For a while now most android phones could only capture what was on-screen using different tools, or applications and many required root access first. Apps like drocap, shootme, or Screenshot ER. Lately the outcry for this to be a stock feature has been answered by a few OEM’s. First the LG Optimus and G2x got it, read about that here. Then we recently discovered it was also on the Droid Charge as well. We now can tell you the Samsung Galaxy S II also has a stock built-in screen capture feature.

We can confirm that the Galaxy S II does in fact have a screen capture service, clearly shown in the image above. If you simultaneously hold Power and Home at the same time it will catpure the screen for you, and the images are available right in gallery. This works exactly the same as the Droid Charge, and G2x we mentioned above. Here is my only issue, the Droid Charge and the SGSII are both made by Samsung, yet Sammy decided two different ways to accomplish this seemingly simple task.

The Droid Charge requires holding back, and hitting menu, while the Galaxy S II you hold power and home both down to complete the screen capture, same as the G2x. Don’t get me wrong, this is a feature that has been missing for a long time and I am glad to see OEM’s like Samsung and LG add this to their devices. Please don’t stop, but it sure would be nice if we could get something universal for it. For now all android phones have a power/wake button, and I’m pretty sure they all have a home button (honeycomb tablets excluded) so something as simple as holding power and home both should be an easy and universal way to take a screen capture. That is just my $0.02

133 COMMENTS

  1.  I find taking a screenshot on a Galaxy S II much easier, if you hold the Home button first and then quickly press the Power button (before the Recent Apps popup comes up).

    • I’ve just been trying this for ages on a Galaxy S and at last I’ve found that it’s pressing the back button and home button atthe same time that captures the screen

      • on samsung galaxy s; you can use escape (arrow backwards) press and hold then press home(middle button) .. There it is.. 🙂 easy..

  2.  I find taking a screenshot on a Galaxy S II much easier, if you hold the Home button first and then quickly press the Power button (before the Recent Apps popup comes up).

  3. Original galaxy s also has this without root required, hold back button and tap home button, click and screenshot saves in folder called screenshots! My wife found this one out by accident

  4. Original galaxy s also has this without root required, hold back button and tap home button, click and screenshot saves in folder called screenshots! My wife found this one out by accident

  5.  OK, from a Samsung Galaxy S II user who was completely frustrated with this function for a week, let me let you in on a very important tip. On the Galaxy S II, if you want to do a screenshot, do NOT try to do it iPhone style and simply press home and power at the same time. You will either end up with a locked phone, or back at the home screen, or both.

    Here is how you do it. Simple: PRESS AND HOLD THE HOME BUTTON – THEN PRESS THE POWER BUTTON.So, press and hold home, then a millisecond later hit the power button. Works flawlessly every time.

    I cannot impress on you how annoying I found this function until I worked this out.

    • Thank you for this! Like you said, doing it this way works perfect every time. (using my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket)

    • Thank you for this! Like you said, doing it this way works perfect every time. (using my Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket)

    • This is stupid because everyone knows when you push and hold the home button, it only shows you the last applications you’ve launched since your last reboot! freakin idiots

      • oh and by the way jackasses, this isn’t running services in the screen capture above. For any friggin idiot that KNOWS what an android device is- you know this is the DOWNLOADS. not the goddamn running apps! They say APK for god’s sake people!!!!! So yea, screen shots work because they downloaded the fucking application for it!!

  7. Now i know why i got screen capture folder on my gallery. Just because i didn’t realize that i press power botton and home key.

  8. I have the Handcent app for my Samsung Fascinate and I find it impossible to take a screenshot of my text messages on that app. On my regular text message mode, I can take the screen shot, but on the Handcent(which I thoroughly love) it’s basically impossible. Anyone know how to manage it?

    • I have the same problem but I’m using Go SMS Pro
      It really bites because I love my screenshot feature for texts!!!

    • YAY!! YOU ROCK!! I kept screen capturing by accident when messing around with my Charge but had NO CLUE which buttons I pushed! THAN-Q! :D!

  21. For me, on my Samsung Galaxy S, it works to hold the Back and then press the power button.  It took about 10 times practicing, but I’ve got the sequence down now.

  31. So glad I found this. Just got my Galaxy S2 yesterday. I find on mine it’s easier if you hold in Home (middle button) then click Power rather than simultaneously.

  34. I have read the comments and have figured out how to do the screen capture. However, I am wanting to capture my actual text message.  Somehow when i press the power and back button, it takes me back to the screen where everyone has text messaged me.  How do I do this?

