How to take a screenshot on an iPad

At some point, you're going to want to.
 By 
Branford Shaw
 on 
illustration of an ipad
Credit: Shutterstock / Olga Lebedeva

Taking a screenshot on iPad has been a core feature since the first generation of Apple’s popular tablet, and for good reason. 

Whether you want to share a Twitter thread, save a receipt, or capture a moment of a video (for the memes), screenshots are an invaluable part of how we communicate today. Plus, it’s easy to do, and there’s more than one way to go about it.

If your iPad has a home button

For the majority of iPads, the most common method for taking a screenshot is to press the home button and the top button at the same time. 


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Total Time
  • Less than 1 minute.
What You Need
  • iPad

Step 1: Press the button on the top right corner of the iPad and the home button simultaneously.

If done successfully, you’ll see a white flash over the entire screen, and your iPad will save your screenshot to the photo library.

Arrows indicating the top right and home buttons on an Ipad, to press for screenshotting
Credit: Apple

If you’re having trouble, you may get better results if you press the home button slightly before the top button, then quickly release both.

If your iPad doesn't have a home button

On iPads without home buttons, the process is similar. The only difference is that instead of the home button, you’ll press one of the volume buttons instead.

Total Time
  • Less than 1 minute.
What You Need
  • iPad

Step 1: Press the button on the top right corner of the iPad and the volume button simultaneously.

Arrows indicating the top right and volume buttons to press on iPad for screenshotting.
Credit: Apple

If you don’t want to bother with button combinations

If pressing multiple buttons at once seems a little awkward, simply use one of the handiest Accessibility features on any mobile Apple device: AssistiveTouch. First you'll have to set up AssistiveTouch.

Total Time
  • Less than 1 minute.
What You Need
  • iPad

Step 1: Open Settings.

Step 2: Navigate to General.

Step 3: Click Accessibility.

Step 4: Tap Touch.

Step 5: Click AssistiveTouch.

Step 6: Tap the button at the top of the screen to turn it on.

After doing so, you’ll see a small virtual button appear onscreen that persists across all open apps. You can also use Siri and say “turn on AssistiveTouch” to get the same result.

Here's how to take a screenshot using AssistiveTouch.

Total Time
  • Less than 1 minute.
What You Need
  • iPad

Step 1: Tap the AssistiveTouch button at the top of the screen.

Step 2: Navigate to Device.

Step 3: Click More.

Step 4: Tap Screenshot.

You’ll see the same flash of the screen as if you’d done it the old-fashioned way, and your fresh screenshot will be waiting for you in your photo library.

More tutorials:

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How to post a photo to multiple Instagram accounts at the same time

How to clear your Instagram search history

How to post Live Photos on Instagram

How to delete individual photos from a carousel on Instagram

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How to create an "Add yours" story on Instagram

How to hide photos on Instagram without deleting them

How to see your 'Least Interacted With' on Instagram

Topics iPad

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Branford Shaw

Branford Shaw is a multidisciplinary writer, musician, and sourdough enthusiast. A graduate of Hampton University's Biology department, he enjoys learning about new and complex subjects like Web3 and leading-edge medical technology. You can usually find him either at his desk with a hot cup of chai, or outdoors enjoying the sunshine and plant life while waiting for bread to rise.

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