3 Ways to Fix Unable to Capture Screenshots on Android

Why Certain Apps Don’t Allow You to Take Screenshots on Android

Some Android apps may prevent you from taking screenshots for security reasons. Financial apps (banking or payment apps, for example) may prohibit you from taking screenshots to protect your data. Similarly, popular browsers such as Chrome prevent you from taking screenshots in incognito mode. Furthermore, popular streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and others disable screenshot functionality to prevent misuse of digital content. As a result, screenshots captured in those apps appear blank.

Try Basic Fixes

• Use the correct key combination: On most Android phones, you can press the Power and Volume down buttons at the same time to capture a screenshot. You’ll hear a sound and see a preview of your screenshot.
• Try alternative methods to capture screenshots: Activate Google Assistant on your Android by saying “Hey Google” or “OK Google” wake words. Then, say “take a screenshot” and Google Assistant will take a snapshot of your current screen. If you have a Samsung phone, you can swipe your hand across the screen to take a screenshot. On OnePlus, Motorola, and Xiaomi phones, you can swipe down from the top of your screen with three fingers to take a screenshot.

Fix 1: Check Storage Space

Is your Android phone low on storage space? If so, you may see the “Can’t take screenshot due to limited storage space” message on your screen.

To check your phone’s storage space, open the Settings menu and navigate to Device care. Then, tap on Storage to view a complete breakdown of your phone’s storage space.

Delete a few unnecessary apps or move some of your media files to the cloud to quickly free up storage space. Following that, you should be able to capture screenshots on your phone.

Fix 2: Enable File Access for Samsung Capture (For Samsung Phones Only)

Samsung Capture is a system app that allows you to capture screenshots and record the screen of your Samsung phone. If you have accidentally disabled file access for this app, you’ll see the “Unable to use Samsung capture” error while taking screenshots. Here’s how to fix it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and scroll down to tap on Apps.

Step 2: Tap the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Special access.

Step 3: Tap on All files access and enable the switch next to Samsung capture.

After this, you can take screenshots on your Samsung Galaxy phone.

Fix 3: Try Safe Mode

When you boot your Android phone into Safe Mode, it runs only the necessary apps and services. This allows you to determine if a third-party app is causing the issue.

To boot your phone in Safe Mode, press and hold the power button until the power menu appears. Tap and hold the Power off option and tap the green checkmark to enter Safe Mode.

Try taking a screenshot after your phone enters Safe Mode. If this method works, there’s a good chance that one of your third-party apps is to blame. Go through your recently installed apps and remove them one by one to resolve the issue.