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It’s a query we’ve all requested ourselves in some unspecified time in the future in time: How do I take a screenshot on this factor? There’s an excellent motive for that, as understanding precisely the best way to seize that humorous textual content, unusual e mail or excessive rating is eternally helpful. And on some units, it turns on the market’s a bit extra to taking a screenshot than merely hitting the precise button combo.
Under we’ve put collectively a complete information to taking a screenshot on the most well-liked cellphone, pill, PC and gaming platforms, from iOS and macOS to Home windows and Android. Should you or your much less tech-literate family members discover yourselves forgetting the best way to get the precise shot, think about this an all-in-one useful resource.
How one can take a screenshot on an iPhone
Apple
Should you personal a latest iPhone with out a bodily House button, you possibly can seize a screenshot by urgent quantity up and the precise facet button on the identical time. You’ll hear a shutter noise in case your sound is on, and also you’ll see a small preview of the screenshot within the lower-left nook of the display screen. You may then faucet on that preview and edit the screenshot as wanted.
With iPhones that do embody a House button, such because the iPhone SE, press the House button and proper facet button on the identical time. And for older iPhones whose sleep/wake button is positioned on the high of the machine, press the highest button and the House button on the identical time as an alternative.
For an alternate technique, you can even use iOS’ Again Faucet function, which lets you take a screenshot simply by double- or triple-tapping the again of your iPhone. To allow that, go to Settings > Accessibility > Contact, choose Again Faucet, and set the Double Faucet or Triple Faucet settings to Screenshot. You should utilize this function to carry out different features as effectively, similar to activating Siri or turning in your flashlight.
If urgent a number of buttons without delay is bodily troublesome, another choice is to make use of the AssistiveTouch function. This places a small digital button on-screen always, which you’ll be able to faucet to rapidly entry numerous machine menus and settings. To activate this, go to Settings > Accessibility > Contact, then set AssistiveTouch to on. From there, you’re taking a screenshot by tapping the AssistiveTouch button, then tapping Gadget > Extra > Screenshot.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
There are a pair methods to make this course of faster, although. First, you possibly can return to your Contact settings, look below Customized Actions, then set the Double-Faucet or Lengthy Press choices to Screenshot. As you possibly can guess, this may allow you to double-tap or lengthy press the AssistiveTouch button to seize a screenshot. Alternatively, you possibly can go to Customise High Degree Menu and both add or swap in Screenshot. It will make the screenshot perform seem within the default menu that pops up everytime you press the AssistiveTouch button.
Past that, you possibly can at all times ask Siri to seize a screenshot for you. Pulling up the voice assistant – both by saying “Hey Siri” or holding the facet or House button – and saying “take a screenshot” will do the job.
By default, your screenshot will solely seize the seen portion of your show. Should you’re studying a bigger internet web page or doc and need to seize the entire thing with out taking a number of screenshots, although, you possibly can. Simply faucet the screenshot preview when it pops up, then choose Full Web page on the high earlier than saving your seize.
To search out your screenshots on an iPhone (or iPad), open Apple’s Pictures app, go to the Albums tab, scroll right down to Media Varieties, then choose Screenshots.
How one can take a screenshot on an iPad

Apple
Taking a screenshot on an iPad is basically just like what you’d do with an iPhone. In case your iPad doesn’t have a House button, press the highest button and both quantity button on the identical time. If there’s a House button, concurrently press the highest button and House button as an alternative.
In case you have an Apple Pencil, you can even take a screenshot by swiping the stylus up from both nook on the backside of your show. It’s doable to make use of this shortcut with out a Pencil, too: Should you go to Basic > Gestures, guarantee Permit Finger to Swipe From Nook is on, then set both Left Nook Swipe or Proper Nook Swipe to Screenshot, you possibly can rapidly seize the display screen by swiping out from both nook with simply your finger.
Siri and AssistiveTouch are nonetheless choices, too, although Again Faucet just isn’t out there on iPadOS.
How one can take a screenshot on a Mac

