How to screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet

Samsung screenshot with the buttons

This works on every current Galaxy phone and tablet running One UI, including the S series, Z Fold and Z Flip, and budget models such as the Galaxy A10, A12 and A32. Press both buttons at the same moment and release them quickly. If you hold them, the phone may open the power menu or turn the volume down instead.

1. Open the screen you want to capture.
2. Press the Side key (the power button) and Volume down together.
3. Release both as soon as the screen flashes.
4. Use the toolbar that appears to edit, share or scroll capture, or ignore it and the screenshot is already saved.

• Older Galaxy phones with a physical Home button, such as the Galaxy S7 and earlier, use Home and Power together instead.
• Galaxy tablets without a Home button use the same Side key and Volume down combination.

Palm swipe to capture

Palm swipe lets you take a Samsung screenshot without pressing any buttons, which helps if a button is worn or you are holding the phone one-handed. Turn it on once in Settings, then Advanced features, then Motions and gestures, then Palm swipe to capture.

To use it, hold the edge of your hand upright against the left or right edge of the screen, like a karate chop, and sweep it across the display while keeping contact. It takes a try or two to get the angle right. If it opens the app drawer or moves a page instead, keep your hand more upright.

Scroll capture for long screenshots

Scroll capture, which older versions called Capture more, turns a normal screenshot into one long image of a chat, web page or settings list. It only appears when the screen can scroll.

1. Take a screenshot with the buttons or a palm swipe.
2. Tap the scroll capture icon on the toolbar, the one with downward arrows.
3. Keep tapping it, or hold it, to add more of the page.
4. Stop when you reach the part you want, then tap outside the toolbar to save.

• If you never see the toolbar, turn it on in Settings, Advanced features, Screenshots and screen recordings, Show toolbar after capturing.
• On a web page in a desktop browser, scroll capture is not available. Our guide to scrolling screenshots covers computers.

Smart select and the S Pen

Smart select captures just part of the screen, which is the closest thing to a snipping tool on a Samsung phone. It lives in the Edge panel. Turn Edge panels on in Settings, Display, Edge panels, and make sure Smart select is ticked. Swipe the handle in from the edge of the screen, choose Rectangle or Oval, drag the frame over what you want and tap Done. The Animation option records a few seconds of the screen as a GIF, and Pin to screen keeps a clipping floating over other apps.

On phones and tablets with an S Pen, open Air command by clicking the pen button or tapping the floating pen icon. Screen write takes a screenshot and lets you write on it straight away. Smart select works the same way as from the Edge panel.

Other ways to screen capture on Samsung

• Assistant menu: Settings, Accessibility, Interaction and dexterity, Assistant menu adds a floating button with a Screenshots option. Useful if the buttons are hard to press.
• Voice: say "take a screenshot" to Bixby or to Google's assistant, depending on which one your phone uses.
• Screen recorder: swipe down twice to open the Quick panel and tap Screen recorder. This is how to record video rather than a still, including on the Galaxy A12.

Where Samsung screenshots are saved

Open the Gallery app, tap Albums and look for Screenshots. In the My Files app they are usually in Internal storage, DCIM, Screenshots. Screen recordings go to a separate Screen recordings album. If you use Google Photos as well, the same images appear there under Screenshots in your library.

When a Samsung screenshot will not work

• "Can't take screenshot due to security policy" means the app, a work profile or a device policy blocks capture. Banking apps, some payment screens and Chrome Incognito tabs do this on purpose. Our guide on that message explains the legitimate options.
• Video from streaming apps often comes out black. That is copy protection, not a fault with your phone.
• If nothing happens, press the buttons more exactly together and release faster.
• If screenshots stop saving, check free storage in Settings, Battery and device care, Storage.

Doing more with a Galaxy screenshot

A screenshot is often a means to an end. If it contains a QR code, you can read it without a second phone using NeoReader's scan from image page, which reads the code on your device. To collect several screenshots into one document, Screenshot to PDF combines them in your browser. To pull the words out of a screenshot, Screenshot to Text recognises the text on your device so you can copy it.