The fastest way: buttons on your phone

On most iPhones, you take a screenshot by pressing the Side button (the power button on the right edge) and the Volume Up button at the same time, then release both immediately. You'll see a white flash and hear a camera sound, and a thumbnail will appear in the bottom-left corner of your screen for a few seconds.

If you have an iPhone 8 or older, press the Top (or Side) button and the Home button together instead. The flash and thumbnail work the same way.

The thumbnail that appears is your chance to edit or delete the screenshot right away. Tap it to open the editing tools, where you can draw, add text, magnify part of the image, or crop it. If you don't tap the thumbnail, the screenshot saves automatically to your Photos app in the Screenshots album.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Side button + Volume Up together on iPhone X and newer, or Top/Side button + Home button on iPhone 8 and older.
  • A thumbnail appears in the bottom-left corner for a few seconds — tap it to edit, or let it disappear to save the screenshot as-is.
  • All screenshots save to your Photos app in a dedicated Screenshots album.
  • You can draw, add text, crop, or magnify before saving, using the editing tools in the thumbnail menu.
  • If you miss the thumbnail, you can still find and edit the screenshot in Photos later.

Where your screenshots go

Every screenshot you take saves to the Photos app automatically. Open Photos, tap the Albums tab at the bottom, scroll down, and tap Screenshots. All your screenshots appear there in the order you took them, newest first.

Screenshots also appear in your main Photos library and in the "All Photos" view, mixed in with your other images. If you want to keep them separate, the Screenshots album is the easiest place to find them all at once.

Editing your screenshot before it saves

When the thumbnail appears in the bottom-left corner after you take a screenshot, tap it within a few seconds to open the editing menu. You'll see tools at the bottom of the screen: a pen for drawing, a text tool, a magnifier, and a crop tool.

The pen tool lets you draw or write on the screenshot in different colors and thicknesses. The text tool adds a text box you can type into. The magnifier lets you zoom in on a specific part of the image and blur or highlight the rest. The crop tool trims the edges. When you're done, tap Done in the top-left, then tap Save to keep your changes.

If you close the editing menu without tapping Done, your changes don't save — the original screenshot saves instead. This is useful if you change your mind partway through editing.

Editing a screenshot after it's saved

You don't have to edit right away. Open the Photos app, find the screenshot in the Screenshots album or in All Photos, tap it to open it full-screen, then tap Edit in the top-right. The same editing tools appear, and you can draw, add text, crop, or magnify just as you would from the thumbnail menu.

When you're done, tap Done, then choose whether to save as a new version or replace the original. If you tap Save as Copy, you'll have both the original and the edited version in your Photos app.

Taking a screenshot of something that moves or scrolls

If you need to capture more than what fits on your screen — like a long email or a web page you need to scroll through — use the full-page screenshot feature. After you take a screenshot the normal way, tap the thumbnail and look for a tab at the top that says Screen or Full Page. Tap Full Page to capture the entire scrollable area, not just what's visible.

The full-page screenshot saves as a PDF-like image in your Photos app. You can still edit it with the drawing and text tools, and you can scroll through it to see the whole thing. This works in Safari, Mail, Notes, and some other apps, but not all apps support it.

If the screenshot button combination doesn't work

Make sure you're pressing both buttons at exactly the same time and releasing them quickly. If nothing happens, check that you're using the right buttons for your iPhone model — the button names and locations differ between older and newer phones.

If you're still having trouble, restart your iPhone by turning it off and back on, then try again. If screenshots still don't work, check Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard to see if you've set up any custom button shortcuts that might be interfering.

Another option is to use Siri. Say "Hey Siri, take a screenshot" and your phone will capture the screen the same way. This works on any iPhone with Siri enabled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take a screenshot without the flash and sound?

The flash and sound are built into iOS and can't be turned off completely. However, if your phone is on silent mode (the mute switch on the left side is flipped down), the camera sound won't play, though the flash may still appear depending on your settings.

Where do I find the Screenshots album?

Open the Photos app, tap the Albums tab at the bottom, and scroll down. The Screenshots album appears below your other albums. Tap it to see all your screenshots in one place.

Can I take a screenshot of a locked screen or password field?

Yes, you can take a screenshot of anything on your screen, including lock screens. However, some apps like banking apps or password managers may block screenshots for security reasons — if you try to screenshot them, nothing will happen.

What's the difference between a screenshot and a screen recording?

A screenshot captures a single still image of what's on your screen at that moment. A screen recording captures video of everything you do on your screen for as long as you record. Screenshots are instant; recordings require you to stop them manually.

Can I screenshot something in full page mode on all apps?

No. Full-page screenshots work in Safari, Mail, Notes, Reminders, and a few other Apple apps, but not in all third-party apps. If the Full Page option doesn't appear in the editing menu, that app doesn't support it.