How to Screenshot on Samsung Galaxy Phones: Every Method

Samsung’s answer for Galaxy devices in general is two buttons: Side and Volume down, pressed at the same moment and released. That makes it the same on a Galaxy A17 or A07, two of the five phones in our comparison of this year’s Galaxy A series, as on an S26 Ultra. The screen flashes, and the picture goes to the Screenshots album in Gallery.

Samsung’s support pages describe five more ways to do it. The table lists them all, and each section below gives the steps as Samsung’s own pages set them out.

Every way to take a screenshot

Method	What you do	What it needs
Buttons	Press Side and Volume down together, briefly	Nothing. Samsung gives it for all Galaxy devices
Palm swipe	Sweep the edge of your hand across the screen	A switch in Settings. Not on every model
Scroll capture	Take a screenshot, then tap the two-arrow icon on the toolbar	A page long enough to scroll
Tasks Edge panel	Swipe in the Edge panel and tap Take screenshot	Edge panels, which not every model has
S Pen	Open Air command and tap Screen write	A Galaxy that works with an S Pen
Voice	Say “Hey Bixby, take a screenshot” or “Hey Google, take a screenshot”	Bixby Voice or Google Assistant set up

The Side and Volume down buttons

Samsung’s US page says to press the Side button, which it also calls the Power button, and Volume down at the same time, then release them after a brief moment. The screen flashes to show it worked, and a small toolbar appears at the bottom.

Keep the press short. Samsung’s UK page warns that a long hold can open the power menu. It adds that on some models and software versions you do have to hold until the flash, so if a quick press does nothing, try that.

The buttons are usually on the right side of the phone. Samsung’s Canadian page notes that the volume button is sometimes on the left.

Older phones differ in one case that Samsung documents. On a Galaxy with a physical Home key, the combination is Power and Home, held together.

Palm swipe

This one needs no buttons. You sweep the edge of your hand across the screen from one side to the other, and the screen flashes. Switch it on first:

Open Settings and tap Advanced features.
Tap Motions and gestures.
Turn on Palm swipe to capture.

Those are the steps on Samsung’s UK and Canadian pages. Its US page puts the switch directly under Advanced features. If you find it in neither place, type “Palm swipe to capture” into the search box in Settings.

Samsung’s Canadian page says the gesture is usually on already, and that a few models cannot do it at all because of their hardware. Its test is simple: if the switch is listed in Settings, the phone supports it.

Scroll capture for a whole page

Scroll capture joins several screens into one long picture. Samsung’s steps:

Take an ordinary screenshot with the buttons or a palm swipe.
On the toolbar that appears, tap the Scroll capture icon, the two arrows pointing down. The screen moves down and the next part is added.
Keep tapping until you have what you want. Touching and holding the icon runs to the bottom of the page.
Tap anywhere outside the toolbar to finish. The long screenshot is saved to Gallery.

The icon only shows when the screen can scroll, and Samsung says it may not work on certain websites and apps. If no toolbar appears at all, open Settings, Advanced features, Screenshots and screen recorder, and turn on Show toolbar after capturing.

The same toolbar has a pencil for drawing on or cropping the screenshot, a hashtag for adding tags, and a share button.

The Tasks Edge panel

Edge panels are the strip of shortcuts you pull in from the side of the screen. One of them, Tasks, can hold a Take screenshot shortcut, which gives you a one-tap capture with no buttons.

Swipe left on the Edge panel handle, the tab on the right side of the screen.
Tap the Settings icon at the bottom, then swipe to the Tasks panel and tap it to select it.
Tap Edit under the panel and tap Take screenshot in the list on the left to add it. Samsung notes it may be there already. The panel holds twelve shortcuts at most.
Go to the screen you want. Swipe left on the handle, swipe again to reach Tasks, and tap Take screenshot.

Samsung says Edge panels are not available on every model and software version. If a panel you expect is missing, it has been turned off or moved, and Samsung sends you to Settings, Display, Edge panels to check.

The S Pen

On a Galaxy that works with an S Pen, Samsung’s method is Screen write.

Take the S Pen out and go to the screen you want.
Tap the Air command icon with the pen, then tap Screen write. The phone takes a screenshot of the page.
Write or draw on it if you like, then tap the Save icon to store it in Gallery.

To keep only part of the screen, Samsung’s UK page points to Smart select in the same menu. Which Galaxy phones take an S Pen, and what else the pen is good for, is in our guide to S Pen apps.

Ask Bixby or Google Assistant

With Bixby Voice set up, say “Hey Bixby, take a screenshot”. With Google Assistant, say “Hey Google, take a screenshot”. Samsung adds that Bixby accepts a chained command, so you can ask it to take the screenshot and share it to an app in one go.

Those are the two assistants Samsung’s screenshot pages name. None of the pages we read mentions Gemini.

Where screenshots are saved

Open Gallery, tap Albums, then Screenshots. Samsung says you can move a screenshot from there to any other album. The My Files app shows them too, under Images. In either app, select the screenshot and tap Share to send it.

Screenshot settings

Samsung’s support pages put the screenshot options in Settings, Advanced features, Screenshots and screen recorder. They name two things you can set there for screenshots: the toolbar and the screenshot format. They do not list the formats on offer, and the menu’s name may be worded differently on your software version, as Samsung warns of menus in general.

Hiding the status bar is not covered on any Samsung support page we read. Threads on Samsung’s own community forum refer to a Hide status and navigation bars switch in the same menu, and to a choice of JPG or PNG for the format. Those are users’ reports, so look for both in the menu on your own phone.

When a screenshot will not work

The app forbids it. Samsung says some apps and screens block screenshots for privacy or security, banking apps among them. The phone shows the message “Can’t take screenshot due to security measure”, which Samsung describes as protection for your information.
The power menu opens. You held the buttons too long. Press and release.
Nothing happens with any method. Samsung’s UK page suggests resetting the phone’s settings: Settings, General management, Reset, Reset all settings. This is not a factory reset and keeps your apps and files. Our guide to resetting a Samsung phone explains what each kind of reset erases.

Samsung also notes that whether screenshots work inside Secure Folder varies with the model, the software version and the mobile network.

Quick answers

How do I take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy A17?

Press the Side button and Volume down together and release. Samsung gives that combination for Galaxy devices in general, and palm swipe is there as a second way if the switch appears in Settings.

How do I screenshot on a Samsung without the power button?

Use palm swipe, the Take screenshot shortcut in the Tasks Edge panel, or a voice command to Bixby or Google Assistant. None of them touches the Side button.

Is there a three-finger screenshot on Samsung?

Not on the Samsung support pages we read. The gesture they document is the palm swipe, made with the edge of the hand.

Why is scroll capture not showing?

The icon appears only when the screen has more to scroll, and Samsung says it may not work on some websites and apps. Check too that the toolbar is switched on in the screenshot settings.

Where do screenshots go on a Samsung phone?

To the Screenshots album: Gallery, Albums, Screenshots. They are also under Images in My Files.