How to take a screenshot on your Android smartphone or tablet

Sometimes you may need to take a still image (called a screenshot) of what’s happening on your device’s screen. This used to be a hassle on Android (many months ago), but it’s all very easy to do now on modern devices. Here’s how it works on Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and many other Android devices.

How to take a screenshot on Android

The way Android devices work can vary greatly. Thankfully, most Android smartphones and tablets, including Samsung Galaxy devices, allow you to take screenshots in the same way.

Just press and hold both the power button and volume down button for 1 second. The screen will flash and a thumbnail preview of the screenshot will appear in the corner of the screen (this will vary depending on your phone).

You’ll see options to instantly share and edit your image. Additionally, some devices also have a “Capture more” option to scroll through the screenshots.

How to take screenshots on Samsung Galaxy devices

The above method works for Samsung Galaxy devices, but there are some other methods you can use.Seriously, Samsung includes: a lot Instructions on how to take screenshots.

In addition to the power + volume down method, there’s also a palm gesture, “Smart Select” to capture part of the screen, and “Hey Bixby.” All these methods have detailed instructions in our dedicated guides.

You’ll see a small preview of your screenshot in the corner of the screen, with some options to share and edit it right away.

How to find screenshots on Android

Regardless of your phone model, you can interact with screenshots directly from the preview thumbnail toolbar. You may also wonder where the screenshot is after the preview disappears.

Most Android devices save screenshots in the aptly named “Screenshots” folder. This also applies to Samsung Galaxy. You can find this folder in your favorite gallery or file manager app.

One strange exception is Google Photos on Samsung Galaxy devices. I have a “Screenshots” folder on my Galaxy device, but for some reason it doesn’t show up in the Google Photos app. Screenshots will appear in the “Camera” folder.

That’s all about how to take screenshots on your Android smartphone or tablet. This is a no-brainer, but you may have more than one option to do it. After taking a screenshot, you also have some editing tools at your disposal.