The fastest way: buttons on your iPad model

The method depends on which iPad you own. iPad Pro models from 2018 onward use the top-right power button and either volume-up or volume-down. iPad Air, iPad, and iPad mini models from 2022 onward also use this same combination. Older iPad models — anything before 2018 — use the home button at the bottom paired with the top power button.

Press both buttons at the same time, then release immediately. You'll see a white flash across the screen and hear a camera shutter sound (if your sound is on). The screenshot appears in the bottom-left corner for a few seconds. Tap it to open the full image, or swipe it away if you don't need to edit it right now.

If you miss the button combination, you can also find your screenshot in the Photos app under the Screenshots album, or in Files under On My iPad > Screenshots.

Key Takeaways

  • iPad Pro (2018+), iPad Air (2022+), and iPad mini (2022+) use power button plus volume button; older models use power button plus home button.
  • The screenshot appears in the bottom-left corner for a few seconds, and you can tap it to crop, mark up, or delete it before saving.
  • All screenshots save to Photos > Screenshots or Files > On My iPad > Screenshots if you don't edit them immediately.
  • You can add markup tools like arrows, text, or shapes by tapping the screenshot preview before it disappears.

Editing your screenshot before you save it

After you take the screenshot, a preview appears in the bottom-left corner. Tap it within a few seconds to open the editing view. From here you can crop the image, draw on it with a pen or marker, add text, insert shapes, or magnify a section.

The markup toolbar sits at the bottom of the screen. Swipe left to see more tools — you'll find a pen, marker, pencil, eraser, ruler, magnifier, and shape tools. Choose a color by tapping the color circle. When you're done, tap Done, then tap Save to Photos to keep your edited version.

If you don't tap the preview in time, you can still edit the screenshot later by opening Photos, finding it in Screenshots, tapping Edit, and then tapping the three-dot menu to choose Markup.

Where your screenshots actually go

Every screenshot saves to two places at once. The first is the Photos app — open it, tap Albums at the bottom, scroll down, and tap Screenshots. The second is the Files app — tap Browse, then On My iPad, then Screenshots.

If you've turned on iCloud Photos, your screenshots also sync to iCloud and appear on any other Apple device signed into the same account. You can turn this off by going to Settings > Photos and toggling iCloud Photos off, though this affects all your photos, not just screenshots.

Screenshots take up storage space on your iPad, so if you're running low, you can delete old ones from the Screenshots album without affecting other photos.

Using the Markup tools to annotate

Markup lets you draw, write, and add shapes directly on your screenshot. After you take a screenshot and tap the preview, look for the pen icon at the bottom left. Tap it to reveal the full toolbar.

The pen writes smoothly and is best for signatures or precise lines. The marker is thicker and more opaque, good for highlighting. The pencil is lighter and more textured. Swipe left on the toolbar to find the eraser, ruler, magnifier, and shape tools. The magnifier zooms into a section of the image and draws a circle around it — useful for pointing out small details.

To change the color, tap the colored circle at the bottom. You can pick from a preset palette or tap the plus sign to create a custom color. Adjust the line thickness by tapping the three horizontal lines icon.

Taking a full-page screenshot of a website or document

When you screenshot a webpage or PDF, your iPad offers an option to capture the full page, not just what's visible on screen. After you take the screenshot, tap the preview and look for the tab that says Full Page at the top. Tap it to see the entire page rendered as one long image.

This works in Safari, Mail, Notes, and most apps that display scrollable content. The full-page screenshot can be very long, so it's useful for saving an entire article or email thread without taking multiple screenshots. You can still crop and mark it up before saving.

Keep in mind that full-page screenshots can be large files. If you're sending them by email or message, you may want to crop them down to just the section you need.

Troubleshooting when the button combination doesn't work

If you press the buttons and nothing happens, first check that your iPad isn't in mute mode. The mute switch is on the left edge of the iPad (on most models) — if it's toggled toward the back, sound is off and screenshots won't make a shutter sound, but they should still save. Make sure you're pressing both buttons at exactly the same time and releasing quickly.

If screenshots still aren't working, restart your iPad. Hold down the power button until the power-off slider appears, swipe it to turn off the iPad, wait 10 seconds, then press power again to turn it back on. Try taking a screenshot again.

If you have an older iPad and you're not sure which model you own, go to Settings > General > About and look for the model name. This will tell you whether to use the home button or volume button combination.

Using AssistiveTouch as an alternative method

If the button combination is difficult for you to press, you can use AssistiveTouch to take screenshots with a virtual button instead. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch and turn it on. A floating circle appears on your screen.

Tap the circle, then tap Device, then More, then Screenshot. The screenshot is taken instantly. You can customize this menu to put Screenshot at the top level so you don't have to tap through multiple menus each time.

AssistiveTouch is also useful if you have limited hand mobility or if you find the physical buttons hard to reach. The floating button can be moved anywhere on the screen by dragging it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take a screenshot without using buttons?

Yes. Turn on AssistiveTouch in Settings > Accessibility > Touch, then tap the floating circle and navigate to Device > More > Screenshot. You can also customize AssistiveTouch to put Screenshot on the main menu for faster access.

Where do I find screenshots I took a while ago?

Open the Photos app, tap Albums at the bottom, scroll down, and tap Screenshots. All your screenshots are organized by date. You can also search for them by opening Photos and tapping the search icon, then typing "screenshot".

Can I take a screenshot of my entire screen including the home screen?

Yes. Press the button combination for your iPad model and the entire visible screen captures, including the home screen, lock screen, or any app you're using. Full-page screenshots only work within apps that support scrolling, like Safari or Mail.

Do screenshots use up my iCloud storage?

Only if you have iCloud Photos turned on. If iCloud Photos is enabled, screenshots sync to iCloud and count toward your storage limit. You can turn off iCloud Photos in Settings > Photos, or you can exclude screenshots from iCloud by deleting them from your iPad after saving them elsewhere.

Can I take a screenshot with a keyboard shortcut?

No. iPad does not support keyboard shortcuts for screenshots. You must use the physical button combination for your model or use AssistiveTouch with the virtual button method.