How to Screenshot on Android (Samsung, Pixel, Scroll) 2026

How to screenshot on Android: start with the Power and Volume down buttons together on almost every phone, then use this guide for Samsung Galaxy extras (palm swipe, Scroll capture, S Pen), Google Pixel options (Assistant, Overview, Quick Tap), three-finger gestures on OnePlus, Xiaomi and Motorola, scrolling screenshots, no-button / Accessibility Menu methods, where files are saved and what to do when a secure app blocks the capture.

Every step below comes from Google's Android Help: Take a screenshot or record your screen, Pixel Phone Help: Take a screenshot, Use gestures on your Pixel phone, Use the Accessibility Menu, Samsung's How to take a screenshot on a Samsung phone or tablet, Xiaomi's How to screenshot? and scrolling screenshot, Motorola's Take screenshots help and OnePlus OxygenOS user manuals. Checked November 7, 2026. Android skins vary by brand and software version, so where a maker documents a different path, we say so.

Quick answer

On almost every Android phone, including Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel, press the Power (Side) and Volume down buttons together, then release. For a long page on Android 12 and up, tap Capture more (Pixel and most phones) or Scroll capture (Samsung) in the toolbar that appears. No buttons? Say "Hey Google, take a screenshot", use Palm swipe to capture on Samsung, Quick Tap on Pixel 4a (5G) and later, a three-finger gesture on OnePlus / Xiaomi / Motorola where that brand enables it, or the Accessibility Menu screenshot control.

Coming from an iPhone? Compare with how to screenshot on iPhone. On a Mac instead, see how to screenshot on Mac.

Screenshot methods compared

How to screenshot on Android with buttons

Google's Android Help gives these steps, which work on most phones:

1. Open the screen you want to capture.
2. Press the Power and Volume down buttons at the same time.
3. If that doesn't work, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds, then tap Screenshot.
4. If neither works, check your phone manufacturer's support site.

A preview of your screenshot appears at the bottom left on many phones. On some phones, you'll see a screenshot indicator at the top of the screen instead.

Press both buttons together and release after a brief moment. Holding too long can open the power menu or trigger a hard restart on some devices. If you're also troubleshooting a stuck phone, our hard reset iPhone guide is for Apple; on Android the long Power + Volume combo is brand-specific, so stick to the manufacturer's support page for forced restarts.

Different brands, different shortcuts

Google's Android Help notes that the method depends on your phone. If neither the button shortcut nor the Power menu works, Google's advice is to check your manufacturer's support site. The brand sections below use those official pages for Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi and Motorola.

How to screenshot on Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's support page lists several ways that work on Galaxy phones and tablets. Available screens, settings and Secure Folder behavior can differ by model, carrier and One UI version. Samsung also notes that some apps and screens block screenshots for privacy or security.

Samsung button shortcut

1. Press and hold the Power/Side button and Volume down button simultaneously, then release after a brief moment.
2. The screen flashes to show the capture worked.

On older Galaxy phones with a physical Home button, Samsung's older steps used Home + Power instead. Current Side-button Galaxy phones use Side + Volume down.

Palm swipe to capture

Samsung documents this gesture-based method:

1. Swipe down from the top right of the screen with two fingers to open the Quick panel.
2. Tap the Settings gear, then go to Advanced features.
3. Tap Palm swipe to capture, then turn the switch on.
4. Hold your hand upright and swipe the edge of it across the screen, left to right or right to left.

If you can't find the toggle, search Settings for "Palm swipe". Samsung notes the gesture may take a few tries. On some One UI versions the path is Settings → Advanced features → Motions and gestures → Palm swipe to capture. The gesture often doesn't work while the on-screen keyboard is showing.

Ask Bixby or Google Assistant

Say "Hey Bixby, take a screenshot" or "Hey Google, take a screenshot" for a hands-free capture. Samsung notes Bixby can also chain commands, such as capturing and sharing in one request.

S Pen Screen write

On Galaxy devices that support an S Pen:

1. Remove the S Pen and open the screen you want to capture.
2. Tap the Air command icon with the S Pen, then tap Screen write.
3. The phone captures the page. Draw or annotate if you want, then tap Save to store it in Gallery.

Tasks Edge panel shortcut

Samsung also documents a Take screenshot shortcut on the Tasks Edge panel:

1. Swipe left on the Edge panel handle on the right side of the screen.
2. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom, open the Tasks panel and tap Edit.
3. Add Take screenshot from the left list if it isn't already there (Samsung notes you can't add more than twelve shortcuts).
4. Later, open the Tasks panel and tap Take screenshot.

Samsung scrolling screenshot (Scroll capture)

Take a screenshot with the buttons, palm swipe or another method, then tap the Scroll capture icon (two arrows pointing down) in the toolbar that appears. Keep tapping it until everything you want is captured. Samsung also covers Scroll capture in its Galaxy screenshot guide.

