Taking a screenshot on WhatsApp allows you to save conversations, photos, videos, and other media to your camera roll. Screenshots are useful for capturing and sharing important information and moments on WhatsApp.
There are a few different ways to take a screenshot on WhatsApp depending on the type of phone you have. The easiest method is to press the Volume Down and Power buttons at the same time. This will take a screenshot and save it to your photos. Here is a detailed guide on the various ways to take screenshots on WhatsApp for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.
Taking Screenshots on WhatsApp for iPhone
If you have an iPhone, taking a screenshot on WhatsApp only requires two buttons. Here are the steps:
- Open the WhatsApp chat or media you want to capture.
- Quickly press and release the Side button and Volume Up button at the same time. You’ll hear a shutter sound effect.
- The screenshot will be automatically saved to your Photos app.
This shortcut works on all iPhone models including the latest iPhone 14. The Side button is located on the right side of the iPhone.
Some older iPhones like the iPhone 8 and below have a Home button instead of a Side button. On these iPhones, press the Home button instead of the Side button while also pressing Volume Up.
Previewing Screenshots on iPhone
When you take a screenshot on your iPhone, you’ll briefly see a preview thumbnail in the bottom left corner. Tap on the thumbnail to open it.
From the preview, you can tap Done to close it or tap Edit to draw, crop, or annotate the screenshot.
Finding Screenshots on iPhone
All of your WhatsApp screenshots on iPhone are saved to the Photos app. Open the Photos app and scroll down to view your recent screenshots.
You can also open the Albums tab and look in the Screenshots album. This contains all screenshots taken on your iPhone.
Sharing WhatsApp Screenshots from iPhone
Once you’ve taken a WhatsApp screenshot on your iPhone, you can share it with others via Messages, Mail, AirDrop and more. Here are the steps to share a screenshot:
- Open the Photos app and select the WhatsApp screenshot you want to share.
- Tap the Share button in the bottom left corner.
- Select the sharing method you want to use like Messages, Mail, AirDrop, Instagram, etc.
- Follow the steps to send the screenshot to a contact, group, or social media.
Taking Screenshots on WhatsApp for Android
The process for taking screenshots in WhatsApp on Android is very similar to the iPhone method. It involves pressing two buttons at the same time.
Here are the steps to capture a screenshot on WhatsApp for Android:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the chat or page you want to screenshot.
- Press and hold the Power button and Volume Down button together.
- You will hear a shutter click sound and see a screenshot thumbnail in the bottom left corner if your device is running Android 11 or higher.
- The screenshot will be automatically saved in your device’s Photos app.
This Volume Down + Power button shortcut works on all Android phones including models from Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Google Pixel, Motorola, Nokia and other brands.
Previewing Screenshots on Android
On Android 11 and newer, screenshot previews will appear after you take them. Tap the thumbnail to open the preview.
In the preview window, tap the Share button to share the screenshot or tap the Edit button to draw, crop, or annotate the image before sharing.
If your Android device runs an older version than Android 11, you may need to open the Photos app to view new screenshots.
Finding Screenshots on Android
Screenshots taken in WhatsApp on Android are saved in the Photos or Gallery app on your device. You can view all of your existing screenshots by following these steps:
- Open the Photos or Gallery app on your Android phone.
- Scroll down and look for the Screenshots album or folder.
- Tap to open the Screenshots folder. This contains all of your WhatsApp and general screenshots.
- Tap a screenshot to view or share it.
Sharing WhatsApp Screenshots on Android
Follow these steps to share a WhatsApp screenshot from your Android device:
- Open the Photos/Gallery app and select the desired screenshot.
- Tap the Share button, usually at the bottom of the screen.
- Select an app to share it through like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Follow the steps in the sharing app to send the screenshot to a contact, group, or post it on social media.
Taking Screenshots on WhatsApp Web
You can also take screenshots of your WhatsApp chats and media on WhatsApp Web accessed through a browser on your computer. Here’s how to do it:
- Go to web.whatsapp.com in your web browser and open the chat you want to capture.
- Press Ctrl + PrtScn on a Windows PC or Cmd + Shift + 4 on a Mac to take a screenshot of the entire page.
- You can also press Ctrl + Shift + PrtScn on Windows or Shift + Cmd + 4 on a Mac to screenshot just a portion of the page.
- This will save the screenshot image to your computer’s clipboard.
- Open an image editing program like Paint on Windows or Preview on Mac and paste the image to save it.
Make sure WhatsApp Web is in view on your computer’s screen before taking the screenshot for it to capture properly.
Using Third-Party Apps to Screenshot on WhatsApp
There are also various third-party apps and tools you can use to capture screenshots within WhatsApp in different ways.
Screenshot Apps for iPhone
Some handy screenshot apps for taking pictures of your WhatsApp chats on an iPhone include:
- Picsew – Takes scrolling screenshots on WhatsApp to capture entire chats or pages.
- Tailor – Lets you stitch together screenshots into one long image.
- Screenie – Also makes scrolling screenshots easy on WhatsApp iPhone.
- Long Screenshot – Scrolls and captures lengthy pages in WhatsApp automatically.
Screenshot Apps for Android
On Android, these apps provide additional screenshot functionality for WhatsApp:
- Longshot – Scrolls through pages and takes long screenshots.
- Stitch & Share – Combines multiple screenshots into one big image.
- Screener – Screenshot Scroll – Creates scrolling screenshots that span multiple pages.
- ScreenMaster – Allows screenshots of full webpages on WhatsApp Web.
These can help you capture more content from a WhatsApp chat or media page that doesn’t fit in a single standard screenshot.
WhatsApp Tools to Take Screenshots
Aside from smartphone screenshot methods, there are also dedicated tools to capture WhatsApp chats and media.
WhatsApp Web
The official WhatsApp Web client at web.whatsapp.com allows you to screenshot chats, photos, videos and anything else you view on your computer’s browser.
WhatsApp Desktop Apps
You can also download the WhatsApp Desktop app for Mac or PC from the Microsoft Store or Mac App Store. These also let you take screenshots with keyboard shortcuts.
Google Chrome Extensions
There are Chrome extensions like WA Web Plus and Chats for WhatsApp Web that add screenshot buttons on WhatsApp Web for easy saving.
WhatsApp Screen Recording
Beyond just taking screenshots, you may also want to record your WhatsApp screen. This allows you to capture videos of chats, video calls, voice messages and more.
On iPhone, you can enable screen recording in Control Center and record your WhatsApp screen. On Android, enable screen recording in the Quick Settings panel.
For longer recordings, dedicated screen recording apps like AZ Screen Recorder on Android and QuickTime Player on Mac provide more options.
Be aware that recording other users’ chats or calls without their consent may violate WhatsApp’s Terms of Service.
Conclusion
Taking a screenshot on WhatsApp is easy with the volume and power button method on iPhone and Android. You can capture conversations, media, profiles and more.
Make sure to open the screenshot you want in Photos before sharing. On WhatsApp Web, keyboard shortcuts allow quick screenshots.
Third-party apps provide advanced functions like scrolling screenshots. With so many options, you can snapshot any important WhatsApp moments and information.