5 easy ways to take screenshots on Android (with 2 bonus tips)

How often do you feel like capturing that meme on your social media feed and sharing it with your friends and family?

Do you regularly find yourself wanting to take a snap of that recipe or an informational post you came across on your phone? Well, we all do! 

While there’s no recorded evidence of who the inventor of screenshots was, we must certainly thank that person or the group of people who brought such an amazing invention to the world.

After all, it’s the screenshots folder in our Photos library that becomes our savior when we are in need of a Whatsapp status, important notes your friend shared, or the facts and figures you snapped to prove your companions wrong in a debate–or even to show off the instances when your better half was wrong in an argument!

To get such all-important tasks done in a jiffy, let me show you five plus two ways to take screenshots on Android.

So without any further ado, let’s get started. 

Also read:

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5 ways to capture a screenshot on Android

1. Notification panel

The easiest and most commonly known method to take a screenshot on Android is from the notification panel. 

To capture a screenshot on Android from the notification panel, follow these steps. 

1. Go to the screen you want to capture.
2. Swipe down the notification panel from the top of your screen.
3. Find the “Screenshot” or “Screen Capture” icon in the notification panel.
4. Click on the icon and the screenshot will be captured. 

The screenshot will be stored in your phone’s library. Also, it will be there in the notifications bar for you to edit or share it on the go. Here’s a short video on how to capture a screenshot from the notification panel. 

2. Button combinations 

Android allows you to capture a screenshot using button combinations. Bet you didn’t know that!

With the help of volume buttons and the Power button, you can take a screenshot in a second. 

To capture a screenshot using buttons, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the screen you want to capture. 
2. Press and hold the Power button and Volume Low button together. 

This action will capture the screenshot and it will be displayed on top of the screen. 

Another method to capture a screenshot using buttons is by pressing and holding only the Power button. Once you do that, you’ll find the Screenshot option. Click on it and it will grab the screen right away.

Do not leave the button until you see the screenshot on your phone screen. Note that this option may not be available to all Android phones. 

3. Slide fingers feature

This is yet another simple method to take a screenshot on Android. Requiring no special settings change, most Android users use this method to capture a screenshot.

To take a screenshot using the slide gesture, just slide down from the top of the screen to the bottom using three fingers. The screenshot will be captured immediately. Watch the below clip to nail this method of taking a screenshot on Android. 

4. Quickball

Quickball is the Assistive Touch alternative for Android. Just like the Assistive Touch on iOS, you can access the most frequently used functions on your phone just with the tap of the Quickball.

Personally, I use Quickball to take screenshots on my phone as it is available on the screen all the time and doesn’t involve the use of another hand. 

To enable the Quickball feature on your Android phone, 

1. Go to the Settings app

2. Search “Quickball” in the search bar
3. Tap on “Quick ball”

4. Turn on the toggle switch and the Quick ball feature will be enabled on your phone.

To add screenshot as a shortcut and take a screenshot using Quick ball,

1. Tap on Select shortcuts.

2. Next, tap on any of the 5 buttons available where you want the screenshot to appear. For example, if you want the “Screenshot” option to appear at number 2 from the bottom, tap on that field. 

3. Thereafter, scroll down and find the Screenshot option and tap on it. 

4. Now, you will find the “Screenshot” option on the Quick ball shortcuts menu.

5. Go to the screen you want to be snapped and tap on the Screenshot icon in the Quick ball to take the screenshot. 

Refer the below video to see how to take a screenshot using Quick ball. 

You can change the Quick ball settings as needed under Settings > Quick ball. 

5. Google Assistant

There are times when our hands are occupied and we desperately want to capture a funny scene in a YouTube video.

Google Assistant can prove to be quite handy in such situations. As the name goes, Google Assistant can act as your Assistant to capture the screenshot. 

Capturing a screenshot using Google Assistant is pretty simple. All you need to do is command your Assistant to capture the screenshot in its style. 

“Hey Google, Take a screenshot,” as simple as that. Make sure your Google Assistant is activated before using this feature. Check out the below video to find out exactly how to use Google Assistant to take a screenshot on Android. 

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Bonus tips

1. Gesture navigation

You can customize the actions of the buttons in your phone to take a screenshot. If slide fingers and button combination features don’t impress you, you can always choose other actions to snap your screen content. 

To enable screenshot using gestures,

1. Go to the Settings app

2. Search for Screenshot and tap on the “Take a screenshot” option (options may vary depending on the phone model)

3. Check the available options and tap on the action you feel works the best for you on screenshots:

2. Screenshot Apps

Finally, you can make use of screenshot apps to capture screenshots on Android with ease.

These apps come with a lot of useful features like adding emojis to the screenshots, an in-built RAM booster and space cleaner, screen recording feature, size optimization, and more. 

Screenshot touch app is one of the best screenshot apps on Android with a rating of 4.5 out of 5. Whole page scroll capture, screenshot by shaking the device, drawing on the captured snap, and easy sharing of screenshots across apps are just some of the prominent features it offers.

To install the app on the Play Store, click on the button below. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Suggested reads:

10 Handpicked Android Screenshot Apps: Capture The Moment

How To Take Screenshots On The Galaxy S4: Four Dead Easy Ways

Wrapping Up!

Taking a screenshot on Android has never been easier with the latest Android phones rolling out newer ways to take a snapshot.

From tapping on the Screenshot button in the notification panel to commanding your Google Assistant, you can bring into play these innovative methods to take a screenshot on Android to save your dear memes and knowledgeable posts. 

I hope this guide has familiarized you with new ways to take screenshots on your Android device. If you know other ways to take a screenshot, don’t forget to comment below!