To view screenshots later on Samsung, open Gallery → Albums → Screenshots, or open My Files → Images.

How to take a scrolling screenshot on Android

A scrolling screenshot (sometimes called a long screenshot) captures a long page, such as an article or a chat thread, in one image. Google says this works on Android 12 and up, on most screens that scroll.

1. Open the screen you want to capture.
2. Press Power and Volume down together.
3. At the bottom, tap Capture more.
4. Use the crop guidelines to select the content you want.

If you don't see Capture more, the screen may not support scrolling capture, your phone may be on an older Android version, or the app may block extended capture. Banking, payment and some DRM-protected streaming screens often refuse screenshots entirely; logging out of leftover Netflix sessions on a hotel TV is a different problem—see how to log out of Netflix on TV.

Brand names for the same idea:

• Pixel / stock Android: Capture more
• Samsung: Scroll capture
• Xiaomi / REDMI: Scroll on the preview, then DONE
• Motorola: scroll control on the preview (tap STOP when you have enough)

Screenshot on a Google Pixel phone

Pixel phones support the Power + Volume down shortcut, plus extras from Pixel Phone Help. Google notes some of these steps work only on Android 11 and up.

Ask Google Assistant

Say "Hey Google, take a screenshot" to capture the screen hands-free.

Take a screenshot without buttons

Depending on your navigation mode (change it under Settings → System → Gestures → Navigation mode):

• Gesture navigation: swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold. Choose an open app, then tap Screenshot.
• 3-button navigation: tap Overview, choose an open app, then tap Screenshot.
• 2-button navigation (Pixel 3a and earlier): press the Power button, then tap Screenshot.

Use Quick Tap on the back of the phone

On Pixel 4a (5G) and later, you can take a screenshot by tapping the back of the phone twice (Pixel gestures help):

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to System → Gestures → Quick tap.
3. Turn on Use Quick tap.
4. Choose an action and pick the screenshot option.

Then tap twice on the back of your phone to capture the screen. You can also set Quick Tap to open an app, show notifications or play/pause media.

Translate a screenshot (Pixel tip)

On Pixel 3 and later (including Fold and Pixel Tablet), Google documents translating a screenshot with Lens: take the shot, open it in Photos, then tap Lens → Translate. Supported languages listed by Google include Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish.

OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi and Motorola

These brands keep the universal Power + Volume down shortcut and add skin-specific gestures. Use the maker's own labels; paths can move between OS versions.

OnePlus (OxygenOS)

OnePlus user manuals document:

• Buttons: press and hold Power and Volume down together.
• 3-finger swipe down: swipe down with three fingers (often on by default). If it doesn't work, check Settings → More / Additional settings → Screenshot and enable 3-finger swipe down.
• Partial screenshot: touch and hold with three fingers, then adjust the shape (rectangle, ellipse or freeform) when that option is enabled.
• Scrolling: after a normal shot, use the scroll / long-screenshot control on the preview, then tap Done.

Xiaomi / REDMI (MIUI / HyperOS)

Xiaomi's support pages list three main ways (How to screenshot?):

1. Press Volume down and Power at the same time.
2. Slide three fingers down (enable under Settings → Additional settings → Gesture shortcuts → Take a screenshot → Slide 3 fingers down).
3. Swipe down the status bar to open Control center and tap Screenshot.

For a long page, take a screenshot, tap Scroll on the preview, scroll or wait for auto-scroll, tap DONE, then confirm save (Xiaomi scrolling screenshot). Xiaomi notes some interfaces (including many banking and payment screens) don't support long screenshots.

Motorola

Motorola's current help pages (for example moto g power - 2025) list several options:

• Touch and hold three fingers on the screen (turn on Three-finger screenshot in settings if needed).
• Open Quick Settings and tap the screenshot tile.
• Drag from the bottom and hold to see recent apps, then tap Screenshot.
• Press and hold Power + Volume Down until the screen is captured.

To capture more content, use the scroll control on the preview and tap STOP when you have enough. Find screenshots later in the Photos app under Library → Screenshots (wording can vary slightly by model).

Oppo (ColorOS)

Oppo documents a three-finger swipe for screenshots in ColorOS quick-start material: enable 3-finger swipe down under Screenshot settings (path names vary by ColorOS version: Accessibility & convenience, Additional settings, or Convenient tools), then swipe down with three fingers. The Power + Volume down shortcut still applies on Oppo phones the same way Android Help describes for most devices.

