(Credit: lunar_cat / iStock)
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 also 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 and iPad
For an iPhone or iPad model without a Home button, hold down the side button (top button on an iPad) and the volume up button at the same time to take a screenshot. If you own an Apple device that still has a Home button, like the iPhone SE, hold down the sleep/wake button and press the Home button. The image will appear in your camera roll and in the Screenshots album.
To annotate a screenshot on iOS/iPadOS, 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. To capture the entire web page, tap Full Page tab > Done > Save PDF to Files. It'll then be accessible via Apple's Files app.
If you use an Apple Pencil with an iPad, 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.
Some apps may make it difficult to take screenshots through 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. Just make sure to first add the shortcut button to Control Center under Settings > Control Center.
You can also use a piece of software to emulate the screen of your mobile device onto a computer, then take a screenshot there. With LonelyScreen, you share your screen via AirPlay. Otherwise, you can use the QuickTime Player built into macOS to mirror your phone's screen over a USB connection. You are then free to capture anything on your mobile device's screen.
Take a Screenshot on Apple Watch
To take a screenshot of your Apple Watch screen, the feature must first be enabled. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and navigate to My Watch > General > Enable Screenshots, then toggle it on. You can also open Settings > General and tap Enable Screenshots on your watch.
Take a screenshot on an Apple Watch by pulling up the screen you want to capture. Hold the Side button and click the Digital Crown simultaneously. Like on iPhone, the screen will "flash" white and the camera shutter will go off. The screenshot will then appear on your iPhone's camera roll, not the watch itself.
Take a Screenshot on Apple Vision Pro
If you have an Apple Vision Pro, there are multiple ways to take a screenshot of what you see on the headset. The easiest method is to simultaneously press the Digital Crown and top button. You can also tell Siri to take the screenshot. The image is then added to your Photos app.
You can also record your view by selecting Control Center at the top of your view and tapping the Record button. If it's not already available from the menu, go to Settings > Control Center and add the Screen Record option. You can stop a recording if you tap the record button again or choose the red status bar at the top of your view, then choose Stop.
How to Take a Screenshot on Android
Android devices are not as uniform, 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 shade. Many Android phones running Android 10 or 11 will have a built-in Screen Recorder tool that can be used to record video. If an app otherwise won't let you take a screenshot, record a video and then take a screengrab from the recording.
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, open the Air Command menu, then tap Smart select to choose the size and share of your crop. You can also select Screen write to annotate 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 left to right. Set this up (or turn it off) in Settings > Advanced Features > Motion and gestures > Palm swipe to capture.
How to Take a Screenshot in Windows 10
The simplest way to take a screenshot in Windows 10 is to use the Print Screen button. You'll find it on the upper-right side of most keyboards (or next to the Space Bar on some). Tap PrtSc once to copy an image of your entire screen to the clipboard. You can then hit Ctrl + V to paste it into your program of choice.
The problem with this method is it captures everything visible on your monitor, and if you have a multi-monitor setup, it will grab all the displays as if they're one big screen. Narrow things down with Alt + Print Screen, which will capture just the window you currently have open.
Snip and Sketch is a program that adds a helpful screenshot toolbar to the OS. Use the Shift + Windows Key + S keyboard shortcut to launch a small toolbar at the top of the screen so you can choose between capturing the full screen, a custom portion, or a specific window. Open the app and you get the added ability to capture on a delay.
Microsoft's older Snipping Tool remains available for those who prefer this method. The app can be found in the Start menu and has the same capturing functionality as Snip and Sketch.
The Xbox Game Bar in Windows 10 is intended for recording gaming sessions, but it can also be used to record any action and capture screen grabs. Open the tool with Windows Key + G, then tap the camera button in the Capture section to save a screenshot to the Videos/Captures folder under your main user folder.
If all that fails, Windows has an array of third-party screen-capture utilities available. Our Editors' Choice pick is the $50 Snagit, which can do everything you can imagine, including take video of what's happening on your screen. The same company also offers TechSmith Capture for free.
How to Take a Screenshot in Windows 11
For anyone who wants to take screenshots in Windows 11, the Print Screen and Alt + PrtSc options are still available. A new Windows Key + PrtSc shortcut will place your screenshot into the Pictures > Screenshots folder and Windows' Photos app.
You can also use PrtSc with OneDrive. Open Settings > Backup in OneDrive and check Automatically Save Screenshots to ensure all screengrabs are saved in a folder in the cloud.
