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How to Get a Screenshot from a YouTube Video

Quick ways to capture still images from your favorite YouTube videos

Do you want to capture a still image from a YouTube video? If you want to grab a screenshot from a video, you can use your device's screenshot function, download an add-on extension, or use a third-party website. This wikiHow article teaches you how to screenshot YouTube using your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, and your Windows, Mac, or Chromebook computer.

How to Screenshot on YouTube

  • Mobile: Pause the video, tap the full-screen mode icon, then press Volume Up + Side button (iPhone) or Volume Down + Power (Android).
  • Windows: Pause the video you want to screenshot in full-screen mode, then press Windows Key + PrtScrn on the frame you want to capture.
  • Mac: Pause the video in full-screen mode, then press Command + Shift + 3 to capture the entire screen.
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:

Using a Mobile Phone or Tablet

  1. You can search for a video by tapping the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right corner, or browse videos by tapping the tabs at the bottom of the screen.
    • YouTube is available for iOS in the App Store and for Android in the Google Play Store.
  2. To switch to full-screen mode, tap the screen to display the playback controls, then click the square icon in the lower-right corner. [1]
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  3. Tap the icon with two vertical lines in the center of the screen to pause the video.
    • If you don't see the pause icon in the center of the screen, tap the center of the screen again to display the playback controls.
  4. The red line at the bottom of the video playback represents the entire length of the video. The red dot represents the current time in the video. You can tap and drag the red dot left and right in the bar to move to the part of the video you want to capture.
    • You may need to tap the 'play' triangle to unpause the video to get to the exact frame you want to capture and pause it again.
  5. If the playback controls on the screen are visible, tap an area of the screen that doesn't have any buttons to make the playback controls disappear. That way, you only have the video frame visible on the screen.
  6. The way you take a screenshot is different from one phone or tablet model to the next. Use the following steps to take a screenshot on your phone or tablet:
    • Android: Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons at the same time. If that doesn't work, press and hold Power for a few seconds and tap Screenshot .
      • The screen will flash, and you will hear the sound of a camera click. [2]
      • You can also swipe your hand vertically across the screen to take a screenshot on some Android phones and tablets. Alternatively, you can wake up the voice assistant (i.e., Google Assistant, Gemini, Bixby) and say “Take screenshot.”
    • iPhone X and later: Press the Side button on the right and the Volume Up button at the same time. The screen will flash, and you will hear the sound of a camera click. [3]
    • iPhone 8, 7 or 6: Press the Side button on the right, and the Home button below the screen at the same time. The screen will flash, and you will hear the sound of a camera click. [4]
    • iPad, iPhone SE, 5 and earlier: Press the Power button on the top right side and the Home button below the screen. The screen will flash white, and you will hear the sound of a camera click.
  7. Now that you've captured the screen, use the following steps to find your screenshots on your mobile phone or tablet:
    • iPhone & iPad: Open the Photos app on your home screen, then scroll down and tap Media Types > Screenshots .
    • Android: Open the Gallery app or Google Photos app on your home screen. Tap Albums at the bottom of the screen, and tap the Screenshots folder.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 4:

