand + Shift + S.

Take a screenshot in Firefox

Tip: You can also customize your Firefox toolbar to add a Screenshot button:

  1. Click the menu button Fx89menuButton, then click More tools and select Customize Toolbar…
    • A special tab will open, where you can drag and drop items in or out of the overflow menu and the toolbar.
  2. Drag the Screenshot Fx88Customize-ScreenshotButton item to the toolbar.
  3. Click Done.

To learn more about Firefox Screenshots, see Take screenshots in Firefox.

Create a screenshot on Windows

Once you have the screen presented the way you want for the screenshot:

  1. Press the Print Screen or Prnt Scrn or Prt Sc key (depending on your keyboard). This key is usually found in the upper right section of your keyboard. To capture only the active window, hold down the Alt key at the same time.
  2. Go to the Windows Start menu Windows Icon and open up the Microsoft Paint program from the Programs list (look under Accessories).
    Paint
  3. Once Paint is open, click Paste and your screenshot will appear.
  4. Save your image as a PNG file, in an easy-to-find location, such as your desktop.
    Save Screenshot

You now have a screenshot that you can add to your forum post by clicking the Browse button below the Post a Reply box.

Tools

Create a screenshot on Mac

Once you have the screen presented the way you want for the screenshot:

  • To capture the screen, hold down the command key, as well as the Shift key, as you press 3.
  • To capture a specific section, hold down the Command key, as well as the Shift key, as you press 4; then select the area you want to copy.
  • To capture a specific window, hold down the command key, as well as the Shift key, as you press 4; then press the spacebar. You can then click on a window to capture it.

As a result, a PNG file will be created and added to your desktop, called Picture 1. You now have a screenshot that you can add to your forum post by clicking the Browse button below the Post a Reply box.

Tools

Create a screenshot on Gnu/Linux

Once you have the screen presented the way you want for the screenshot:

  • On Ubuntu, click the Applications menu, go to the Accessories folder, and select Take Screenshot.
  • In distributions using the KDE environment (Kubuntu, OpenSUSE, etc.), KSnapshot
  • In distributions using the Gnome desktop environment (Debian, Trisquel, Fedora, etc.), Gnome-screenshot
  • In most other distributions, depending on your desktop manager, you may also use the Print Screen or Prnt Scrn key to capture your screenshot as follows:
    • Print Screen: whole screen
    • Alt + Print Screen: current window
    • Shift + Print Screen: selected rectangle on the screen
    • Ctrl combined with any of the above will copy the screenshot to the clipboard

You now have a screenshot that you can add to your forum post by clicking the Browse button below the Post a Reply box.

Tools

Create a screenshot on iOS devices

Once you have the screen presented the way you want for the screenshot:

  1. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button, then immediately press the Home button.
  2. Your screen will flash white for a second and the device will make a camera shutter noise (if the volume is on) to indicate that the screenshot has been taken.
  3. The screenshot is now stored in your photos app for you to view.
iOS devices: iPhone 6 devices & above, the Sleep/Wake button is on the right side of the device.

Create a screenshot on Android devices

How to take a screenshot on your Android phone or tablet depends on the particular device and Android version, but here are two common methods:

  • Press and hold the Sleep/wake button and the volume-down button simultaneously until the screen flashes.
  • If the above did not work and your device has a home button, press and hold the home button and the power button simultaneously until the screen flashes.

Afterward, find the screenshot image in the Gallery app.

Note: On Android phones running stock Android with Android version 9 (Pie) installed, you can simply press and hold the power/lock/unlock button, which will cause the Power Menu to display. From within this menu, select Screenshot (the third option at the bottom of the menu) and a screenshot will automatically be saved to your gallery.

If none of those methods work, you can visit an Android forum such as forums.androidcentral.com for help with your specific device.

More help

The take-a-screenshot.org website has instructions for taking a screenshot on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android devices.

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