How to Take a Screenshot on Samsung Galaxy S21

This post highlights different screen capture methods you can carry out on the new Samsung Galaxy smartphone. Here’s how to take a screenshot on Samsung Galaxy S21.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 featured

Screenshots and Smart Devices

Screenshot or screen capture (still-image capture) is one of the many useful features embedded in today’s smart devices. With screenshots, one can easily portray a fact, proof or graphical representation and/or description of certain things that you want to share with other people. Screenshots also come in handy when making tutorial contents as they serve as very effective visual aids for the audience. Overall, screenshots do make modern life easier.

Having said that, screenshot is also a preloaded feature in computers, smartphones and other smart devices.

Galaxy Smart Capture Features

Samsung mobile devices do offer various ways to capture still screen images or screenshots. In the latest released variant — the Galaxy S21, screenshots are taken without using a third-party app.

Screenshots in the Galaxy S21 can be taken through the hardware keys and built-in features such as palm swipe, smart select and Bixby.

For starters who need help getting any of these methods done, I’ve outlined a step-by-step walkthrough for reference.

Different Ways to take a Screenshot on Samsung Galaxy S21

The following steps are also applicable to other Samsung Galaxy devices that run on the same firmware version with the S21. Actual screens and menu options may slightly vary between device models and carriers.

A. Taking a Screenshot with the Galaxy S21 Palm Swipe

Palm swipe is one of the advanced features of the Galaxy S21. It’s tagged among other features for motions and gestures.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 palm swipe

To take a screenshot with the Galaxy S21 palm swipe, you need to enable the feature first. Just follow these steps:

Tap Settings to launch the Settings app.
Select Advanced features on the Settings menu.
Tap Motions and gestures.
On the succeeding menu, toggle to turn on the switch next to Palm swipe to capture. Doing so enables the palm swipe feature on the phone.

After enabling palm swipe, you’re all set to take screenshots with a simple swipe. Here’s how:

Open the screen that you want to capture.
Once the screen is ready, position your hand on one side of the screen. Make sure that the pink side is touching the device and your thumb is pointing up.
Once you’re ready, swipe your hand left or right across the screen just like a scanner.

You will know when the screenshot was taken when you feel a vibration and see the screen flash. You will also get a notification telling that the picture was saved to the Gallery.

B. Taking a Screenshot with the Galaxy S21 Smart Select

Smart Select is a feature that allows you to select, clip and collect still images on the phone. This feature is also available in the Galaxy Note 20, where you can use the S Pen to capture everything on screen in one quick move.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 smart select

To use Smart Select in taking a screenshot, you’ll need to enable it on the phone first. Here’s how:

Tap the Settings icon to launch the Settings app.
From the Settings menu, tap on Display.
To continue, tap Edge panels then toggle to turn on the switch.
Next, tap Panels.
On the next menu, tap to check the radio button for Smart Select.
Exit the settings menu and return to the Home screen.
Swipe in on the right side of the phone until the Smart Select quick menu appears.
Select your preferred screenshot shape like oval or rectangle.
After setting the Smart select controls, go to the area of the screen that you want to capture.
To capture and save the image, simply tap Done.

The Captured image will then be saved in the Gallery folder.

C. Taking a Screenshot with the Galaxy S21 Bixby/Google Assistant

Bixby (Google Assistant) is an intelligence assistant tool embedded in new Samsung smartphones.

With Bixby, you can input voice commands, texts or taps for it to execute. There are a lot of functions that Bixby can do and taking screenshots is one of them.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 bixby

To take a screenshot with Bixby ( Google Assistant) on the Galaxy S21, you will need to activate and set up the app beforehand. Here’s how:

Tap the Settings icon from the Home/Apps screen to launch the Settings app.
Tap Advanced features.
Next, tap Bixby key.
If you haven’t already, set up Bixby by tapping on the Get started button and then follow the onscreen instructions on the setup wizard.
After setting up Bixby, choose how you’d like Bixby to be activated, either through a Single or Double press of the Bixby key. Just tap to mark the radio button for your preferred option.
Once you’re done setting up Bixby, you can use a simple voice command to take a screenshot like “Hey Bixby, take a screenshot.“

Bixby will then capture the current display or screen.

You can also combine other voice commands like “Hey Bixby, take a screenshot and share it on Instagram.”

All screenshots taken using Bixby will be saved in the same location (Gallery->Albums) on your phone.

D. Taking a Screenshot with the Galaxy S21 Hardware buttons

The quickest way to take a screenshot on the Galaxy S21 is through the hardware buttons.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 hardwarekeys

And here’s how it’s done:

Go to the screen that you’d like to capture.
Then, press the Volume Down and (Side key) Power buttons at the same time.

When you see the screen flashes and the black menu bar appearing beneath the display, that means the screenshot was taken and saved in the Gallery. A screenshot preview will also appear shortly at the bottom left corner of the display.

Should you wish to edit your screenshots, just launch the Gallery app and find the desired screenshot.

How to Access Screenshots on Samsung Galaxy S21?

As mentioned earlier, captured still-screen images or screenshots are automatically saved in the Galaxy S21 Screenshots album in the main Gallery app folder.

To access these files, just open the Gallery app by tapping on the Gallery app icon from the app screen and navigate to the Screenshots album.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 gallery

You can also access the screenshots files through the My Files app. Just launch the My Files app and then tap to open the Images folder. Inside the Images folder, you should see a folder named Screenshots. That folder stores all screenshots taken on your device. There you can open, crop, delete or do basic photo editing on any of the saved screen images.

howto take a screenshot galaxy s21 myfiles

For more advanced editing options, you can download a third-party screenshot editing tool from the Play Store. These apps do offer more advanced features to edit and customize screenshots.

And that’s how to capture screenshots on the Galaxy S21.

Hope this helps!

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