How to Take a Screenshot on Any Device

iPhone · Android · Windows · Mac  —  3 min read
Taking a screenshot captures exactly what's on your screen as an image. Here's how to do it on every major device — it only takes a second once you know which buttons to press.

On iPhone (Face ID models — iPhone X and newer)

1

Press Side button and Volume Up at the same time

These are on opposite sides of the phone — the Side button on the right, Volume Up on the left. Press both simultaneously.

2

Release both buttons quickly

Don't hold them — a quick press is all it takes. Holding too long can trigger other menus like the power-off slider or Emergency SOS.

3

Look for the white flash and thumbnail

A white flash confirms it worked. A small thumbnail of the screenshot appears in the bottom-left corner of the screen.

4

Tap the thumbnail to edit or swipe it away

Tap the thumbnail to open the markup editor where you can crop, draw, or annotate. Swipe it left off the screen to dismiss it — the screenshot is already saved either way.

5

Find it in Photos → Screenshots

Open the Photos app, then tap Albums and scroll down to the Screenshots album to find all your screenshots in one place.

On iPhone (Home Button models — iPhone 8 and older)

1

Press the Home button and the Side (or Top) button at the same time

The Home button is the round button at the bottom of the screen. The Side button is on the right edge (or Top button on very old models like the iPhone SE 1st gen).

2

Release both immediately

You'll see a white flash and hear a camera shutter sound (if your sound is on). That's it — the screenshot is taken.

3

Find it in Photos → Screenshots

The screenshot saves automatically to your Photos app. Look in Albums → Screenshots to find it quickly.

On Android

1

Press the Power button and Volume Down at the same time

This works on virtually every Android phone — Samsung, Google Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola, and more. Both buttons are typically on the right side of the phone.

2

Hold for about 1 second until the screen flashes

A brief flash and animation confirms the screenshot was captured. Some phones also play a shutter sound.

3

Use the toolbar that appears at the bottom

Most Android phones show a small toolbar with options to crop, edit, or share the screenshot immediately after taking it.

4

Find it in your Gallery or Photos app

The screenshot saves to your Gallery app (Samsung) or Google Photos under a Screenshots album.

5

Samsung shortcut: swipe your palm across the screen

On Samsung phones, you can also take a screenshot by swiping the edge of your hand across the screen from right to left. This must be enabled first in Settings → Advanced Features → Motions and Gestures → Palm swipe to capture.

On Windows

1

Press Windows key + Shift + S to open the Snipping Tool

This works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. Your screen will dim slightly and a small toolbar appears at the top of the screen.

2

Choose your capture type from the toolbar

You can choose from Rectangular Snip, Freeform Snip, Window Snip, or Full Screen Snip. Rectangular is the most commonly used option.

3

Click and drag to select what you want to capture

Draw a rectangle around the area of the screen you want. Release the mouse button to capture it.

4

The screenshot is copied to your clipboard

Paste it into any app — an email, Word document, or chat window — using Ctrl+V. A notification also appears to open it in the Snipping Tool editor.

5

To save directly as a file, use Windows key + Print Screen

Your screen will flash briefly and the screenshot saves automatically as a PNG file to Pictures → Screenshots in File Explorer. No clipboard or pasting needed.

On Mac

1

Press Command + Shift + 3 to capture the full screen

This captures everything visible on your screen instantly. If you have multiple monitors, it captures each one as a separate file.

2

Press Command + Shift + 4 to capture a selected area

Your cursor changes to a crosshair. Click and drag to draw a box around the area you want to capture, then release. Hold Shift while dragging to constrain the selection.

3

Press Command + Shift + 4, then Space to capture a single window

After pressing the shortcut, press Space and your cursor changes to a camera icon. Move it over any window — it highlights in blue — then click to capture just that window with a clean drop shadow.

4

Watch for the thumbnail in the bottom-right corner

After capturing, a small preview thumbnail appears in the corner. Click it to open the screenshot for editing and annotation, or simply leave it — it will save on its own after a few seconds.

5

Find your screenshots on the Desktop

By default, screenshots save to your Desktop as PNG files named with the date and time. You can change the save location in the Screenshot toolbar (Command + Shift + 5).

Pro tips: On iPhone, you can ask Siri "Take a screenshot" hands-free. On Mac, press Command+Shift+5 to open the Screenshot toolbar with every option — including screen recording — in one place. On Windows, the Snipping Tool app is also searchable directly from the Start menu if you prefer opening it that way.

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