How to Take a Screenshot on an iPad

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo
Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

Screenshotting on an iPad could be a little confusing since there’s a different way to do it, depending on whether your model has a home button. Your iPad is going to have a home button if it’s an iPad Pro from 2017 or earlier or an iPad Air, iPad Mini, or a standard iPad from 2019 or earlier.

Here’s how to take a screenshot on an iPad regardless of what model it is. Before we begin, if you’re unsure about which button is which, this Apple Support guide can help.

How to Screenshot on an iPad With a Home Button

Press the top button and the home button at the same time and then quickly release both. Your iPad will take a screenshot, and you’ll see a thumbnail of it showing up at the bottom left of your screen.

You can tap on the thumbnail to open your screenshot or swipe left to view it later.

How to Screenshot on an iPad Without a Home Button

If you have a later-generation iPad that doesn’t have a home button, you’ll have to use the volume buttons instead. It doesn’t matter which volume button you’re pressing.

Press the top button and any of the two volume buttons at the same time and quickly release both. If you’re successful, you’ll see a little thumbnail of your screenshot show up in the lower-left part of your screen. You can choose to tap on it to open it or swipe left on it to dismiss it.

How to Screenshot with an Apple Pencil on an iPad

If you’re on an iPad that supports an Apple Pencil, you can also ditch the buttons and use your Pencil to screenshot. First, make sure your Pencil is actually paired to your iPad. Here’s how to do that.

All you have to do is place the tip of your Pencil on the bezels on either of the two bottom corners of your iPad and gentlyswipe diagonally toward the middle of the screen. Your screen will show you a snapshot of what’s about to be captured. Release the Pencil from the screen to finalize the screenshot. Press Done on the top-left to decide what to do with your screenshot.

You can choose to keep it by tapping Save to Photos or delete it by clicking on Delete Screenshot.

If you can’t screenshot this way, that’s because your Apple Pencil gesture settings are set to other features. Go into Settings > Apple Pencil > Pencil Gestures to see what your Left Corner Swipe and Right Corner Swipe are set to. Tap on either or both of these and pick Screenshot from the list.

Need More Help?

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How to Restart an iPad
How to Connect Your Apple Pencil to an iPad

Want more of Gizmodo’s consumer electronics picks? Check out our guides to the best phones, best laptops, best TVs, and best headphones. If you want to learn about the next big thing, see our guide to everything we know about the iPhone 16.

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