Screenshots are useful in many ways, and you probably took them on your computers, especially if your job requires explanation to people. With these screenshots, you can easily show people what your computer screen looks like, and you can even add pointers to draw people’s attention to specific parts of the screenshot.
Just like your desktop computer, your Android device also offers the option to take screenshots. This feature has been around for a long time in Android and is available on most Android devices.
There are actually several ways to take screenshots on an Android device. Depending on what device you have and what your preference is, you can use any of these methods to capture screen images.
Take a screenshot on Android using Key Combo
One convenient way to take a screenshot of the current screen on your device is to use a keyboard shortcut. Almost every Android device has a keyboard shortcut that takes a screenshot of the current screen when pressed.
This keyboard shortcut is not fixed and depends on the device model. For example, a keyboard shortcut that works on a OnePlus Android device may not work on a Samsung device, even if both are running the same operating system.
Here is a list of the keys you need to press to take a screenshot on various Android devices:
- Google Pixel: Power + Volume Down
- Samsung: Power + Volume Down
- LG: Lock + Volume Down
- HTC: Power + Home
- OnePlus: Power + Volume Down
- Motorola: Power + Volume Down
- Sony: Power + Volume Down
As you can see, most devices use a combination of the power and volume down keys to take a screenshot. If you can’t find a combination for your device in the list, use this generic one and it should work in most cases.
Take a screenshot on Android with the Power button
On an Android device, the power button does more than just turn the device on and off. It helps you lock your device, unlock it, restart your device, and even take a screenshot on your device.
While most users are aware of the general functions of the power button, they may not be aware that the button also has a screen capture capability. It can be accessed by opening the power menu on your device.
This should work on most Android phones and tablets.
- Go to the screen where you want to take a screenshot.
- Press and hold the power button on your device.
- A pop-up menu appears with several options. Click on the “Screenshot” option to take a screenshot.
A screenshot of your current Android screen will be taken and saved in the default screenshots folder on your Android device. There will be no power menu in this screenshot, although you can see the menu when the screenshot is taken.
Then you can find this screenshot using the file manager or gallery app on your device.
Take a screenshot on an Android device wirelessly
If you are going to transfer screenshots from your device to your computer after taking them, you do not need to do these hassles, as you can take screenshots directly on your computer.
There is a utility that allows you to take screenshots of your Android device on your computer wirelessly. It’s called AirDroid and you’ve probably heard of it if you read this site regularly (or have ever wanted to transfer files from Android to Mac or PC).
This requires both devices to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Download, install and run the AirDroid app on your Android device.
- Click on AirDroid Web and write down the local IP you see there.
- Open a new browser tab on your computer and enter the IP address you wrote down earlier. Press Enter and AirDroid will launch on your computer.
- In the main interface of AirDroid on your computer, find and select the option labeled “Screenshot”.
- You will immediately see how your device screen is displayed on your computer screen. Go to the screen where you want to take a screenshot on your device and click the scissors icon on your computer.
The screenshot will be taken and saved on your computer.
You can also configure AirDroid to save screenshots on the device itself, if you like, by clicking on the down arrow icon next to the scissors icon. After that, you can choose a location for the screenshot files.
Use the Android Debug Bridge to Capture Android Screen
There are several commands in ADB to help you perform actions on your Android device from your computer. This utility can be used with or without cables, but wired setup is pretty straightforward and only takes half a minute.
Once you’ve installed the utility on your computer, all you need to do is enter a command and your Android screenshot will be taken.
- Download and extract the ADB toolkit on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
- Go to Settings> Developer Options and enable USB debugging on your device.
- Connect your device to your computer. Windows users should launch a command prompt window in the ADB folder. Mac users need to launch Terminal and make the ADB folder their current working directory.
- Run the following command on your computer to take a screenshot.
adb shell screencap -p / sdcard / screenshot .png (for Windows users)
./adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png (for Mac users) - Run the following command to transfer the screenshot to your computer.
adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png (Windows users)
./adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png (Mac users)
You will find the screenshot file in the root directory of your ADB folder.
If you encounter any difficulty in taking a screenshot, please make sure USB debugging is enabled on your Android device. This gives your computer access to your device.
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