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How to take a screenshot on your Android phone or tablet
Screenshots are essential to capture a variety of information, such as concert tickets, flight details, or important messages. It used to be necessary to employ a third-party app to take a screenshot, but Android has included a built-in option to take a screenshot for a while now. The release of Android 12 saw improvements to this feature, including standardizing a screenshot method across devices and the ability to take a scrolling screenshot. You'll also find that various Android manufacturers have novel shortcuts to quickly get a screengrab.
If the process seems a little overwhelming, we're here to help. This guide will walk you through the process of taking screenshots on most Android phones and tablets running relatively new versions of the OS.
The most common way to take a screenshot
On most Android devices, you can take a screenshot by pressing the Volume down button and Power button simultaneously for a second or two. You will hear a shutter sound and a visual confirmation that you took a screenshot. Often, a floating toolbar shows up at the bottom of the screen where you can edit, share, or delete the screenshot. Older phones may require you to hold the Home button and Volume down button instead to take a screenshot.
You can take a long or scrolling screenshot on recent versions of Samsung, OnePlus, and other Android phones. This is useful when you want to capture a list or a web page that won't fit in a normal screenshot. It also eliminates the need to take multiple screenshots to capture everything.
Once you've taken a screenshot, you can view it in your photos app. Whether your device uses Google Photos or another manufacturer-specific gallery app, go to the app to find your screenshot at the top.
How to take a scrolling screenshot on your phone
Sometimes the content you want to capture doesn't fit into your phone's screen. With the release of Android 12, Google included the option to take a scrolling screenshot. A scrolling screenshot is a screenshot that captures content you'd have to scroll down to capture. To take a scrolling screenshot, first, take a regular screenshot. Then, tap the Capture more button from the floating toolbar that shows up at the bottom. Then, use the window that appears to select the content you want to capture.
How to take a screenshot using Google Assistant
Google Assistant is a useful tool available on all Android devices. Google Assistant can do all kinds of things, and taking a screenshot is one of them. To take a screenshot, activate Google Assistant by saying "Hey Google, take a screenshot" or by manually selecting the option.
After you take the screenshot, a notification appears that lets you know your screenshot was successful. The notification also has buttons to share, edit, or delete the screenshot. Google Assistant may take some time to think, so use another method for taking a time-sensitive screenshot.
Although most Android phones support one of the methods above for taking screenshots, most manufacturers offer an additional method. Since these are different by device, here's an up-to-date list with directions for the major brands sold in the U.S. and Europe.
How to take a screenshot using various shortcuts on Samsung, Motorola, Pixel, etc
Each Android phone manufacturer includes at least one screenshot gesture that isn't available on other Android phones. Here are the gestures available on phones from each manufacturer.
How to take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Samsung phones have lots of useful features thanks to One UI. The ability to take a quick screenshot by swiping your palm across your phone's display is beloved by many Samsung users. If you're unfamiliar with taking a screenshot with a palm swipe, it may take some practice before you can activate it. When using this gesture, make sure you have a secure grip on your phone because trying this on a table or without a good grip may push the phone away. This gesture requires you to touch the screen, so make sure your palm makes good contact with the screen and drags across it.
To enable or disable this gesture on your Samsung phone, go to Settings > Advanced features > Motions and gestures and toggle the Palm swipe to capture option.
If you have a Samsung phone that includes an S Pen, like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, you can use that to take a screenshot, among other tricks. When you remove the S Pen from its silo, the menu that pops up includes an option to take a screenshot. Tap it, and you've taken a screenshot.
How to take a screenshot on a Google Pixel phone
Even though Google makes Android, it gives its Google Pixel users a unique option to grab a screenshot. To use the exclusive feature, open the page you'd like to screencap and drag your finger up from the bottom of the screen. When the Recent Apps menu appears, tap the Screenshot icon.
If you use gesture navigation, swipe up and hold to get to the app overview page. If you use button navigation, click the square button.
You don't need to change any settings for this to work since it's a feature of the Google Pixel Android skin. This won't work for all apps, such as apps with sensitive data like a password manager. If you attempt to use it, you'll see a message that says, "Disabled by your admin."
How to take a screenshot on a Xiaomi phone
Xiaomi offers a handy three-finger gesture to take a screenshot in MIUI. The same gesture is available on Poco phones since they run on MIUI.
To take a screenshot, swipe down on the display using three fingers. You can customize this gesture from Settings > Additional settings > Button shortcuts > Take a screenshot and assign it to a long press of the Home, Menu, or Back button.
How to take a screenshot on a Motorola phone
Motorola includes a couple of ways to take a screenshot, combining the methodologies used by Pixels and Xiaomi phones. Like Pixels, if you go to the app overview screen by swiping up and holding or pressing the square button, you'll see a Screenshot button at the bottom. Tap the icon, and your phone takes a screenshot.
You can also use the Xiaomi method and use a three-finger swipe. To turn on this feature, go to Settings > Display > Advanced and toggle the Three-finger screenshot option. Once this is on, swipe down from the top of your screen with three fingers to take a screenshot.
How to take a screenshot on a OnePlus phone
OnePlus phones use the same three-finger swipe gesture as Xiaomi and Motorola phones to take screenshots. To activate, swipe down from the top of your screen with three fingers, and your device takes a screenshot. After that, you can edit or share the screenshot or take a long/scrolling screenshot.
If the gesture does not work when you try it, make sure it's enabled by going to Settings > Buttons & gestures > Quick gestures.
How to record your phone or tablet's screen
Sometimes, the best way to explain something or share information with someone isn't through a static screenshot but with a screen recording video. Android includes a screen recording feature to make taking a video of your screen easy.
To access it, swipe down from the top of the screen twice to access your notification menu and expand the quick access tiles at the top. Once in the quick access tiles, look for one called something along the lines of Screen record and tap it. A menu appears with some options for your recording. Once you've selected the appropriate options, tap Start. Your screen recording begins with a notification saying that you're recording your screen. To stop the recording, go to the notification and tap Stop.
Hit me with your best screenshot
Taking a screenshot on an Android phone is a great experience that has become better and easier than taking a screenshot on an iPhone. No matter what you need to keep or share from your Android phone's screen, there are multiple ways to do so. Google has included some methods in all Android phones, and each manufacturer has included their own gesture or method to give you more options. If you're an Android fan who also has a Chromebook, you may want to learn how to take a screenshot or record the screen using your Chromebook's operating system.
