How to Capture Screenshots in Firefox without an Extension

If you’re a Mozilla Firefox user, you can take a screenshot of a web page or a selected region directly within your browser on Windows, Linux, and Mac using a built-in tool—no plug-ins necessary. Here’s how to use it.


How to Access the Firefox Screenshots Tool

Aptly named, Mozilla’s built-in tool is called “Firefox Screenshots.” And accessing this tool is remarkably easy.

First, open Firefox and navigate to the website you want to capture as a screenshot. Next, right-click anywhere on the page. Then select “Take Screenshot” from the drop-down list.

Firefox will go into screenshot capture mode, and you’ll have the option to capture the current website in four different ways: an automatically detected part of the page, the entire web page, the visible portion of the web page, or a selected region. We’ll go over all four options below.

How to Screenshot an Automatically Detected Part of a Page

After first selecting “Take a Screenshot,” you’ll be in automatic detection mode. As you move your cursor over the page, you’ll see that parts of the web page are highlighted. This can include a title, an image, an advertisement, a paragraph of text, and more.

After selecting an area to capture, select “Copy” to copy the image to the clipboard if you want to paste the image elsewhere. Otherwise, select “Download” to save your screenshot to your computer.

You can also click the “X” to cancel and return to the regular web page view.

How to Screenshot the Entire Page

To capture a screenshot of the entire web page in Firefox, click the option for “Save Full Page” in the upper-right corner of the window. This provides you with a scrolling screenshot that stretches the length of the page.

After clicking, you’ll see a preview of the screenshot that you captured. You then have the same options: You can “Copy” the shot to your clipboard, “Download” and save it, or cancel the screenshot with the “X.”

How to Screenshot the Visible Portion of a Page
If you don’t want a screenshot of the whole web page, you can snag just the visible portion. In the upper-right corner, click “Save Visible.”

Then, just like with the two screenshot options above, use the “Copy,” “Download,” or “X” action.

How to Screenshot Regions of a Page

One final way to capture a web page with Firefox Screenshots is to select the exact region that you want. Click and drag the portion that you want inside the screenshot. When you release your finger, you’ll see that region highlighted.

If you want to adjust the size of the capture, drag a corner or an edge. As you drag, you’ll see the width and height of the capture display in pixels. This is super handy if you need your image to be a specific size.

As with the others, use the “Copy” or “Download” buttons to copy the screenshot to your clipboard or save it to your machine.

After using any of the options with Firefox Screenshots, you’ll return to the web page. Use the tool as often as needed it may come in handy more than you’d think!
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