On almost every Android phone, press and hold the Power (or Side) button and the Volume Down button at the same time for about one second to capture a screenshot.
Android runs on hardware from dozens of manufacturers, so the exact wording of menus changes, but the core screenshot shortcut is remarkably consistent. Below are the reliable methods for stock Android, Samsung Galaxy, and other popular brands running Android 14 or 15, plus how to grab a whole scrolling page.
The universal button shortcut
The button combination works the same way on Google Pixel, most Motorola, OnePlus, and Sony devices, and on Samsung Galaxy phones.
- Open the screen you want to capture.
- Press the Power (Side) button and the Volume Down button together.
- Release both after roughly one second, when the screen flashes and shrinks briefly.
- Use the floating thumbnail or toolbar that appears to edit, share, or delete the image.
If nothing happens, you are almost certainly pressing one button a fraction of a second before the other. Try again, focusing on hitting both at once. On some older or budget phones the combination is Power + Volume Down held slightly longer.
How does the Samsung palm swipe work?
Samsung Galaxy phones include an extra gesture that many people find easier than the buttons. Go to Settings, then Advanced features, then Motions and gestures, and turn on Palm swipe to capture. Once enabled, place the edge of your hand vertically against one side of the screen and swipe it all the way across. The same flash and toolbar appear. This is handy when one hand is full, and it mirrors the kind of quick-capture convenience iPhone users get with the side-button shortcut described in our guide to how to screenshot on iPhone.
Capturing without any buttons
If a button is broken or hard to reach, Android offers software alternatives:
- Google Assistant: Say or type “take a screenshot” and Assistant captures the current screen.
- Quick Settings tile: On many phones you can edit the Quick Settings panel (pull down twice from the top, tap the pencil or edit icon) and add a Screenshot tile you can tap anytime.
- Recent apps button: On Samsung and some others, opening the app-switcher view shows a screenshot option beneath each app card.
Scrolling and long screenshots
A single screenshot only captures what is currently visible. To save a long article, chat thread, or web page as one image, use a scrolling capture. After you take a normal screenshot, look for a Capture more button (stock Android and Chrome) or a downward scroll-capture icon (Samsung) in the preview toolbar. Tap it and the page automatically scrolls; drag the crop handles to choose how much to include, then save. Scrolling capture arrived with Android 12 and works in most, but not all, apps.
Editing and sharing what you captured
The preview toolbar or thumbnail that pops up after a capture is the fastest route to a clean result. From there you can crop out unwanted areas, draw or highlight, add text, and share directly to messaging apps or email without ever opening the gallery. If you need to send an image to someone quickly along with your network access, pair a screenshot with our walkthrough on how to share your Wi-Fi password. And when a page shows a QR code you would rather scan than photograph, see how to scan a QR code for the cross-platform basics.
Where screenshots go, and how to find them
Every screenshot lands in a dedicated album so it is easy to locate later.
| Phone type | Default location | App to browse it |
|---|---|---|
| Google Pixel / stock Android | Pictures/Screenshots | Google Photos → Library → Screenshots |
| Samsung Galaxy | DCIM/Screenshots | Gallery → Albums → Screenshots |
| Other Android brands | Pictures/Screenshots (typical) | Gallery or Google Photos |
If your screenshots are eating into your available space, it can be worth clearing out old captures periodically, the same way you would tidy up any media library.
When a screenshot is blocked
Sometimes you will see the message “Can’t take screenshot due to security policy.” This is deliberate. Banking apps, some streaming services, password managers, and incognito browser tabs disable screenshots to protect sensitive content. There is no reliable in-app workaround, and that is by design. If you genuinely need a record of something in a secured app, photographing the screen with a second device is usually the only option, though you should respect any terms of service that apply.
Screenshots on tablets, foldables, and Android Go
Larger and unusual form factors follow the same rules with minor twists. Android tablets, including Samsung Galaxy Tab and Pixel Tablet, use Power + Volume Down just like phones, and Samsung tablets keep the palm-swipe gesture. On foldables such as the Galaxy Z Fold, a screenshot captures whichever screen is active, the cover display or the unfolded inner screen. Lightweight Android Go phones support the button shortcut too, though scrolling capture and heavy editing tools may be trimmed to save resources. If your device has an S Pen, you can also use the Air Command menu’s Screen write feature to capture and annotate in one motion. Whatever the hardware, the flash-and-thumbnail behavior stays consistent, so the muscle memory you build carries across every Android device you own.
Quick recap
For nearly all Android phones, Power + Volume Down is all you need. Samsung owners get a palm-swipe gesture as a bonus, Google Assistant offers a hands-free route, and scrolling capture handles long pages. Screenshots save automatically to a Screenshots album in Photos or Gallery, where you can crop, mark up, and share them in seconds.
