HOW TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT ON ANDROID PHONES AND TABLETS

How to take a screenshot on Android
phones and tablets: including Galaxy
S3/S4/S5, Xperia Z2, HTC One and
Nexus 5

Learn how to capture your Android phone's screen.

Taking a screenshot on Android is easy, but the
process isn't the same for every device. Before
you learn how to take a screenshot you should
check which version of Android your smartphone
or tablet is running. If you have a relatively modern
smartphone, such as a Samsung

Galaxy S3/S4/S5, HTC One, Sony Xperia Z/Z1/Z2
or Nexus 4/5, then you should be running at least
Android HoneyComb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly
Bean or KitKat, which makes taking a screenshot a
doddle.

If your smartphone is running Gingerbread
(Android 2.3) or below then taking a screenshot
can be more difficult, but we'll come to that later
on.

How to take a screenshot on Android Ice Cream
Sandwich, Jelly Bean and KitKat: Galaxy S3/S4/
S5, HTC One, Xperia Z/Z1/Z2, Nexus 4/5 and other
new Android smartphones.

There are two
main ways that
you can take a
screenshot on
Android
devices
running Ice
Cream
Sandwich 4.0
and above.

METHOD ONE

The first and
easiest way to
take a
screenshot on
Android 4.0 and
above is to
simply press
and hold your
smartphone's
power and volume down button at the same time
for 1- to 2 seconds. On some phones, such as the
Samsung Galaxy S3, S4 and S5, you will instead
need to combine the volume down button with the
Home button. You should then hear a shutter noise
and the screen will flash; there will also be a
screenshot notification in the drop-down
notification bar from which you can access your
screenshot.

Method two:

The second method is simple, too. On some
phones the 'Take a screenshot' option is available
from the Power off menu. Press and hold the
power button for 1- to 2 seconds until the power
options screen appears. If the option is available
select 'Take a Screenshot'. Don't worry, it will take
a screenshot of whatever is behind this menu.

HOW TO TAKE A SCREENSHOT ON ANDROID 2.3 AND BELOW.

If you're
running
Android 2.3
and below
then you're
going to
need to
download
an app to
take a
screenshot. This is where things get a little
confusing as the effectiveness of the screenshot
apps on offer vary from smartphone to
smartphone.
If you're willing to pay for an app to enable you to
take screenshots on your Android smartphone -
and you don't want to go through the hassle of
rooting your Android device - then you should try
the app No Root Screenshot It (£2.99). Bear in
mind that “This application will instruct you to
download and install a free desktop application on
your Windows or Mac. Once installed, you must
run the desktop application with your phone
attached to your computer. This will enable
screenshots on your phone.”
If you're unwilling to pay for a screenshot app, the
only advice we can offer is to search the Google
Play store and trial a number of apps based on
their star rating and find an app that works well
with your device.
Go to the next page to see other ways to take
screenshots on Android smartphones and tablets.