How To Take Screenshots and Record Videos Of Screen on Windows, iOS/iPad, Android and MacOS – Guide

Screenshots are a versatile tool that can be used for a variety of purposes. From sharing snippets of articles on social media to demonstrating how to do something on your device, screenshots can help you solve tech issues, capture information that may otherwise be lost, and even write an apology letter in Notes. Knowing how to take screenshots on both your phone and computer is an invaluable skill.

Apple, Google and Microsoft have all included screen capture tools in their operating systems. To use them, depending on your device, follow these instructions: iPhones and iPads – press the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button at the same time; Android devices – press the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously; Macs – press Command + Shift + 3; Windows PCs – press Windows Key + PrtScn; Chromebooks – press Ctrl + Show windows.

Take screenshots and record videos of your screen in Windows

Screenshots

Pressing Shift + Win + S will darken the screen, allowing you to capture a screenshot of any area, window or full screen. After taking the screenshot, it can be edited and saved using an image editor like Microsoft Paint.

Press the Print Screen button on your keyboard to capture a screenshot of your entire screen, or press Alt + Print Screen to capture just the active window. To save a screenshot directly into the Images / Screenshots folder, press Windows + Print Screen.

screen recording

Press the combination of Win + Alt + R to start recording the currently selected window. The recordings will be saved in the videos folder under “Recording”. Snipclip Record, similar to MacOS, is a great web-based tool for more recording options, such as capturing your entire desktop, webcam and audio from your computer.

Take screenshots and record videos of your screen on iOS / iPad

Screenshots

To take a screenshot on iPhones and iPads without a home button, press and release the power and volume up buttons. For devices with a home button, press and release the home and volume up buttons.

Taking a screenshot on your iPhone will save it to your Camera Roll, but you can also tap the thumbnail view for editing options. If you’re using Safari, there’s an additional “Full Page” option that allows you to capture the entire web page as a PDF. However, this may not work with particularly long and complicated pages.

screen recording

To record your screen, swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to bring up Control Center and hit the record button. You can also add a microphone and share your screen in video chat apps like Zoom. To enable this option, go to Settings > Control Center and add Screen Recording in the More Controls section.

Take screenshots and record videos of your screen on Android

Screenshots

Taking a screenshot on an Android device can be done in several ways. Pressing the power button and decreasing the volume simultaneously is one option, or holding the buttons low. Alternatively, you can ask Google Assistant to take a screenshot by saying “Ok Google, take a screenshot” or swiping up diagonally from the bottom corner of the screen.

screen recording

To access the Screen Recorder feature on Android devices, simply swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open your quick settings menu. This feature is available on all phones running Android 11 or higher, and some with earlier versions.

Take screenshots and record videos of your screen on MacOS

Screenshots

Pressing Cmd + Shift + 3, 4 or 5 will allow you to take screenshots of your Mac screen. The first two commands capture the entire screen or a selected area respectively, while the third brings up a capture menu with options for taking screenshots of single application windows.

MacOS users can customize where screenshots and desktop recordings are saved by accessing the Cmd + Shift + 5 capture menu, selecting Options and choosing a new location under “Save to”.

screen recording

Press Cmd + Shift + 5 to open the capture menu and select whether you want to record your entire screen or just a portion. You can also use the “Options” menu to add audio from your microphone, show mouse clicks, or set up a countdown timer. When you’re done recording, click on the circular icon in the menu bar to trim your footage.

Snipclip Record offers free, web-based screen recording with extra features like recording a single application window or browser tab, capturing system audio and webcam support.

Final note

This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to take screenshots and record videos of screens on Windows, iOS/iPad, Android and MacOS. If you have any questions about the article, please reach out to us. Don’t forget to share it with your friends!