Devindra Hardawar / Engadget
There are a number of methods to take a screenshot on a Mac, most of which rely upon how a lot of the display screen you truly need to seize.
The only technique is to press and maintain Shift + Command + 3 in your keyboard. It will take a snapshot of your whole display screen. Once more, you’ll see a preview thumbnail within the backside nook of your show, which you’ll be able to click on on to rapidly edit.
Should you solely need to screenshot a particular portion of your show, hit Shift + Command + 4. Your mouse cursor will flip into a bit of crosshair, which you’ll be able to drag to pick out the section of the display screen you need to seize. From right here, you are able to do a number of issues:
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Should you maintain the House bar whereas dragging the crosshair, you possibly can reposition the chosen seize space whereas protecting it locked in its present dimension and form.
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Should you faucet the House bar, the crosshair will flip right into a digital camera icon. Should you transfer this over an open window or menu, then click on, you’ll seize a screenshot of that window or menu alone. By default, these captures can have a border across the edges – in case you don’t need that, you possibly can exclude it by holding the Possibility (⌥) key whereas clicking.
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Should you maintain the Shift key whereas dragging the crosshair, you’ll lock within the sides of the chosen seize space aside from one edge. This lets you extra finely alter the dimensions of your seize earlier than taking the screenshot.
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You may cancel the screenshot, in the meantime, by hitting the Esc key.
When you launch your trackpad or mouse button, the screenshot shall be captured.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
MacOS additionally features a devoted Screenshot app, which you’ll be able to rapidly pull up by urgent Shift + Command + 5. You’ll see a small toolbar with all the screenshot features famous above, together with icons for capturing the entire display screen, one portion or a particular window. There are icons for taking a video that data all or a part of the display screen, too, plus choices for selecting the place your screenshots save, turning off the preview thumbnail and so forth.
By default, your captures will save on to your desktop. If you wish to paste a screenshot into one other app – say, an iMessage thread – you possibly can copy it to your Clipboard by holding the Management key whereas capturing. Hitting Shift + Command + Management + 3, as an illustration, will seize and instantly copy a screenshot of your whole display screen, which you’ll be able to rapidly paste elsewhere. Simply observe that this gained’t save the screenshot to your location of selection.
Lastly, in case your MacBook has a Contact Bar, you possibly can seize that as effectively by urgent Shift + Command + 6.
How one can take a screenshot on an Apple Watch

Apple
To take a screenshot on an Apple Watch, you first have to allow the function, both by means of the Settings app on the wearable itself or the Watch app in your iPhone. On an Apple Watch, go to Settings > Basic > Screenshots, then activate Allow Screenshots. On a paired iPhone, open the Watch app, go to My Watch > Basic, then scroll down and activate Allow Screenshots.
As soon as that’s all set, you possibly can press your watch’s Digital Crown and facet button concurrently to take a screenshot. Your captures shall be saved within the Pictures app in your iPhone, within the Screenshots folder inside the Albums tab.
How one can take a screenshot on Android

Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Not all Android telephones and tablets behave the identical manner, so the precise command for taking a screenshot could differ relying on which machine you personal. More often than not, although, you are able to do the job by briefly urgent the ability and quantity down buttons on the identical time.
Equally to iOS, you’ll often hear a shutter sound out of your Android machine that confirms the seize, you then’ll see a preview thumbnail you could edit, share or delete. Should you save the screenshot, it’ll sometimes reside in your machine’s photographs app.
You too can go hands-free by asking the Google Assistant – or an alternate like Bixby on Samsung telephones – to “take a screenshot.”
Many latest Android telephones can take scrolling screenshots, letting you seize a full message thread or internet web page in a fashion considerably just like the Full Web page choice on iOS. The function goes by completely different names on completely different units and might be considerably finicky, however it usually entails taking a screenshot, then tapping an icon with two arrows when the screenshot preview pops up. This icon is labeled “Seize extra” on many Android units, whereas sure Samsung telephones, as an illustration, name it “Scroll Seize.”

