Feature Request: Enhanced Screenshot Tool — Full Resolution, Clipboard/Save Behaviour, and Page-to-Markdown Copy

[guilgo-alf]

Summary

The built-in screenshot tool is already useful, but a few enhancements would make it significantly more powerful for productivity workflows — without adding bloat. This proposal covers four areas: resolution quality, output behaviour, keyboard shortcuts, and a new 'copy page as Markdown' function.

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1. Full-Resolution Captures (Full Page and Region/Element)

Current behaviour: The screenshot tool downscales large captures — both in 'Save full page' and 'Save visible' / region-select modes — to conserve memory. This results in noticeably blurry output, especially on high-DPI displays.

Proposed behaviour: Captures should respect the device's native pixel ratio (DPR) by default, producing crisp, full-resolution output in all capture modes — full page, visible area, and element/region selection.

Configuration: A new about:config preference (e.g. zen.screenshot.dpr) could let users set their preferred DPR multiplier (default: device native, e.g. 2). This keeps it lightweight — no UI needed unless the team wants to surface it in Settings later.

Context: Firefox's DevTools console already supports :screenshot --fullpage --dpr 2, proving the engine can handle this. The gap is that this capability isn't exposed through the native screenshot tool.

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2. Output Behaviour — Save to Downloads + Copy to Clipboard

Current behaviour: The screenshot tool copies to clipboard or offers a download — but doesn't do both, and the user has limited control over this.

Proposed behaviour: After capturing, the screenshot should:

• Save automatically to the user's configured download folder, and
• Copy to clipboard simultaneously

Both behaviours should be independently toggleable via about:config or (ideally) a small settings section, so users can choose either, both, or neither (keeping the current preview/confirm flow). Suggested prefs:

• zen.screenshot.autoSaveToDownloads — boolean, default true
• zen.screenshot.autoCopyToClipboard — boolean, default true

This mirrors how tools like ShareX and Greenshot behave — capture once, output everywhere you need it.

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3. Dedicated Keyboard Shortcuts

Current behaviour: The screenshot tool is triggered via Win+Ctrl+``, which opens the selection UI. There is no direct shortcut to capture the full page or visible area without going through the selection step.

Proposed shortcuts (configurable in about:preferences):

• Capture full page — e.g. Ctrl+Shift+F or user-configurable
• Capture visible area — e.g. Ctrl+Shift+V or user-configurable

These should trigger the capture immediately using the output behaviour configured in Section 2 (save, clipboard, or both) — no intermediate UI, just instant capture.

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4. Copy Page as Markdown

This is a slightly different feature, but it fits naturally alongside the screenshot tool as a 'capture what's on this page' utility.

Proposed behaviour: A new action — accessible via keyboard shortcut and/or the right-click context menu — that converts the current page's content to clean Markdown and copies it to the clipboard.

Why this belongs in Zen:

• Zen positions itself as a productivity-first browser. Copying web content into notes, docs, or knowledge bases is one of the most common productivity workflows — and it's currently painful. You either get mangled HTML paste, or you need a third-party extension.
• A native 'Copy as Markdown' captures the page's text content, headings, links, lists, and basic formatting in a universally portable format. No images, no cruft — just clean, structured text.
• This would pair well with Zen's existing keyboard-shortcut-driven workflow. A single shortcut (e.g. Ctrl+Shift+M) to copy the page — or a selected portion — as Markdown would be a standout feature no other major browser offers natively.

Scope options (from minimal to full):

• Minimal: Copy entire page as Markdown to clipboard
• Medium: Copy entire page or current selection as Markdown
• Full: Configurable via about:config — include/exclude images as ![alt](url) references, configure heading depth, etc.

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Summary of Proposed about:config Preferences

Preference	Type	Default	Description
zen.screenshot.dpr	Integer	Device native	DPR multiplier for all screenshot modes
zen.screenshot.autoSaveToDownloads	Boolean	true	Auto-save captures to download folder
zen.screenshot.autoCopyToClipboard	Boolean	true	Auto-copy captures to clipboard

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Current Workarounds

• Full-res screenshots: Open DevTools (F12) → type :screenshot --fullpage --dpr 2 → close DevTools. Functional, but disruptive for frequent use.
• Copy as Markdown: Requires third-party extensions (e.g. MarkDownload, Copy as Markdown) which vary in quality and maintenance.

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Why This Matters

These are all lightweight, preference-driven features that align with Zen's philosophy of calm, efficient browsing. They remove friction from workflows that power users perform dozens of times a day — capturing and sharing what's on the screen — without adding visible UI complexity for users who don't need them.

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[Dgrif12]

Perhaps another add is someway to target which element is captured when multiple containers overlap the cursor, and it is desired to capture the contents of the larger container. A common case where this is an issue is with tables, like the one seen below. Because the table contains elements within its entire extent, it is impossible to target the table's container unless that element is removed. If some functionality were exposed (ex. through Shift + scroll) to select elements in increasing/decreasing nesting pattern, then capturing any container would be no issue.

Problem:

(Band-Aid) Solution: Removing child elements in the way: