To take a screenshot on any iPhone, press two buttons at once: on Face ID models (no Home button) press the side button and volume up together; on iPhones with a Home button, press the side or top button and the Home button together. Release both quickly and the screen flashes. Because the combo depends on your model, here is exactly what to press on every iPhone, plus a hands-free option.

Face ID iPhones (no Home button)

This covers iPhone X and every later model without a Home button, including current iPhones.

  1. Set up what you want to capture on screen.
  2. Press the side button (right edge) and the volume up button (left edge) at the same time.
  3. Release both buttons quickly.

The key is a quick press-and-release. If you hold them, you may trigger the power-off slider or Emergency SOS instead. Use volume up, not volume down.

Home-button iPhones with a side power button

This applies to iPhone models that have a round Home button below the screen and a power button on the right side, such as the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 8, 7, and 6.

  1. Press the side button and the Home button at the same time.
  2. Release both quickly.

Older iPhones with a top power button

On earlier iPhones where the power button is on the top edge (for example iPhone SE 1st generation and iPhone 5s):

  1. Press the top button and the Home button at the same time.
  2. Release both quickly.

What happens after you capture

However you take it, the behavior is the same:

  • The screen flashes and a small thumbnail appears in the lower-left corner.
  • Tap the thumbnail to open Markup, where you can crop, draw, add text, or share, then tap Done.
  • Swipe the thumbnail away (or ignore it) to save straight to Photos.

Every screenshot lands in the Photos app under Recents and in a dedicated Screenshots album, so they are easy to find later.

Take a screenshot without buttons (Back Tap)

If the buttons are awkward for you, iPhone can capture when you tap the back of the phone:

  1. Go to Settings, Accessibility, Touch.
  2. Scroll down and tap Back Tap.
  3. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.
  4. Select Screenshot from the list.

Now a couple of taps on the back of the phone grabs the screen. You can also add a Screenshot button to the AssistiveTouch on-screen menu in the same Accessibility area, or ask Siri by saying “take a screenshot,” which works hands-free on modern iPhones.

Edit and share right after capturing

The thumbnail in the corner is a shortcut to a small editor, and it is worth using:

  • Crop by dragging the corners of the image, useful for trimming out the status bar or private details.
  • Mark up with the pen, highlighter, and text tools to point something out before you send it.
  • Share with the box-and-arrow button to send straight to Messages, Mail, or another app without saving first.
  • Tap Done and choose Save to Photos, Save to Files, or Delete Screenshot if you do not want to keep it.

Deleting from that editor is handy because it keeps throwaway screenshots out of your Photos library entirely.

Why the wrong buttons cause problems

If your iPhone keeps locking, showing the power-off slider, or triggering Emergency SOS instead of capturing, the cause is almost always timing or the wrong button pair. Two rules fix it: press both buttons at exactly the same time, and release immediately rather than holding. On Face ID models, remember it is the side button plus volume up; pressing volume down instead does nothing useful, and holding the side button alone brings up Siri or the shutdown screen. If the buttons are physically hard to press together, the Back Tap or Siri methods above are reliable alternatives.

Capture a full webpage

Regular screenshots only grab what is visible. In Safari, you can save an entire page instead:

  1. Take a normal screenshot, then tap the thumbnail.
  2. At the top, tap Full Page.
  3. Tap Done, then Save PDF to Files to keep the whole scrollable page.

This is perfect for saving a long receipt, an article, or a confirmation page as a single document rather than a stack of separate images.

Record the screen instead

When a single image will not do, iPhone can record video of the screen. Add the control first under Settings, Control Center by tapping the plus next to Screen Recording. Then open Control Center and tap the record button; a three-second countdown starts, and a red indicator shows it is recording. Tap the red bar or indicator and choose Stop to finish, and the clip saves to Photos just like a screenshot. This is the right tool for capturing an animation, a scrolling feed, or a step-by-step you want to show someone.

Related iPhone guides

Filling your Photos library with screenshots? It is worth learning to check your iPhone storage and free it up and to scan a QR code with the camera. To keep the Home Screen tidy, see how to delete apps on iPhone.