Screenshot without buttons (Accessibility Menu and more)

When physical buttons are broken, covered by a case or awkward to reach, use one of these official no-button paths:

1. Voice: "Hey Google, take a screenshot" (or "Hey Bixby…" on Samsung).
2. Samsung palm swipe (see above).
3. Pixel Quick Tap or Overview → Screenshot.
4. Brand three-finger gestures on OnePlus, Xiaomi and Motorola.
5. Accessibility Menu (Android Accessibility Help):
   • Open Settings → Accessibility → Accessibility Menu.
   • Turn on Accessibility Menu shortcut.
   • Open the menu with your shortcut (swipe up with two fingers; with TalkBack, swipe up with three fingers), tap Accessibility or the floating button, then choose the screenshot option.

The Accessibility Menu also exposes lock screen, Assistant, Quick Settings, volume and brightness controls, which helps when buttons fail entirely. Some of these steps need Android 12 and up.

Why can't I take a screenshot on Android?

If the buttons do nothing, or you see a message like "Can't take screenshot due to security policy" or "Couldn't save screenshot", one of these is usually the cause:

• The app blocks screenshots. Samsung and Xiaomi both note that some apps and screens block screenshots for privacy or security. Banking apps, payment screens, work password vaults, incognito browser tabs and some streaming apps do this on purpose. There is no supported setting that overrides FLAG_SECURE / DRM protection.
• A work profile or device policy. If your phone is managed by your employer or school, its policy can turn off screenshots.
• The buttons are pressed one after the other. Press Power and Volume down at exactly the same time and release after a moment.
• Storage is full. A screenshot can't be saved if your phone has no free space. Delete a few large videos or apps and try again. On iPhone the equivalent cleanup path is covered in how to clear cache on iPhone and how to delete apps on iPhone; on Android, free space in Settings → Storage first.
• A broken button. Use the Power menu, palm swipe, Quick Tap, three-finger gesture, voice command or Accessibility Menu instead.
• Secure Folder / private space. Samsung notes screenshot availability in Secure Folder can differ by model and software.

If the phone itself is misbehaving beyond screenshots, restart it from the Power menu before assuming a hardware fault.

Where are screenshots saved on Android?

According to Android Help:

1. Open the Photos app.
2. At the bottom, tap Collections → On this device → Screenshots.

If you don't have the Photos app, you're probably on an older Android version. Open your phone's Gallery app and look for the Screenshots folder in album view.

Brand notes:

• Samsung: Gallery → Albums → Screenshots, or My Files → Images.
• Motorola: Photos → Library → Screenshots.
• Xiaomi: Gallery or the Screenshots folder in Photos.

Share or edit a screenshot

Open the screenshot, then tap Share to send it or Edit to crop or mark it up. You can also tap the preview right after taking it. On Samsung, the Draw (pencil) control appears on the post-capture toolbar so you can annotate before saving.

How to record your screen on Android

If you need video rather than a still image, Android has a built-in screen recorder (Android Help):

1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen.
2. Tap Screen record. You may need to swipe right to find it. If it isn't there, tap Edit and drag Screen record into Quick Settings.
3. Choose what to record, set audio and touch options, and tap Start. Recording begins after a countdown.
4. To stop, swipe down and tap the Screen recorder notification.

Recordings are saved in Photos → Collections → On this device → Movies. For the iPhone equivalent, see how to screen record on iPhone.

Typical scenarios

• Saving a payment confirmation: use Power + Volume down, then share it from the preview (unless the payment app blocks screenshots—then use the app's own share or email receipt).
• Capturing a long chat or article: use Capture more / Scroll capture for one scrolling image.
• Buttons are awkward or worn: on Pixel, use Quick Tap or Overview → Screenshot; on Samsung, palm swipe; elsewhere, three-finger gesture or Accessibility Menu.
• Showing someone how to do something: record your screen instead of sending a stack of stills.
• Switching from iPhone: how to screenshot on iPhone uses Side + Volume up (Face ID) or Side + Home (Touch ID)—different button pairs than Android.
• Need the image on a computer: AirDrop isn't an option; share via Photos, email, Drive or cable. Clearing Mac clutter first can help if you're moving files over—see how to clear cache on Mac.

Verdict for each type of user

• Most Android users: Power + Volume down is the fastest, most widely supported method.
• Pixel owners: set up Quick Tap for one-handed screenshots; use Capture more on Android 12+.
• Samsung owners: turn on Palm swipe to capture and use Scroll capture for long pages; S Pen users can use Screen write.
• OnePlus / Xiaomi / Motorola owners: keep the button shortcut and enable the three-finger gesture if you prefer no buttons.
• Broken buttons: Accessibility Menu or voice command.
• Long pages: Capture more (stock), Scroll capture (Samsung), Scroll (Xiaomi) or Motorola's preview scroll control.
• Need video: Quick Settings → Screen record.

FAQ