How to Screenshot on Samsung S21

Press Power + Volume Down, swipe your palm across the screen or say 'Take a screenshot' to Google Assistant or Bixby

By
Adam S. Doud
Adam Doud
Adam S. Doud
Writer
    Adam has been writing about mobile technology since 2011. He is the former host of the Android Authority podcast, and his work has appeared in numerous publications.
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    Updated on December 14, 2023
    Reviewed by
    Ryan Perian
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    Reviewed by Ryan Perian
    • Western Governors University
    Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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    What to Know

    • Buttons: Press the Power + Volume Down buttons simultaneously to create a screenshot.
    • Palm Swipe: Just swipe your palm across the screen.
    • Digital Assistant: Say Hey Google or Hey Bixby, take a screenshot.

    It's essential to learn how to take screenshots on a Samsung S21. As the saying goes, "Screenshot or it didn't happen." You can take a screenshot on a Samsung S21 in three different ways, and I'll review them all.

    Take a Screenshot With the Power and Volume Down Buttons

    Go to the screen you want to capture, then press-and-hold the Power and Volume Down buttons for one second.

    Power and volume buttons on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.


    The screen will flash to indicate that the screenshot has been captured. You'll see a notification previewing the image, which you can tap for more options like crop or annotate. The image is saved to the Gallery automatically.

    Take a Screenshot With Your Palm

    Another way to take a screenshot is to swipe your entire palm over the screen. You'll know how this works if you're familiar with screenshotting on a Samsung Galaxy S20. You can swipe from left to right or right to left. After you do so, you'll see the screen subtly flash, and you'll see the small screenshot in the bottom corner. Again, you can tap on the mini screenshot to crop, edit, or annotate the screenshot.

    Take a Screenshot With a Digital Assistant

    You can also ask your digital assistant to take a screenshot. It works with Google Assistant and Samsung Bixby. 

    To activate Bixby, press-and-hold the power/side button. For Google Assistant, hold down the home button or, if your phone is set up for it, swipe inward from one of the bottom corners of your phone. Once you see the voice prompt, say Take a screenshot.

    Much like these other screenshot methods, this one will briefly flash the screen and then show the screenshot you just tool, which you can tap for options.

    How to Screenshot an Entire App (Even if It’s Off the Screen)

    Samsung Galaxy phones include a feature called Scroll Capture that lets you extend the screenshot beyond what you see on the screen. If you're in an app or a web page longer than the screen can show, you can extend your screenshot down to capture the whole scene.

    After taking the screenshot, you'll see an icon next to the screenshot preview represented as two arrows pointing down inside a box. Tap and hold it while the page scrolls down. Release the button when you've captured as much of the page as you want.

    Button to grab screeshot of contents off of the current screen on Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

    If you don't see the Screen Capture Toolbar, here's how to enable it:

    1. Go to Settings > Advanced features.

    2. Select Screenshots and screen recorder.

    3. Tap the toggle next to Show toolbar after capturing to turn it on.

    FAQ
    • How do I take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?

      To take a screenshot on a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for about a second. You'll see your screenshot along with a toolbar for editing and sharing the screenshot.

    • How do I take a screenshot on a Samsung tablet?

      To take a screenshot on most newer Samsung tablets, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously for a moment; your tablet will capture your screen's contents. On some older models, you'll press and hold the Home and Power buttons.

    • Is the Samsung S21 Ultra a 5G phone?

      Yes. All three of Samsung's Galaxy S series models, including the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra, are 5G-enabled.

    • How do I take a screenshot on other Samsung models?

      Depending on your Samsung smartphone model, how you take a screenshot on a Samsung phone will have similar steps but can vary. For example, pressing Volume Down and the Side button at the same time will capture a screenshot on most models, but these keys' locations may be in different places. Some Samsung models support a palm swipe to capture a screenshot, and many models support using a voice assistant, such as Bixby or Google Assistant, to take a screenshot. So, for example, you could say, "Hey Bixby, take a screenshot."

    • How do you turn off the Samsung S21?

      To power down the Samsung Galaxy S21, swipe down to access the quick settings pane, then tap the power icon and choose to restart or power off your device. Alternatively, simultaneously press and hold the Side button and Volume Down to access the power down/restart option.

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