To take a screenshot on an iPhone 5, press the Sleep/Wake button on the top of the phone and the round Home button below the screen at the same time, then let go quickly. The screen flashes white, you hear a camera shutter sound (unless the phone is on silent), and the picture is saved to the Photos app. The same method works on the iPhone 5s, 5c, and first-generation iPhone SE.
Newer iPhones use different buttons, so here’s how to take a screenshot on every iPhone, plus where to find it and what to do if the buttons don’t work.
How to screenshot on an iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, or SE (1st generation)
- Open the screen you want to capture.
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the top edge.
- Press the Home button at the same moment, then release both.
If you hold the buttons too long, the phone may show the power-off slider or Siri. Press them together and release right away.
| iPhone | Buttons to press together |
|---|---|
| iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, SE (1st gen), and older | Top Sleep/Wake button + Home button |
| iPhone 6, 7, 8, SE (2nd and 3rd gen) | Side button + Home button |
| iPhone X and later (Face ID) | Side button + Volume Up button |
Where to find your screenshots
- Open the Photos app. Screenshots appear in your library and in the Screenshots album (under Albums > Media Types, or Collections on the newest iOS).
- On iOS 11 and later, a thumbnail pops up in the bottom-left corner right after you take one. Tap it to crop, draw, or share, or swipe it away to save.
The iPhone 5 can run up to iOS 10, so it saves screenshots straight to Photos without the thumbnail editor.
If the Home or Sleep/Wake button is broken, use AssistiveTouch:
- Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > AssistiveTouch and turn it on. (On newer iOS, it’s Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch.)
- Tap the floating button, then Device > More > Screenshot.
On iPhone 8 and later with iOS 14 or newer, you can also turn on Back Tap (Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap) and set a double tap on the back of the phone to take a screenshot.
If screenshots aren’t working
- Press both buttons at exactly the same time. Pressing one first can lock the phone or open Siri.
- Check storage. If your iPhone is full, screenshots may not save. Go to Settings > General > Usage (or iPhone Storage) to free up space.
- Restart the phone. Hold Sleep/Wake until the slider appears, slide to power off, then turn it back on.
- Some apps block screenshots of protected content, such as streaming videos, which may appear black.
Need video instead of a still image? Here is how to make a screen recording on an iPhone and find it in Photos.
Frequently asked questions
Can I turn off the camera sound for screenshots?
Yes. Flip the Ring/Silent switch on the side of the phone to silent (orange showing).
How do I take a screenshot of a whole web page?
Full-page screenshots in Safari need iOS 13 or later, so they aren’t available on an iPhone 5. On newer iPhones, take a screenshot in Safari, tap the thumbnail, and choose Full Page.
How do I send a screenshot to my computer?
Email it to yourself from Photos, or connect the iPhone to your computer with a cable and import it. On a Mac, you can also use AirDrop on supported models.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.