Flameshot Installation Guide

This guide covers the following:

  1. Install flameshot-13.3.0-1.ubuntu-22.04.amd64.deb
  2. Fix screenshot issues on Ubuntu 22.04 + GNOME Wayland
  3. Set Alt+E as the free-form capture shortcut
  4. Configure Flameshot to auto-start at login

Applicable environment:

  • Ubuntu 22.04
  • GNOME desktop
  • Wayland session

You can verify the session type with:

echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE

If the output is wayland, this guide applies.

1. Prepare the Installation Package

Make sure the package is already downloaded to the Downloads directory with the following filename:

flameshot-13.3.0-1.ubuntu-22.04.amd64.deb

2. Install Flameshot

Run:

sudo apt-get install -y ~/Downloads/flameshot-13.3.0-1.ubuntu-22.04.amd64.deb

Enter your system password and wait for installation to finish.

Dependency Error Handling

If you see unmet dependencies during installation, run:

sudo apt-get install -f -y

This command installs missing dependencies and fixes incomplete installation. Common additional dependencies include:

libqt6core6
libqt6dbus6
libqt6gui6
libqt6network6
libqt6svg6
libqt6widgets6
qt6-qpa-plugins
qt6-gtk-platformtheme

After installation, you can verify the version:

flameshot --version

Expected output is similar to:

Flameshot v13.3.0

If you still see:

No Qt translation found for English

this message usually does not affect functionality.

3. Why flameshot gui Shows No Response

In Ubuntu 22.04 with GNOME + Wayland, directly running:

flameshot gui

may show no obvious UI or behave unexpectedly. Common causes are:

  1. Missing Qt6 Wayland plugin
  2. Missing GNOME screenshot portal component
  3. Additional GNOME Wayland restrictions on third-party screenshot tools

4. Fix Screenshot Issues on Wayland

Install the following components:

sudo apt-get install -y qt6-wayland xdg-desktop-portal-gnome

Purpose:

  • qt6-wayland: provides the Qt6 Wayland platform plugin
  • xdg-desktop-portal-gnome: provides the GNOME screenshot portal interface

After installation, start or restart related user services:

systemctl --user start xdg-desktop-portal-gnome.service
systemctl --user restart xdg-desktop-portal.service xdg-desktop-portal-gnome.service

If it still does not take effect, log out and log in again.

5. Correct Way to Launch Flameshot

In a GNOME Wayland environment, it is not recommended to use:

flameshot gui

A more stable method is:

QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui

For shortcuts, it is recommended to wrap it with a shell:

 -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui"

The reason is that GNOME shortcut environment variables may be incomplete; directly calling flameshot gui can fail on Wayland.

6. How to Use Free-Form Capture and Annotations

After running:

QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui

you can:

  • Drag to select a capture area of any size
  • Resize the selection area
  • Add arrows
  • Add rectangles, circles, and lines
  • Add text
  • Highlight content
  • Blur sensitive information
  • Save the image
  • Copy to clipboard

Typical workflow:

  1. Run the capture command
  2. Drag the mouse to select any capture region
  3. Release the mouse to open the annotation toolbar
  4. Use tools such as arrows, text, and rectangles
  5. Click Save, or copy to clipboard

7. Set Alt+E as the Free-Form Capture Shortcut

1. Confirm Alt+E Is Not Occupied

You can run:

gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.desktop.wm.keybindings | rg "<Alt>e|<Alt>E"
gsettings list-recursively org.gnome.shell.keybindings | rg "<Alt>e|<Alt>E"

If there is no output, the key combination is usually not occupied by default shortcuts.

2. Add a Custom Shortcut

Create the custom shortcut entry:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys custom-keybindings "['/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/']"

Set the name:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/ name 'Flameshot'

Set the command:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/ command ' -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui"'

Set the key binding:

gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/ binding '<Alt>e'

3. Verify Shortcut Configuration

Check the binding:

gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/ binding

If the output is:

'<Alt>e'

it means the key binding is active.

Check the command:

gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.media-keys.custom-keybinding:/org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys/custom-keybindings/custom0/ command

If the output is:

' -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui"'

it means the shortcut is calling the free-form capture command.

8. Configure Auto-Start at Login

To start Flameshot automatically after desktop login, create an autostart entry.

First create the directory:

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart

Then create the file:

~/.config/autostart/flameshot.desktop

Use the following content:

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Version=1.0
Name=Flameshot
Comment=Start Flameshot at login
Exec= -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot"
Icon=flameshot
Terminal=false
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true

You can also create it directly with a command:

mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart
printf '%s\n' \
'[Desktop Entry]' \
'Type=Application' \
'Version=1.0' \
'Name=Flameshot' \
'Comment=Start Flameshot at login' \
'Exec= -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot"' \
'Icon=flameshot' \
'Terminal=false' \
'X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true' \
> ~/.config/autostart/flameshot.desktop

This way, Flameshot will auto-start on your next login.

9. Verify Auto-Start

After rebooting or logging out and logging in again, check:

pgrep -af flameshot

If you see the Flameshot process, it has started.

You can also press the configured shortcut directly:

Alt+E

If it enters the free-form capture UI, both auto-start and the shortcut are working.

10. Common Issues

1. Terminal shows No Qt translation found for English

This can usually be ignored and does not affect capture or annotation.

2. Shortcut key does not respond

First test manually in terminal:

 -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui"

If manual execution works but the shortcut does not, common causes are:

  • Shortcut binding did not apply successfully
  • GNOME session has not refreshed after recent changes

Try:

  1. Log out and log in again
  2. Press Alt+E again

3. It captures full screen without annotation tools

This is common on Ubuntu 22.04 GNOME Wayland. First try:

 -c -- "QT_QPA_PLATFORM=wayland flameshot gui"

If it is still not ideal, the most stable approach is to switch to the Ubuntu on Xorg session.

4. No tray icon after startup

First check whether the process exists:

pgrep -af flameshot

If the process exists but the tray icon is missing, it is usually related to GNOME tray display behavior or extensions, and does not necessarily mean Flameshot failed to start.

11. References