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
There are probably extra methods to take a screenshot in your Android machine of selection, however precisely how these work differ by producer. To provide some examples:
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On latest Google Pixel telephones, you possibly can swipe up from the underside of the display screen and maintain for a second to open up the app drawer (or faucet the sq. Overview button, in case you’re utilizing Google’s 3-button navigation mode), choose the open app you need to seize, then faucet the Screenshot button that seems beneath.
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On some Samsung Galaxy units, you possibly can take a screenshot simply by swiping the sting of your hand throughout the show. Simply go to Settings > Superior options > Motions and gestures, and guarantee Palm swipe to seize is turned on first.
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On choose Motorola, OnePlus and Xiaomi telephones, there are alternatives for taking a screenshot by swiping down on the display screen with three fingers.
Should you discover your cellphone is making issues troublesome, do not forget that there are many third-party apps that may replicate screenshot options which might be native on different units.
How one can take a screenshot on Home windows

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Probably the most simple strategy to take a screenshot on a Home windows PC is to press the Print Display (PrtScn) button. It will copy a full-screen seize to your clipboard, which you’ll be able to then paste in any program that accepts photos (Microsoft Paint, a Twitter DM, et al.). To do the identical factor, however just for one energetic window, press Alt + Print Display as an alternative.
Urgent the Home windows key and Print Display, in the meantime, will take a full-screen screenshot that saves on to your PC, as an alternative of solely being out there by way of the clipboard. You’ll know this labored in case your display screen goes dim for a second. You may then discover the picture by going to File Explorer (Home windows key + E) > Footage (below “This PC”) > Screenshots.
Be aware you could additionally make screenshots mechanically save to Microsoft OneDrive. To do that, click on the OneDrive cloud icon in your taskbar, go to Settings (the gear icon) > Backup, then examine Routinely save screenshots I seize to OneDrive. Should you don’t like having to manually paste PrtScn screenshots out of your clipboard, that is an alternate strategy to keep away from it, offered you don’t thoughts utilizing cloud storage.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
For partial screenshots, press the Home windows key + Shift + S to carry up the Snipping Instrument (or, in Home windows 10, the Snip & Sketch app). This dims the display screen and presents a small menu with choices for an oblong, freely drawn, single window or full-screen snip. The primary two of these allow you to click on and drag a cursor across the particular portion of the display screen you need to seize. (The oblong choice is mostly tidier than the freeform one.) When you launch your mouse button or trackpad, you’ll take the screenshot.
If you take a screenshot with the Snipping Instrument, you’ll see a preview thumbnail within the backside nook of the show. Clicking that may allow you to edit the picture in myriad methods, reserve it to a particular folder and so forth. By default, although, any screenshots taken by means of the Snipping Instrument will mechanically save to each the clipboard and your Screenshots folder.
If you end up utilizing the Snipping Instrument usually, observe you could set the Print Display button to open the app. Simply go to Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard, then activate Use the Print display screen button to open display screen snipping.
In case your keyboard doesn’t have a Print Display button, you possibly can press Fn + the Home windows key + House to take a screenshot. On latest Microsoft Floor units, in the meantime, you can even hit quantity up + the ability button on the identical time. Each of those strategies will save your captures to the Screenshots folder famous above.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Lastly, you possibly can take a screenshot by way of the Xbox Sport Bar, an overlay with fast hyperlinks to varied features and settings, lots of that are geared toward gaming. You may pull this up by urgent the Home windows key + G. From there, choose Seize (the icon within the center that appears like a webcam) and hit the Take screenshot button (the digital camera icon) to take a full-screen seize. You too can hit Home windows key + Alt + Print Display to seize a screenshot by means of the Sport Bar with out having to open up the overlay.
Any Sport Bar screenshots are saved to File Explorer > Movies > Captures in your PC, although you can even discover them by going again and clicking Seize within the Sport Bar itself, then clicking See my captures within the ensuing menu. Be aware you could create display screen recordings by means of this Seize menu as effectively.
As of this writing, utilizing the Seize menu within the Sport Bar can also be the only native technique of taking a display screen recording in Home windows. Nonetheless, Microsoft just lately confirmed plans so as to add a video recording choice to the Snipping Instrument within the close to future. The corporate says you’ll be capable to file your whole display screen or only a cropped part when the function absolutely rolls out.
How one can take a screenshot on a Chromebook

