The quickest way: buttons on your iPad
On most iPads, you take a screenshot by pressing the Top button and Volume Up button at the same time, then release both. The screen flashes white, you hear a camera sound, and a thumbnail appears in the bottom left corner for a few seconds. That thumbnail is your screenshot — tap it to edit or share right away, or swipe it away and find it later in your Photos app under Screenshots.
On older iPad models with a home button (iPad Air 2 and earlier, iPad mini 4 and earlier), press the Top button (or Home button on very old models) and Sleep/Wake button together instead. The process is the same: white flash, sound, thumbnail in the corner.
The screenshot captures exactly what's on your screen at that moment — nothing more, nothing less. If you have a keyboard case or Apple Pencil connected, they don't affect how screenshots work.
Key Takeaways
- Press Top button and Volume Up together on modern iPads, or Home button and Top button on older models.
- A thumbnail appears in the bottom left corner immediately after — tap it to edit, crop, or add markup before saving.
- Screenshots save to your Photos app in a folder called Screenshots, where you can find them later.
- You can draw on, crop, or add text to a screenshot right after you take it using the built-in markup tools.
Editing your screenshot before you save it
After you take a screenshot, a thumbnail pops up in the bottom left corner for about five seconds. Tap that thumbnail and you enter the editing screen. You'll see your full screenshot with a toolbar at the bottom showing a pen, highlighter, magnifier, and text tool.
Use the pen to draw or circle something, the highlighter to mark important areas, or the text tool to add words. You can also tap the crop icon (two overlapping rectangles) to trim the edges. When you're done, tap Done in the top left, then choose Save to Photos to keep your changes, or Delete Screenshot if you want to discard it.
If you don't tap the thumbnail within five seconds, the screenshot saves automatically to your Photos app without any edits. You can still find it later and edit it then — just open Photos, find the screenshot, tap Edit, and use the same markup tools.
Finding screenshots you've already taken
All your screenshots go into the Photos app automatically. Open Photos, tap the Albums tab at the bottom, scroll down, and tap Screenshots. You'll see every screenshot you've taken, with the newest ones at the top.
If you want to organize them, you can create a new album and move screenshots into it, or use the search function to find screenshots from a specific date. You can also delete screenshots directly from the Screenshots album if you no longer need them — swipe left on any screenshot and tap the trash icon.
Sharing a screenshot right away
The fastest way to share is through that thumbnail that appears after you take the screenshot. Tap the thumbnail, then tap Share in the top right corner. You'll see options to send it via Mail, Messages, AirDrop, or any other app you have installed that accepts images.
You can also share from the Photos app later. Open Photos, find your screenshot, tap it, tap the share icon (an arrow pointing out of a box), and choose where to send it. This method works whether you took the screenshot five seconds ago or five weeks ago.
What to do if the button combination doesn't work
If you press the buttons and nothing happens, check which iPad model you have. Go to Settings > General > About and look for the model name. If it's an iPad Air 3 or newer, iPad Pro, or iPad mini 5 or newer, use Top button and Volume Up. If it's older, use Home button and Top button instead.
If you're still not getting a screenshot, make sure you're pressing both buttons at exactly the same time — pressing one slightly before the other won't work. Also check that your iPad isn't in Silent mode (the mute switch on the side). Silent mode doesn't prevent screenshots, but it does silence the camera sound, which can make it feel like nothing happened.
If your iPad has a physical home button and you're having trouble, try pressing the home button first, then the top button, rather than the other way around. Some older models are more responsive to that order.
Using Assistive Touch if your buttons are broken
If your iPad's physical buttons don't work, you can take screenshots using Assistive Touch, a built-in accessibility feature. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Assistive Touch and turn it on. A white circle with a dot appears on your screen.
Tap that circle, then tap Device, then More, then Screenshot. Your iPad takes a screenshot the same way as if you'd pressed the buttons. The Assistive Touch menu closes and the thumbnail appears in the corner. You can customize where the Assistive Touch circle sits on your screen by dragging it, and you can hide it when you're not using it.
Recording your screen instead of taking a still image
If you need to capture video of what's happening on your screen rather than a single frozen moment, swipe down from the top right corner to open Control Center. Look for Screen Recording (a circle inside a circle icon). Tap it once to start recording — a red timer appears at the top showing how long you've been recording.
Tap the red timer or swipe down to Control Center again and tap Screen Recording to stop. Your video saves to the Photos app just like a screenshot does. Screen recording captures everything on your screen plus any audio playing through your iPad's speakers, but not audio from a microphone unless you hold down the Screen Recording icon, tap Microphone Audio, and turn it on before you start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take a screenshot of just part of my screen?
Not with the button press alone — that always captures the full screen. But after you take a full screenshot, tap the thumbnail and use the crop tool to trim it down to just the part you need. You can also use the markup tools to circle or highlight the specific area you want to draw attention to.
Where do screenshots go if I don't tap the thumbnail?
They save automatically to your Photos app in the Screenshots album. You haven't lost them — just open Photos, go to Albums, and tap Screenshots. They're organized by date, with the newest first.
Can I take a screenshot without the camera sound?
Not on iPad — the sound always plays when you take a screenshot, even if your iPad is in Silent mode. The sound is a security feature so people around you know a screenshot is being taken. You can lower your iPad's volume before taking the screenshot to make the sound quieter.
Do screenshots include things like notifications or the status bar?
Yes, everything visible on your screen at that moment is captured, including the time, battery percentage, notifications, and any open menus. If you don't want those in your final image, take the screenshot, tap the thumbnail, and use the crop tool to remove them before saving.
Can I undo a screenshot I just took?
If you tap the thumbnail and choose Delete Screenshot, it's gone immediately. If you already swiped the thumbnail away and it saved to Photos, you can delete it from the Screenshots album by swiping left and tapping the trash icon. Either way, the screenshot is removed from your iPad.