A screenshot can keep a recipe, a gift list or a flight confirmation, and a screen recording can show a relative which buttons to tap. This guide covers both, plus the capture settings, and follows Apple's iPhone User Guide.
Take a screenshot
- Quickly press and release the side button and the volume up button at the same time. On iPhone SE, quickly press and release the Home button and the side button at the same time.
- If a thumbnail appears, tap it in the lower left of the screen. Apple lists these options:
- Full Page: captures content beyond your iPhone screen. Drag your finger on the preview image on the right to see more of it. Apple's example is capturing an entire webpage in Safari.
- Crop: drag the handles. To save a smaller portion of a full-page screenshot, tap the crop button Apple shows, then drag the handles.
- Annotate: tap the markup button, then use the Markup tools.
- Cancel or delete: tap the button Apple shows for it.
To save full-screen screenshots to your photo library, Apple says to swipe up, or tap the button on the preview, then choose an option. Screenshots with thumbnails save automatically. Instead of the hardware buttons, Apple says you can use Siri, AssistiveTouch or Back Tap.
To review them, open Photos, tap Collections, scroll down to Media Types, then tap Screenshots.
Record your screen
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center.
- If you don't see the Screen Recording control, add it to Control Center. Apple points to its Customize controls steps for that.
- Tap the Screen Recording control, then wait for the 3-second countdown.
- Swipe up to dismiss Control Center, then do the thing you want to record.
To stop, tap the red circle if your iPhone has a Dynamic Island, then tap the stop button. On other models, tap the red timer in the top left of the screen, then tap Stop.
Apple says some apps might not allow recording, and you can't record while using screen mirroring.
Add your voice
To record with audio, open Control Center, touch and hold the Screen Recording control, tap Microphone to turn it on, then tap Start Recording. Wait for the 3-second countdown, then start. Apple says recordings save to your photo library: go to Photos > Collections, scroll to Media Types, then tap Screen Recordings.
Change the screen capture settings
Go to Settings > General > Screen Capture. Apple says you can:
- Full-Screen Previews: Apple says screenshots appear in full screen by default. Turn this off for a temporary thumbnail in the lower left.
- Automatic Visual Look Up: on supported models and some languages, identifies objects and places in screenshots.
- CarPlay Screenshots: turn on to capture screenshots from CarPlay.
- SDR or HDR: SDR captures less brightness and color; screenshots use PNG and recordings use HEVC. HDR captures more brightness and color; screenshots use HEIF and recordings use HEVC (HDR10). Apple says it requires an HDR display to show the full quality, and on standard displays HDR screenshots appear in SDR.
A holiday capture checklist
- Gift lists and recipes: screenshot them, using Full Page for long webpages.
- Tech help for family: record your screen with the microphone on.
Troubleshooting
- No thumbnail appears: check Full-Screen Previews in Settings > General > Screen Capture.
- Screen Recording is missing from Control Center: add it with Apple's Customize controls steps.
Going further with ScreenLux
ScreenLux is the wallpaper app I built, and a screenshot of a finished Lock Screen is a handy way to share a look with family. On iPhone, its live wallpapers arrive as Live Photos for the Lock Screen, so a winter design can move. The holiday styles are at customphonewallpapers.com. All artwork is created with generative AI tools.
ScreenLux is free to download and preview; subscription unlocks the full catalog and removes ads.
My team specializes in advanced generative AI art and video, and WatchLux and ScreenLux are where we apply it to the watch and the phone.
- iPhone and iPad: ScreenLux on the App Store
Sources checked (official help pages, Oct 28, 2026): Apple iPhone User Guide, "Take a screenshot on iPhone" (support.apple.com/guide/iphone/take-a-screenshot-iphc872c0115/ios); Apple iPhone User Guide, "Take a screen recording on iPhone" (support.apple.com/guide/iphone/take-a-screen-recording-iph52f6e1987/27/ios/27); Apple iPhone User Guide, "Change the screen capture settings on iPhone" (support.apple.com/guide/iphone/change-the-screen-capture-settings-iph2d2500abc/27/ios/27)
Sean McCue, Founder, WatchLux and ScreenLux
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