    • I’m having the same issue on mine…I can do a screenshot but when I try to do a screenshot of my texts it just takes me back to the previous page to do the capture…

    • Okay so I tried holding the home button and it didn’t work… The only way I could get it to do a screenshot of my messages was go to the conversation I want, hold the back button, press the power button, and DO NOT LET GO OF THE BACK BUTTON.. It will take a screenshot of the messages list like originally but if you don’t let go of the back button you should be able to then enter house the conversation again and then do a screenshot.. Yes every time you do this you will get a screenshot of the messages list and the conversation but it’s the only way it worked for me.. I hope this made sense! Let me know!

    • I opened the text I want and hold the back button with out letting go. This takes you to your screen with all your text messages as you stated. Still holding the back button, I again clicked on the text message I wanted to capture. Once I opened it (still holding the back button) I hit the power button and held both that and the back button down and I heard the camera go off!

  35. Okay so I tried holding the home button and it didn’t work… The only way I could get it to do a screenshot of my messages was go to the conversation I want, hold the back button, press the power button, and DO NOT LET GO OF THE BACK BUTTON.. It will take a screenshot of the messages list like originally but if you don’t let go of the back button you should be able to then enter house the conversation again and then do a screenshot.. Yes every time you do this you will get a screenshot of the messages list and the conversation but it’s the only way it worked for me.. I hope this made sense! Let me know!

    • Your instructions weren’t clear, but here’s what I learned from it:

      on the Samsung Droid Charge – hold down the ‘back’ button, click the ‘home’ button – DO NOT release ‘back’ button.  it will screenshot the message menu.  DO NOT release the ‘back’ button – click on the convo you want to screenshot.  Hit ‘home’ again, and it will screenshot the convo.  You can delete the message menu shots from the “ScreenCaptures” directory in the Gallery if you so desire.

  37. The screenshot works great until I wanted to use it while whatching one of my videos. The Iphone can easily take pictures like that but I cant seem to get this to work on my Samsung Galaxy S II. I hope there is a way to do this though…

  40. I have a Samsung Stratosphere. When I hold the power and home buttons simultaneously as recommended, it takes a screenshot, but with the Task Manager displayed in front of what I am trying to take, which is Facebook chats. Any ideas?

  42. I couldn’t take a picture of my message… I held the back button and pressed the power button but it only puts my phone into sleep mode

    • Don’t push the back button, push the home button; and then hit the power button. Make sure you do it before the task manager comes on. Just be sure to hit the power button as soon as you you hit the HOME button

    • hold home and quickly push power button, if you’re seeing task manager you are not pushing the power fast enough

  44. How do I turn it OFF?

    My phone gets stuck in the same mode all the time. I’m getting angry at the fact that I have to constantly turn off my Samsung Galaxy Fascinate just to get the friggin piece of crap to stop taking pictures of everything and wasting my battery.

    • I agree!!! I don’t have to hit “home” or “back”….just hit the power button and “Bam” got a screen capture…I have a Samsung Galaxy S

      This is a major pain for me!

  51. I finally figured it out on Galaxy S II.
    You dont press the home key firts! Press the home and power
    keys simultaneously and keep pressed untill the capture is done.
    You should hear a clicking sound when it is done.

  54. this is the worst feature why you put the screen capture on the same button that you use to turn the phone off an on. Is they way to remove this
    I next phone won’t be a samsung because of this

  55. i’ve done this accidently a few times and couldn’t figure out how, ever since i’ve been trying to actually do it and couldn’t get it! now i’m glad to know how to do it and it works great (i’ve tried it a few times since reading this lol)

  56. i get it.. it work with me.. you just have to click (the button which is in the middle of the phone) and ( the button which is close the phone ) in the same time.. soooooo easy.. thaaaaaanks

    • Pls go to Gallery, there is folder “screen capture” inside. Your screen pics are in there. You can delete them. Hope my answer can help you

  60. HOLD BACK BUTTON -> HOLD POWER BUTTON -> WAIT FOR SCREENSHOT -> RELEASE BOTH.
    GOTTA HOLD THE BUTTONS DOWN UNTIL IT TAKES THE SCREENSHOT, THEN YOU RELEASE THEM.
    RELEASING THE BUTTONS TOO QUICKLY WAS THE PROBLEM WHICH TOOK ME OVER AN HOUR TO FIGURE OUT.

  61. I figured it out finally thanks everyone for all the comments I’ve been wanting to use my screen shot for a while now and could never get it unless my phone was locked up and it did it on its own…In case your wondering how I got mine to work i just had to hold the back button and the power button and it works great 🙂

  63. I have a Galaxy S and I tried EVERYTHING, nothing works. I pressed home and then power and I also tried the back and home button. Nothing works for me

  64. before i upgrade my s2 g version with ics firmware..this trick is really helpfull.. but i cant do the same after upgrade to ics..this is really sad..but ics works great.. by this time..