If you find multiple screenshot tools confusing, Microsoft has combined the Snipping Tool and Snip and Sketch to create a new and improved version of Snipping Tool. Use the Shift + Windows Key + S shortcut to get options for fullscreen, custom, and window captures. If you open the app directly, instead of using the shortcut, you can capture on a delay.
Windows 11 actually allows you to assign the Snipping Tool to the PrtSc key from Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard. Check the Use the Print Screen Button to Open Screen Snipping box to open the screen capture tool instead of simply grabbing your entire screen.
The Xbox Game Bar makes a return in Windows 11, and works that same way it did previously. Open the tool with Windows Key + G, then tap the camera button in the Capture section to save a screenshot. Or use the Windows Key + Alt + PrtSc command to capture with the Game Bar without having to open it first.
For tablet users, anyone with one of the more recent Surface tablets can press Volume Up and Power at the same time to take a screenshot. These instructions may vary for older products.
How to Take a Screenshot on Mac
With the release of macOS Mojave, Mac users got more control over taking screenshots on a Mac. The update introduced a screenshot tool that can be triggered by pressing Command + Shift + 5, or by navigating to Launchpad > Other > Screenshot.
When the screen-capture window appears, you will have the ability to capture the entire screen, part of the screen, or a specific window. You can also capture video of the entire screen or just a portion of it, and there's also the option to take screenshots on a timer and change where images are saved.
For anyone who prefers keyboard shortcuts, those are still supported. Use Command + Shift + 3 to capture the entire screen. If you only want part of the screen captured, Command + Shift + 4 will turn the cursor into a crosshair. Select the section of the screen you want to capture.
To capture a specific window, use Command + Shift + 5. Then hit the space bar to switch between capturing a section of screen and a specific window. If you have a Mac with a Touch Bar, capture that by pressing Command + Shift + 6.
You can capture an image and save it to the clipboard by adding Control to any keyboard shortcut you use. For instance, use Command + Shift + Control + 3 to capture the entire screen, or Command + Shift + Control + 4 for a specific section. The image won't save to the computer, but it can be pasted into an app.
If you have a Mac with a Retina display, a screenshot of the entire screen can be huge in PNG format—as big as 7MB. If you'd rather the Mac save in JPG or some other format, change the setting. Click Launchpad and open a terminal window on the Mac in question and type:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
Enter your password, if asked, then restart the computer and future screenshots should save in the preferred format you specified. You can always change it back by typing the above command with PNG at the end instead.
If you prefer a third-party solution, options like TechSmith Capture, Snagit, Skitch, LightShot, and others are available.
How to Take a Screenshot on a Chromebook
Those with a Chromebook can take a screenshot through a method specific to your computer's manufacturer. Some models have a Screenshot key that looks like a camera. Others require you to press the Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows (a box with lines next to it) shortcut, then select Screenshot to capture the full screen, part of the screen, or a specific window.
If you're using an external keyboard, you can use Ctrl + F5 to capture the entire screen or Ctrl + Shift + F5 to grab a part of the screen. When using your Chromebook in tablet mode, press the power and volume down buttons to snap a picture of the entire screen.
Your screenshot will be saved in the Downloads folder by default, but you can change that by pressing Shift + Ctrl + Show Windows, then choosing Settings > Select folder. You can also upload them to Google Photos or back them up in Google Drive.
In 2021, Google also added a screen-capture tool to Chrome OS. To use it, click the time on the bottom right of the desktop to open Quick Settings. Choose Screen capture, then you can capture (or record) the full screen, a single window, or just one part of your screen. Click Capture, and the image will be saved to Tote on your shelf.
How to Take a Screenshot on a Linux Device
There are almost as many ways to take a screenshot in Linux as there are flavors of Linux. Focusing on Ubuntu in particular, open the Activities menu and select Screenshot. You can then choose between the whole screen, a single window, or a custom area before snapping an image.
Linux also allows you to use the Print Screen button, as well as the Alt + Print Screen shortcut to screenshot a specific window. Use Shift + Print Screen to select a custom area to capture. You can also add the Ctrl key to any shortcut and save the image to the clipboard.
The program GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) allows you to take a screenshot from the same program where you edit the image after it's captured. Open GIMP and go to File > Acquire > Screen Shot. You'll get a few options, such as taking the entire screen, a window, or using a time delay. The captured image then opens in GIMP for editing.
The Best Screen Capture Apps and Browser Extensions
If you don't want to rely on features built-in at the OS-level, there are also many third-party programs that can help you capture and share what's on your screen. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all support add-ons that extend browser usability. Here are a few options to fit your needs:
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