Using a Computer

  1. You can use the search bar at the top of the page to search for a video by name, user, or channel. You can also use the options in the menu to the left to browse for the video. [5]
  2. Click the icon with two vertical lines to pause the video. It appears in the lower-left corner of the video when you place the mouse cursor over the video.
  3. Click the square icon in the lower-right corner to view the video in fullscreen mode. [6]
  4. The red bar at the bottom of the video represents the entire length of the video. The spot with the red dot represents the current time in the video.
    • Since there's no way to manually close the player controls, you must factor in time for the controls to go away.
  5. The player controls will disappear in about 5 to 6 seconds.
    • If you are having a hard time capturing the exact frame you want, you can take a partial screenshot that doesn’t include the playback controls at the bottom and top of the video playback.
  6. When the video arrives at the frame you want to screenshot, use one of the following steps to capture it:
    • Windows: Press " Windows key + Prnt Scrn " to take a screenshot. [7] The Print Screen key may read as "Prt Scn", "Prt Sc", "Print Scr" or similar.
      • On some PC laptops, you may need to press "Function" or "Fn" at the same time as the Print Scrn key.
      • Alternatively, you can press Windows Key + G to open the Game Bar and click the camera icon to take a screenshot.
      • Another way is to use Snipping Tool. Press Windows key + Shift + S and select the rectangle tool, then draw a rectangle over the area you want to capture.
    • Mac: Press " Shift + Command + 3 " to take a screenshot of the entire screen. [8]
      • Alternatively, if you want to take a partial screenshot (i.e., without the playback controls), you can press Shift + Command + 4 to take a partial screenshot. Drag a rectangle over the area you want to capture.
    • Chromebook: Press the Screenshot button at the top of the keyboard. If your keyboard doesn’t have a screenshot button, press Ctrl + Shift + Show Windows or Ctrl + Shift + F5 . Click the option to take a full screenshot or a partial screenshot (i.e., without the playback controls). [9]
  7. You can find the screenshot at the following location on PC, Mac, or Chromebook:
    • Windows: Press the " Windows key + E " to open File Explorer and click Pictures in the sidebar to the right, then open the Screenshots folder.
      • If you use the Game Bar, they are saved to the Captures folder in the Videos folder.
    • Mac: Screenshots are saved to your desktop in PNG format by default.
    • Chromebook: Your screenshots will be saved to your Downloads folder.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 4:

Using a Google Chrome Add-On

  1. Go to the Screenshot YouTube download page. If you want to take a screenshot using a tool that's built into your web browser, you can install Screenshot YouTube. This is a third-party add-on that will add a Screenshot button to your YouTube videos.
  2. This is the blue button. Then click Add Extension . This will add the extension to Chrome.
    • You may need to restart your web browser or open a new window to get the extension working.
  3. Go to www.youtube.com in a web browser and search for a video. You can filter the search results if needed. [10]
    • Pause the video at the timestamp you want to screenshot.
  4. This will be at the bottom of the video controls, next to the caption icon.
    • Your screenshot will begin to download.
  5. Google Chrome will show downloads at the bottom of the screen. Click the screenshot file to open it in your default photo viewer.
    • You can also click the arrow and click Show in folder to view the screenshot file location.
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Method 4
Method 4 of 4:

Using a YouTube Screenshot Generator

  1. Go to www.youtube.com/ in a web browser and search for a video. You can filter the search results if needed. [11]
  2. 2
    Copy the video URL. To do so, you can either highlight the URL in the address bar at the top of your browser, right-click it and click Copy , or you can click Share at the bottom of the screen and click Copy next to the URL.
  3. 3
    Go to the Tubepilot Screenshot Generator web page. This website will automatically generate screenshots from the YouTube video.
  4. 4
    Paste the URL and click Capture Screenshot . Right-click the bar in the center of the screen and click Paste . Then, just click the blue button that says Capture Screenshot to generate several screenshots from the video.
  5. 5
    Select a screenshot and save it. Various screenshots will be listed at the bottom of the screen. You can save the images on screen, or click the dimensions below the image to view the image in different sizes. To save an image to your computer, right-click or control-click the image, then select Save as , Save image as , or something similar. Enter a name for the image next to “Filename” and select a location to save the image (optional), and click Save.
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      Warnings

      • You cannot screenshot DRM-protected content. If you do so, a black or other colored image will cover the content in the screenshot.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72689?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform=Android
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/android/answer/9075928?hl=en
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102616
      4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102616
      5. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/111997?hl=en
      6. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72689?hl=en
      7. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-snipping-tool-to-capture-screenshots-00246869-1843-655f-f220-97299b865f6b
      8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/take-a-screenshot-mh26782/mac
      9. ↑ https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/10474268
      1. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/111997?hl=en
      2. ↑ https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/111997?hl=en

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