The quickest way to screenshot on most Samsung devices

On most Samsung phones and tablets, press the Power button and Volume Down button at the same time and hold them for about one second. The screen will flash, you'll hear a camera shutter sound, and a thumbnail will appear in the corner. That's your screenshot.

This method works on Samsung Galaxy S series phones (S10 and newer), Galaxy A series, Galaxy Z fold and flip phones, and most Samsung tablets. The screenshot saves automatically to your Photos app in a folder called Screenshots.

If you have an older Samsung phone (Galaxy S9 or earlier), the button combination is Power button and Home button instead. The result is the same — the image saves to your Screenshots folder.

Key Takeaways

  • Press Power and Volume Down together for one second on most Samsung phones made in 2019 or later.
  • Older Samsung phones use Power and Home button instead, but the screenshot saves the same way.
  • Your screenshot appears as a thumbnail in the corner; tap it to edit, crop, or share when ready.
  • All screenshots save automatically to your Photos app in a Screenshots folder you can find anytime.
  • Samsung tablets use the same button combinations as phones, depending on the model year.

What to do with the screenshot thumbnail that appears

After you take the screenshot, a small preview appears in the bottom corner of your screen for a few seconds. Tap that thumbnail and you can crop, draw on, or add text to the image right away. You can also share it directly to messages, email, or social media without saving it first.

If you don't tap the thumbnail, it disappears and your screenshot is still saved — it just goes straight to your Photos app. You can find it later by opening Photos, tapping Albums at the bottom, and scrolling to Screenshots.

Using Samsung's palm swipe gesture instead

Some Samsung phones let you take a screenshot by swiping the side of your hand across the screen from left to right (or right to left). This feature is called Palm Swipe to Capture and it's turned off by default.

To turn it on, open Settings, go to Advanced Features, then look for Palm Swipe to Capture and toggle it on. Once it's active, you can take a screenshot without using buttons at all — just swipe your palm across the screen. Not all Samsung models support this feature, so if you don't see it in your settings, your phone doesn't have it.

Finding your screenshots after you take them

Every screenshot you take saves to your Photos app automatically. Open Photos, tap the Albums tab at the bottom, scroll down, and you'll see a folder called Screenshots. All your screenshots are stored there in the order you took them, with the newest ones first.

You can also search for screenshots by opening Files (the folder app on your home screen), tapping the search icon, and typing "screenshot". This shows you every screenshot file on your phone, including ones you may have moved to other folders.

Troubleshooting when the buttons don't work

If you press Power and Volume Down and nothing happens, make sure you're holding both buttons at the same time for at least one second. A common mistake is pressing them too quickly or one after the other instead of together.

If that doesn't work, restart your phone and try again. Power off completely, wait 10 seconds, then power back on. After the restart, press Power and Volume Down together again. If screenshots still don't work, check that you're using the correct button combination for your phone model — older Samsung phones use Power and Home instead.

Another reason screenshots might fail is if your phone is in Safe Mode. Restart your phone normally (not in Safe Mode) and the screenshot buttons should work. If you're still having trouble, try the Palm Swipe method if your phone supports it, or take a screenshot using Google Assistant by saying "Hey Google, take a screenshot."

Editing and sharing your screenshots

After you take a screenshot, you can edit it right away by tapping the thumbnail that appears. Samsung's built-in editor lets you crop the image, draw or write on it with different colors and brush sizes, add text boxes, and blur or pixelate parts of the image.

Once you've made your edits, tap Save to keep the changes, or tap the share icon to send it directly to a contact, app, or cloud service. You can also open any screenshot later from your Photos app, tap the edit icon (pencil), and make changes then.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take a screenshot of my entire screen if it's longer than what fits on the display?

Yes. After you take a screenshot, the thumbnail shows a "Scroll Capture" option. Tap it and your phone will automatically scroll down and capture more of the page. You can keep tapping to capture as much as you need, and it combines everything into one long image.

Where do my screenshots go if I don't see them in Photos?

Check your Screenshots folder in the Albums tab of your Photos app. If you still don't see them, open Files and search for "screenshot" to find them on your phone's storage. Some phones also save screenshots to a Pictures folder instead of Photos, depending on your settings.

Can I change where screenshots are saved?

Screenshots always save to your phone's internal storage in the Photos app by default, and most Samsung phones don't let you change that location. However, you can move screenshots to cloud storage like Google Drive or Samsung Cloud after you take them.

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

A screenshot captures a 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. To record your screen on Samsung, swipe down from the top twice to open Quick Settings, find Screen Recorder, and tap it.

Do screenshots work the same way on Samsung tablets?

Yes. Samsung tablets use the same Power and Volume Down button combination as phones. On older tablets, use Power and Home button instead. The screenshots save to the same Photos app and Screenshots folder.