  66. this doesn’t work on my phone (galaxy S2) since it updated to 4.0.3. I’ve looked in the apps folder and there is no .apk or.odex there? any thoughts?

  67. From Adam Aksu:
    I finally figured it out on Galaxy S II.
    You dont press the home key firts! Press the home and power
    keys simultaneously and keep pressed untill the capture is done.
    You should hear a clicking sound when it is done. [works just like this on my SII Skyrocket SGH-i727 with official ICS update]you’ll also have a notification in the top tray

  70. as posted previously.
    this doesn’t work on my phone (galaxy S2) since it updated to 4.0.3. I’ve looked in the apps folder and there is no .apk or.odex there? any thoughts? or does no one here have a clue?

  72. does anybody monitor this thread or is it just a free for all? it doesnt matter how many times I put on here it doesnt work no one seems to say otherwise, whats the point of this thread? @admin

  73. After I upgraded I cannot take a screenshot on my samung galaxy 2 anymore. I did by holding the home button then the power button and this no longer works :(( Very frustrating. Any ideas???

  74. Samsung Fascinate: Press and HOLD the back button – if you are on a text message conversation it will go back a screen to the text message list – don’t worry – keep holding the back button and navigate back to the text message you want – you can even scroll to the exact position you want (all while holding the back button) – THEN press the power button! Viola! You have your screen capture!
    Screen captures will appear in your Photo Gallery under Screen Captures.
    Thank you to stargazer5468 – I followed his instructions but just tried navigating without pressing the power button first so I didn’t end up with a screen shot of the text message list. I’ve tested and it works perfectly.

  76. WHEN I DID THE UPGRADE ON MY PHONE, I SAW THAT IT DID SCREEN CAPTURE, BUT I NEVER KNEW HOW TO DO IT. THIS IS VERY HELPFUL FOR ME…ALTHOUGH, IT ONLY WORKED FOR ME GALAXY S II SKYROCKET WHEN I HELD MY POWER BUTTON 1ST, THEN MY HOME BUTTON….(FOR THE LONGEST TIME I WAS MISTAKING MY MENU BUTTON FOR MY HOME….THATS WHY THIS WASNT WORKING FOR ME) THANK YOU! :_)

  77. For the Samsung Galasy S II you have to press the home and power button sumultaneously and HOLD them both down until the screenshot is taken. God. None of these freakin posts have it right.

  79. I have the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere 2. It says I have the function of screen capturing built in, but no matter what combination I try, it never works. Hold the home and power button simultaneously, and the volume down button and the powerf button. None of them work. I miss being able to screenshot stuff. Help?????????????

  80. Screenshot icon disappeared after latest samsung upgrade on my new samsung galaxy 2, tablet. It is the best feature and I have spent 4 hrs. Trying to get it back. Please help!

  81. How do you turn the screen capture off?!?!?!?! I hate it. It does it with out me even doing anything… Whats up with that. Someone please help????!!!!???

  82. I Found out how to do it. You press home and power, then press again and hold and it will screenshot. So Press home and power simultaneously twice and hold on the last one.

    • you don’t have to do it twice. You just press home and power, and hold pressed until you see the white frame flash. The trick is to just hold them pressed until the screenshot is taken (approx. 2sec)

      • Thanks, works consistantly now. Samsung really need to add this simple explanation to their user guide. Its 2017 now and my new samsung prime doesn’t make this clear especially if like me you are coming from an iPhone where you have to let go of both buttons.

        “Press and hold the Home key and the Power key simultaneously. You can view captured images in Gallery.”

    • I agree with this post – the other ones didnt work for me, but pressing home & power together twice did a screenshot perfectly for me, didnt even have to hold them for 2 seconds or anything. Thanks so much!!

  84. Well I have a Galaxy S II and all I have to do is hold power and the volume down buttons
    together and it takes a screenshot..much easier than trying to hold power and home

  86. Thanks for taking the time to explain this for people like me! I started with the Gravity Smart Phone T.Mobile & to take a screen shot you would just hold down the home button, easy enough… Then I upgraded to the Galaxy S II & when it came time to take a screen shot I couldn’t figure it out for the life of me! I thought it was just a fluke & it was just a special feature on my old phone… Thinking why wouldn’t they allow you to take screen shots on the new phones? Well thanks to your info & others I’ve found online, I now know how to take a screen shot of whatever I want!! Although I do agree that there should be a UNIVERSAL way of doing it, rather than pressing & holding down random buttons until it finally clicks!
    Thanks again for posting this, we who like taking random or useful screen shots appreciate finally knowing how to do it 😉

    ~Miss. Ghost~

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.