If you want to download a picture on your Chromebook and save it for later, or keep an image someone has sent, it’s quite simple. Here’s a quick guide that explains everything you need to know.

How to save an image to a Chromebook

When you’re on a website, you can capture images easily and download them to your Chromebook for safe keeping. To do so, place the cursor over the image and tap the trackpad with two fingers.

This will open the contextual menu from which you’ll want to select Save image as…

You’ll then be able to select the folder where the image will be stored. It should default to Downloads, and you’ll see this highlighted in the left-hand column. Be aware that the Downloads folder is all stored locally, so if you want to be able to access the image from other devices, then it’s a good idea to move it directly to your Google Drive instead.

(Note that in this example, the image is in WEBP format rather than the JPG or PNG file that you may have expected. This is a format that is used a lot online these days because it makes the file size smaller, and web pages load quicker. Depending on the app you want to use the image in, you might not even notice, but if you find you can’t view or edit the downloaded image then take a look at our tutorial on how to convert WEBP images to JPG or PNG.)

To save an image to Google Drive, simply click on the Google Drive folder in the left-hand column, then either select an existing sub-folder or click the New Folder button at the bottom of the window and create the destination for your image.

With this done, you can rename the image by typing in the filename line at the bottom of the window. Once you’re happy with its title, click the Save button and the newly named file will be sent to the folder you specified.

How to copy an image to a Chromebook

You don’t have to download a image, as there is always the option of copying it instead. This works well if you want to place the picture directly into a Google Docs or Google Slides document or the online version of Microsoft Office. It’s the basically the same process as the one outlined above. So, find the image you want, place the cursor over it then tap the touchpad with two fingers.

From the contextual menu, select Copy image.

Now, bring up the document into which the picture will go, select the appropriate area of the document, then tap the touchpad with two fingers again.

From the menu that appears, select Paste.

Now the image should appear in the document.

For more tips on getting the most out of a ChromeOS device, read how to copy and paste on Chromebook, how to speed up a Chromebook, and how to use split screen on a Chromebook. There’s also our guide to the best Chromebooks currently available if you’re thinking of buying one soon.