Here’s everything you need to know about capturing screenshots, no matter the platform—Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, and even Linux.
Need to preserve what you’re seeing on your phone or computer screen? Mobile and desktop operating systems offer robust screen-capture tools. Most are built into the device, but there’s a wealth of third-party options, as well as browser extensions, that get the job done. Here’s how to take a screenshot on Android, Chrome OS, iOS/iPadOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. How to Take a Screenshot on iPhone or iPadScreenshot capture on iPhones with Touch ID and Face ID (Image: Apple) If you own an Apple device that still has a Home button (like the 2020 iPhone SE), hold down the sleep/wake button and press the Home button to take a screenshot. You will hear a camera shutter (if your sound is on) and see a „flash“ on the screen. The screenshot will then appear in your camera roll and in the Screenshots album. For devices without a Home button—the iPhone X,11, and 12 lines, and newer iPad Pro and iPad Air devices—hold down the side button to the right of the screen (top button on an iPad) and the volume up button at the same time. If you use an Apple Pencil with iPadOS, you can take a screen grab with the drawing tool. Swipe up from the bottom corner with the Apple Pencil to capture the image. You can also choose between your current screen or the entire page, even after the picture has been taken. To annotate a screenshot, tap the thumbnail that appears at the bottom of the screen once you capture an image. This will open the device’s markup tool and allow you to edit the screengrab.iPhone screen recorder Some apps may make it difficult to take screenshots through the normal means. This is where your device’s built-in Screen Recording tool comes in. While its primary purpose is to record video of your screen, you can pause the video and take a screenshot this way. You can also use a third-party tool to capture the screen on your mobile device from a computer. With LonelyScreen, you share your screen via AirPlay and record or capture anything on your mobile device’s screen from the computer. Apowersoft’s iPhone/iPad Recorder can work as long as the PC and mobile device are on the same Wi-Fi network. Activate the AirPlay connection in Control Center, then record video and stills on a computer. How to Take a Screenshot on AndroidButtons on the Google Pixel 4 Android devices are not as uniform as iPhone and iPad, so screenshot commands may be different depending on the phone’s manufacturer. Most Android devices should be able to take screen grabs by holding down the power and volume down buttons, though holding the power and home buttons (if your device has a physical button) may also work. Several Android devices have a screenshot button in the pull-down Quick Settings menu. If your phone has Google Assistant or Bixby (Samsung), use a voice command to ask the voice assistant to take a screenshot for you. For Samsung devices with the S Pen stylus, take a screen grab from the Air Command menu by tapping Screen Write, and then write on or crop the image. Samsung phones also support gestures to take screenshots. Navigate to the screen image you like, position your hand like you plan to karate chop the phone, then swipe the entire side of your hand along the screen from right to left. Set this up (or turn it off) in Settings > Advanced Features > Palm swipe to capture. No matter what device you have, all Android users can download third-party apps to take screen captures. Many apps meant for recording video can also take screenshots. Screenshot Easy is a top-rated option that uses the same basic triggers as Android itself; you can also customize it and take a screenshot just by shaking your phone. To take screens of what’s transpiring on your Android device on a PC, check out Apowersoft’s Android Recorder. The app lets you cast your phone or tablet screen to a Windows or macOS machine for easy capture of stills and video. It requires Android 5.0 and above. How to Take a Screenshot on Apple Watch Did you know you can take a screenshot of your Apple Watch screen? First, the feature must be enabled. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, and navigate to My Watch > General > Enable Screenshots and toggle it on.
