Google Pixel 2/2 XL – How to Screenshot

With all the capabilities modern phones have, your screen will routinely be filled with interesting sights you’d like to preserve. By far the quickest way to save what you’re seeing for later use is to take a screenshot. Most users are aware of this feature, although it can fly under the radar for some.

Android phones have had this function for years. Naturally, your Google Pixel 2/2 XL is no different in this regard. Grabbing a screenshot is really easy to do and takes mere seconds. In this quick tutorial, we’ll explain exactly what you need to do if you want to take advantage of this feature.

Capturing a Screenshot

As we already mentioned, Android phones have had this option for quite a while now (ever since Android 4.0). Since then, the standard way to take a screenshot on most Android phones has been to press and hold both the power button and the volume down button. There was really no need to change a function people were used to so it remained identical on the Pixel 2/2 XL.

Here’s where the respective buttons are located on your phone:

As we said, the procedure is very straightforward. Press the power button and the lower section of the volume button at the same time. Hold them for a second or two and you will notice the screen flicker and then briefly display the screenshot. This means you’ve completed the process successfully.

A notification will then appear at the top of the screen. Swipe the notification bar down to expand it. From here, you can see the screenshot and you can immediately share or delete it if you want.

However, you don’t have to make a decision on the spot. All your screenshots are automatically saved and you can review them whenever you like from the default Photos app or any gallery app you use. Simply open your app of choice and navigate to the “Screenshots” folder – all the images you create in this manner will be waiting for you there.

One Hand or Two?

We mentioned that this is the usual way to take a screenshot on an Android phone. However, button placement varies between models and manufacturers so it’s not always the easiest thing to pull off. Fortunately, the layout of the buttons on the Pixel 2/2 XL works in your favor when it comes to this.

Consequently, it is pretty easy to take a screenshot on this phone using just your left hand. Since you do not have a lot of margin for error and really do need to press the buttons simultaneously, it might be a bit tricky at first. However, you’ll easily master the technique after a few tries.

Alternatives

This is the default way of capturing a screenshot, but there are a couple of alternatives if you really don’t like pressing the two buttons at once. For one, you can use the Google Assistant and simply tell it to “take a screenshot”. Alternatively, there are many apps in the Play Store which allow you to do this in a different manner.

Despite the alternatives, we recommend you stick to the original method of taking a screenshot. You’ll quickly get the hang of it and it is an amazing way to capture anything interesting that pops up on your screen.