Martin JørgensenIf you need to help a friend or a coworker with a computer issue, screenshots can be a huge help—images of your screen you can share so others can see exactly what you mean. The internet is full of screenshot tools, and on this page you can read a review of Flameshot, which is open source and 100% free.
Whether you use Windows, Mac, or Linux, you can use Flameshot, since the tool is available on all three platforms. That’s great if you often switch between different computers and want the same screenshot tool on all of them.
We tested the Windows edition of Flameshot, and on this page you can read a short review of our experience with the app. At the bottom, we also mention an alternative you can try if you want a different screenshot tool with other features.
Download and installation
To download and install Flameshot, just click the download button here on our website. You’ll then be sent to SourceForge, where you can find installers for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
As mentioned earlier, we only tested the Windows edition of Flameshot, and it was super easy to install. As shown in the GIF below, the setup looks like most other Windows installers—just click through the steps.
On our PC, installation took only a moment, and we were ready to get started with Flameshot. A desktop shortcut is created automatically, which you can click to open Flameshot.
How Flameshot works
When you open Flameshot for the first time, a small pop-up appears in the corner of your screen. It explains that you can find Flameshot in the system tray on the right side of the taskbar among the hidden icons. The app doesn’t take up space on your screen until you need it.
When you want to capture a screenshot, you can either click the tray icon or press the Print Screen key on your keyboard. From there you have several options. For example, you can quickly save an image of the entire screen by pressing Ctrl+S. Alternatively, copy the screenshot to the clipboard with Ctrl+C. If you only want to capture a specific part of the screen, drag to select a rectangular area with the mouse. Unfortunately, freeform shapes aren’t supported.
After you’ve taken a screenshot you’re happy with, you can use the built-in annotation tools. To highlight something specific, you can draw arrows and add numbers. There’s also a blur tool you can use to obscure anything personal or sensitive.
Extra features and settings
Flameshot includes a few extra features worth highlighting. A particularly handy one is that you can upload screenshots directly from the app to the Imgur online service. You can then share a link with anyone who needs access. Note that Imgur is the only supported service.
If you want to change how Flameshot works, open the settings. You can access them by right-clicking the Flameshot icon in the system tray and then clicking the "Configuration" button.
Inside the settings, as shown in the GIF above, you can adjust a wide range of options. For example, you can enable or disable individual annotation tools. You can also configure how Flameshot automatically names your screenshots.
Notable alternatives
A solid alternative is Sniptool; you can read our review right here. Sniptool includes two very useful features that Flameshot doesn’t have. First, you can freely select exactly what you want to capture in any shape—for example, draw a circle around something specific you want to save. In addition, you can record the screen, which is super handy because sometimes video is more useful than images.
Sniptool does have a drawback: there’s no built-in upload feature. If you want to upload your screenshots to Imgur with Sniptool, you’ll have to do it manually or install another app.
In many cases you don’t need to install a lot of software if you just want a simple screenshot and don’t need extra features. If you use Windows, try the built-in Snipping Tool via the Windows key+Shift+S shortcut. Microsoft has published a short guide, which you can find by clicking here. If you’re on a Mac, you can read Apple’s guide to the many built-in screenshot features in macOS at this link. If your operating system is Linux, we recommend searching Google for instructions specific to your distribution.
Our verdict
Overall, we think Flameshot is a rock-solid tool. It packs a number of smart features, is very easy to use, and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. And on top of that, it’s completely free and open source.
Flameshot isn’t perfect, though. If you want an alternative that can also record screen video, we recommend trying Sniptool. You can also choose to use the built-in features in Windows and macOS, as described higher up in this review.
We also want to highlight that we review new software all the time, so we hope you’ll come back and visit our site again soon!
Save screenshots quickly and easily with Flameshot, which also lets you edit and upload them to the web! The tool is free for Windows, Mac, and Linux!