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget
Usually, the quickest strategy to take a screenshot on a Chromebook is to press the Management (Ctrl) and Present Home windows keys on the identical time. This grabs a shot of your whole display screen. As a reminder, the Present Home windows key seems to be like a rectangle with two traces subsequent to it. It’s usually positioned the place the F5 key can be on a Home windows PC.
Hitting Shift + Management + Present Home windows, in the meantime, opens up ChromeOS’ Display Seize toolbar. This presents a menu with choices to seize your entire display screen, a particular portion or a single open window. It additionally offers you the flexibility to take a recording of half or your entire display screen. You will get to those instruments by means of your Chromebook’s Fast Settings menu as effectively. To entry that, click on the time within the decrease proper nook of the display screen, then click on the Display Seize icon that seems within the ensuing menu.

Be aware that some Chromebooks have a devoted Screenshot key, which seems to be like a rectangle with a circle within the center. In case your machine has it, you possibly can simply press that button as an alternative of the three-button shortcut above. In case you have a ChromeOS pill, you possibly can take a screenshot by hitting the ability and quantity down buttons concurrently. And in case you’re utilizing an exterior keyboard, you possibly can press Ctrl + F5 to take a full-screen seize, or Ctrl + Shift + F5 to tug up the Display Seize menu and/or seize a partial screenshot.
As soon as you’re taking a screenshot, ChromeOS will mechanically copy it to your clipboard, and also you’ll see it seem in a small window within the backside nook of the show, from which you’ll be able to edit or delete the seize. Current screenshots will seem in a holding space in your taskbar – or “shelf,” in Chromebook parlance – referred to as the Tote, whereas your entire captures will go to your Downloads folder by default.
How one can take a screenshot on a Nintendo Change

Kris Naudus / Engadget
Taking a screenshot on a Nintendo Change is simple: Simply press the sq. Seize button. That is positioned beneath the directional buttons/D-pad on the left-side controller of a Change, Change OLED or Change Lite. You too can take a video of your final 30 seconds of gameplay by holding the Seize button down for a second. As with most sport consoles, observe that you just gained’t be capable to take a screenshot in sure apps and, sometimes, at particular moments in some video games.
Yow will discover your captures by going to the Change’s residence menu and deciding on the Album icon on the backside of the show. It’s the one that appears like a blue picture.
You may switch a screenshot out of your Change to a pc with a USB cable. Go to the house menu, choose the System Settings icon, then go to Knowledge Administration > Handle Screenshots and Movies > Copy to a Pc by way of USB Connection. Then, join the Change to your pc by means of an acceptable cable and replica it from there for sharing and the like.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
You too can switch screenshots with a microSD card. In case you have one put in in your Change, return to Handle Screenshots and Movies. From right here, choose Save Location to make sure your captures are saved to the microSD card, which you’ll be able to take away and insert in different units to entry your captures. (Per standard, it’s possible you’ll want an adapter to make use of the cardboard on units with out a correct microSD slot.) Use the trail “NintendoAlbum” to seek out the captures on the cardboard. To repeat screenshots from the Change’s inside storage to a microSD card, return to Handle Screenshots and Movies, then choose System Reminiscence > Copy All Screenshots and Movies to microSD card. This would possibly take a number of moments to finish.
To switch a particular screenshot, go to Album from the house display screen, go to the seize you need to share, then hit A to carry up the Sharing and Enhancing menu. From right here, you possibly can choose Copy to repeat the screenshot to a microSD card (if it’s not there already), Ship to Smartphone to wi-fi ship one or a small batch of captures to your cellphone by way of QR codes, or Submit to immediately (and slowly) publish a seize to a related Fb or Twitter account.
How one can take a screenshot on a PlayStation 5

