The fastest way to capture your screen

On most iPhones, press the Side button and Volume Up button at the same time, then release both. The screen will flash white and you'll hear a camera sound. The image saves to your Photos app automatically.

On iPhone 8 and earlier models, press the Top (or Side) button and Home button together instead. The flash and sound work the same way, and the screenshot goes to Photos.

You don't need to hold the buttons down — a quick simultaneous press is all it takes. If you press and hold by accident, your phone will show the power-off screen or Siri, but the screenshot still captures.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Side button and Volume Up together on iPhone X and newer, or Top/Side button and Home button on iPhone 8 and earlier.
  • The screenshot saves to your Photos app in a folder called Screenshots, and you can find it immediately by opening Photos.
  • A notification appears in the bottom left corner for a few seconds after you capture — tap it to edit, crop, or share right away.
  • You can also use AssistiveTouch (in Settings > Accessibility > Touch) to capture screenshots with a floating button if button combinations don't work for you.

Where your screenshots go and how to find them

Every screenshot lands in your Photos app under the Screenshots album. Open Photos, tap Albums at the bottom, scroll down, and tap Screenshots. They appear in the order you took them, newest first.

Screenshots also show up in your main Photos library and in the All Photos view. If you've organized photos by date, your screenshots will be grouped with other images from that day.

If you delete a screenshot, it goes to your Recently Deleted album for 30 days before disappearing permanently. You can recover it during that window by opening Recently Deleted, tapping Edit, selecting the screenshot, and tapping Recover.

Edit and share screenshots right after capturing

When you take a screenshot, a small preview appears in the bottom left corner for a few seconds. Tap it to open the editing menu without leaving your current screen.

In the editor, you can crop the image, draw on it with markup tools, add text, magnify parts of it, or sign it. Tap Done when you're finished, then choose Save to Photos or Delete. If you want to share it instead, tap the share icon and pick your method — Messages, Mail, Notes, or any other app.

If you miss the notification, you can still edit any screenshot by opening Photos, finding it in the Screenshots album, tapping Edit, and using the same markup tools.

Capture part of your screen instead of the whole thing

After you take a screenshot, the editing notification appears in the bottom left. Tap it, then tap the crop tool (the overlapping squares icon). You'll see a grid overlay on your image.

Drag the corners and edges of the grid to select only the part you want to keep. Tap Done, then tap Save to Photos. The cropped version replaces the full screenshot, or you can tap Save as Copy to keep both versions.

This is faster than taking a full screenshot and cropping it later in Photos, because you can edit immediately while the notification is still visible.

Use AssistiveTouch if button combinations don't work

If your Side button or Volume buttons are broken, or if pressing them together is difficult, you can capture screenshots using a floating button instead. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch and turn it on.

A white circle appears on your screen. Tap it, then tap Device, then tap More, then tap Screenshot. The same flash and sound happen, and the image saves to Photos. You can also customize the AssistiveTouch menu to put Screenshot at the top level so it takes fewer taps.

AssistiveTouch works on any iPhone model and stays on your screen at all times, so you can capture screenshots whenever you need to without fumbling with buttons.

Screenshot limitations and what you can't capture

Some apps and content won't let you take screenshots. Banking apps, streaming services like Netflix, and apps with security restrictions will show a black or blank area where that content would be, or block the screenshot entirely. This is intentional — the app developer controls whether screenshots are allowed.

If you try to screenshot a restricted app, you may see a notification saying "Unable to Save" or the screenshot will capture everything except the restricted content. There's no way around this — it's a security feature built into the app itself.

Screen recording (a different feature) has the same restrictions. If you need to capture restricted content, you may need to use an external camera or device instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn't my screenshot save?

Check that you have storage space available — if your iPhone is full, screenshots may fail. Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much space you have left. Also make sure you're not in a restricted app like a banking or streaming service, which may block screenshots entirely.

Can I take a screenshot of my entire conversation or webpage?

Yes, but you'll need to use screen recording or take multiple screenshots. For long webpages in Safari, you can take a full-page screenshot by pressing Side and Volume Up, tapping the notification, tapping Full Page at the top, then tapping Done and Save. This captures the entire page even if it scrolls off screen.

How do I screenshot without the sound?

Put your iPhone in Silent mode by flipping the mute switch on the side of the phone. The screenshot will still capture and save, but the camera sound won't play. The screen will still flash white.

Can I screenshot someone's private message or story?

Apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and iMessage can notify the sender when you screenshot their content. The notification appears on their end, so they'll know you captured it. There's no way to disable this — it's built into the app's privacy features.

Where is the screenshot button in Control Center?

There isn't one — Apple removed the screenshot shortcut from Control Center years ago. The button combination (Side + Volume Up, or Top/Side + Home) is the primary method. If you prefer a button, use AssistiveTouch instead.