The quickest way to take a screenshot on an iPhone is to press two buttons at the same time. Which buttons you use depends on whether your iPhone has Face ID, a Home button with a side button, or an older Home button with a top button.
Take a Screenshot on an iPhone with Face ID
- Display the screen you want to capture.
- Press the side button and volume up button at the same time.
- Quickly release both buttons.
This method works on iPhone 11 and other iPhone models that use Face ID.
Take a Screenshot on an iPhone with a Home Button
If your iPhone has a Home button and a side button, press the side button and Home button together, then quickly release them.
On older models that have a Home button and a top button, press the top button and Home button together instead.
What Happens After You Take the Screenshot?
On iOS 26, the screenshot opens with tools that let you crop it, mark it up, share it, or choose where to save it. On iOS 18 and earlier, a temporary thumbnail appears in the lower-left corner. You can tap that thumbnail to edit the screenshot or swipe it away.
Where Are iPhone Screenshots Saved?
Open Photos, go to Collections, and look under Media Types for Screenshots. Screenshots also appear with your other images when they are saved to the Photos library.
How to Take a Full-Page Screenshot
Some content, including long webpages in Safari, can be captured beyond the portion currently visible on the screen. After taking the screenshot, choose Full Page when that option is available. You can review the entire capture, crop it, and save it as an image or PDF depending on the available options.
Take a Screenshot Without Using the Buttons
If pressing two buttons at once is difficult, iPhone provides alternatives. AssistiveTouch can place an on-screen control for screenshots, Back Tap can be assigned to a screenshot action on supported models, and Siri can also be used for some screen-capture tasks.
What If the Screenshot Does Not Work?
Try pressing and releasing the two buttons quickly rather than holding them. Holding the side and volume buttons too long on a Face ID model can bring up the power and emergency controls instead.
If one of the physical buttons is not working, use an accessibility option such as AssistiveTouch rather than repeatedly trying the damaged button.
Summary
For an iPhone with Face ID, press and quickly release the side button and volume up button. For an iPhone with a Home button, use the Home button together with the side or top button, depending on the model. You can then edit, share, or save the screenshot.
Matthew Roberts created this site to help his friends and family with questions that they might have about how to change the settings on their iPhones. It now serves as an archive of iPhone how-to guides to help anyone that stumbles upon this website.