Aaron Souppouris / Engadget
By default, you possibly can take a screenshot on a PS5 by urgent and holding the Create button in your DualSense controller. That is the skinny button positioned simply above the D-pad. (On the PS4, it was labeled Share.) If you launch the Create button, you’ll see a affirmation icon if the screenshot was taken efficiently.
As a substitute, you possibly can briefly press the Create button as soon as, then choose Take Screenshot within the small menu that pops up on the backside of the display screen.
Amongst different issues, this menu additionally allows you to take a video recording of your latest gameplay. If you wish to seize one thing that simply occurred, choose Save Current Gameplay and select the suitable video size. You too can do that by double-tapping the Create button. If you wish to begin recording future gameplay, choose Begin New Recording, then return to the menu and choose Cease Recording to just do that.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Should you discover these default strategies to be too gradual to reliably seize fast-paced gameplay, you possibly can reconfigure how the Seize button works. To do that, go to the PS5’s Settings menu – which is definitely accessible by deciding on the gear icon within the upper-right nook of the house display screen – then go to Captures and Broadcasts > Captures > Shortcuts For Create Button > Button mapping and choose the choice you need. My desire is the “Straightforward Screenshots” configuration, which makes it so tapping the Create button as soon as takes a screenshot, holding it brings up the create menu, and tapping it twice saves a video of latest gameplay. (The default size of video clips is configurable within the Shortcuts for Create Button menu as effectively.)
All your PS5 screenshots and movies mechanically save to a considerably tricky-to-find app referred to as Media Gallery. One strategy to get there’s by scrolling to the far finish of the PS5’s residence display screen and deciding on Sport Library, then opening it up inside that. One other is to return to Settings, then choose Storage > Console Storage > Media Gallery. Should you click on the PS brand button in your controller shortly after taking a screenshot, you possibly can attain the Media Gallery by means of the New screenshot card that’ll pop up within the management heart menu, too.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Nonetheless you get to it, you possibly can share your screenshots from the Media Gallery by hovering over a particular seize, hitting the Choices button (the skinny button reverse the Create button), and deciding on Share. You may then ship a screenshot to Twitter, a video to Twitter or YouTube, or both to of us in your PlayStation associates listing as a PS5 message. This Share choice is accessible by means of the New screenshot management heart card as effectively. (It’s the arrow icon.) You may copy captures to a related USB drive from the Media Gallery as effectively, which would be the most handy choice in case you’re trying to ship a batch of screenshots and movies to a pc.
It’s additionally doable to make the PS5 mechanically ship screenshots to your cellphone. First, you need to obtain the PlayStation app on iOS or Android and hyperlink it to your PS5 console. Within the app, go to the Sport Library tab, hit the Captures toggle on the high, then faucet Allow. Then, on the PS5, go to Settings > Captures and Broadcasts > Captures and guarantee Auto-Add is activated. Any captures you manually take in your PS5 will now go straight to the app – however photographs will solely keep there for 14 days, and video clips should be lower than three minutes lengthy.
How one can take a screenshot on an Xbox Sequence X/S

Aaron Souppouris / Engadget
To take a screenshot on an Xbox Sequence X/S, merely faucet the Share button in your controller whereas taking part in a sport. To take a video recording, press and maintain the Share button. (It should seize the final 30 seconds of gameplay by default.) Should you double-tap the Share button, in the meantime, you’ll carry up an inventory of your latest screenshots and video clips.
Should you’re utilizing an older Xbox One gamepad with out a devoted Share button, press the Xbox brand button in your controller whereas taking part in a sport to carry up the Xbox information menu, then press Y to seize a screenshot or X to file your final 30 seconds of gameplay. If you wish to file an extended stretch of gameplay, hit the View button (the one with two rectangles) and choose the period you need. You may nonetheless use the information to seize screenshots and movies with a Sequence X/S controller, although naturally it’ll be slower than simply hitting a button.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
This information menu lets you file upcoming gameplay as effectively. For that, press the Xbox brand button in your controller, go to the Seize & share tab on the precise facet of the information, then choose Begin recording. (If you need, you can even take a screenshot or file latest gameplay from right here, too.) To finish the recording, open the information again up with the Xbox brand button, then press the X button. Be aware that your recordings and screenshots will begin and cease from the second you press the Xbox brand button, not while you press Y or X afterwards.
In any occasion, you’ll see a notification seem when you’ve taken your screenshot or video clip. Should you maintain the Xbox brand button in your controller whereas this banner is on-screen, you’ll open up the Share menu. This allows you to rapidly share the seize to your Xbox exercise feed or an Xbox membership, connect it to a message, publish it on to Twitter, or ship it to your OneDrive account. You may trim video clips, set a seize as a background or delete it from right here as effectively.

Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Should you obtain the Xbox cell app and hyperlink it to your account, you can even use the Share menu to ship screenshots and video clips straight to your cellphone. Simply choose Cellular. As soon as the seize hits your cellphone, you’ll see fast hyperlinks for simply sharing or downloading it proper from the Xbox app. To see your entire Xbox screenshots and video recordings within the app, go to the My Library tab – the one with the icon that appears like three books – then choose Captures.
Should you simply need to hold taking part in, know you could entry these screenshot administration choices at any time. Simply hit the Xbox brand button, transfer to the Seize & share tab, then choose Share final seize or Current captures, deciding on a screenshot or video to share and/or edit from there. As famous above, you can even double-tap the Share button on an Sequence X/S controller to open the Current captures menu.

Microsoft
It’s doable to vary the default size of video recordings in your Xbox’s settings. You will get there by deciding on the gear icon on the high proper of the house display screen. Alternatively, you possibly can hit the Xbox brand button, transfer to the Profile & system tab – it’s on the precise within the information menu – then choose Settings in the course of the menu. Then, go to Preferences > Seize & share > Document what occurred, then choose no matter period you like.
The Seize & share menu can also be the place you possibly can, amongst different choices, flip off automated importing of screenshots to the Xbox community. Bear in mind that Xbox screenshots should be uploaded to the community with a purpose to be shared within the first place, so in case you deactivate this setting, you’ll should manually add any particular person screenshot or video you need to share going ahead. Nonetheless, this may prevent from seeing a bunch of pop-up notifications whereas taking part in.

Microsoft
To see all the screenshots and video clips in your Xbox console, go to the Captures app. To get there, double-tap the Share button to get to the Current captures menu, then choose Present all on the backside. Or, press the Xbox brand button, then choose My video games & apps > See all > Apps > Captures. (It’ll appear like a gamepad in entrance of a movie strip.) Both manner, when you’re there, hover over a seize and hit the Menu button in your controller (the one with three horizontal traces) to entry choices for sharing, deleting, copying to exterior storage, importing to OneDrive, and so forth. You too can choose Handle on the high to extra simply delete or add captures in bulk.
To customise how the Share button behaves, use the Xbox Equipment app. You will get to this by deciding on Button mapping within the Seize & share menu, or by going again to the Apps menu and deciding on the app icon with a joystick on it. Should you do the latter, choose your controller, then choose the pen icon to edit your profile. Now you may make it so double-tapping the Share button begins and stops a recording, to provide one instance.

ShareX
For essentially the most half, it’s simple sufficient to share your screenshots immediately from the built-in instruments on most platforms. That stated, it’s price remembering that there are third-party options on some OSes that may make the method a bit simpler.
ShareX, for instance, is price a shout. It’s a free and open-source program with all of the display screen seize choices as Home windows’ Snipping Instrument, plus a spread of after-capture enhancing instruments. Notably, it additionally lets you immediately add (and delete) captures to picture internet hosting companies like Imgur (with simply shareable URLs), apps like Twitter and Google Pictures, cloud storage lockers like Dropbox and extra. You can also make it so captures mechanically go to those locations, too.
Dropbox Seize, in the meantime, places fast choices for taking screenshots, video recordings and audio recordings in your taskbar, then allows you to copy (both as a picture or URL) and/or obtain your captures for straightforward sharing proper from there. There are loads extra choices past that, so if you end up needing a bit of further energy, you aren’t essentially restricted – although, as at all times, you must train warning with lesser-known companies which will carry privateness dangers.