To screenshot an Apple Watch, first turn on Enable Screenshots, then press the Digital Crown and side button at the same time. The display flashes when the capture succeeds, and ordinary paired-watch screenshots appear in the Screenshots album in Photos on the paired iPhone.
Quick method:
- Turn on Enable Screenshots.
- Display the watch screen you want to capture.
- Press the Digital Crown and side button simultaneously.
- Look for the screen flash, then check Photos → Screenshots on the paired iPhone.
Apple’s screenshot instructions document these steps. Menu wording can vary slightly by watchOS version, language, or region.
Before you start: enable screenshots
If pressing both controls does nothing, screenshots are probably turned off. Current Apple software provides two ways to enable them.
From the paired iPhone
- Open the Apple Watch app.
- Tap My Watch.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down and turn on Enable Screenshots.
This is the standard setup path documented by Apple Support.
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![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/416RQ0rtsUL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Directly on Apple Watch
- Open Settings on the watch.
- Tap General.
- Tap Screenshots.
- Turn on Enable Screenshots.
The current Apple Watch User Guide places the control under this path. Older or localized watchOS releases may show slightly different labels.
How to take a screenshot on Apple Watch
- Open the app, watch face, message, workout summary, or other screen you want to preserve. Wait until the exact information is visible.
- Use two fingers to press the Digital Crown and the side button together. The Digital Crown is the round rotating control; the side button is the separate button below it.
- Release the controls after the simultaneous press. Do not hold them for several seconds; the required action is a press at the same time.
- Confirm that the display flashes. That flash is Apple’s documented capture confirmation.
If you are capturing a workout screen, read the workout warning below before pressing the controls.
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![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31caPPnRysL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Where the screenshot is saved
For a normally paired Apple Watch, open the Photos app on the paired iPhone and select the Screenshots album. Apple describes the image as being saved in Photos on the iPhone, rather than directing ordinary users to a regular photo-browsing location on the watch itself. See Apple’s support article and the watchOS guide.
If it is not visible immediately, wait briefly, close and reopen Photos, and confirm that you are checking the iPhone paired with or managing that watch. Apple does not specify one universal synchronization delay.
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![Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31YiTby0pOL._SL160_.jpg)
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
Edit, share, or delete the image
After the screenshot reaches iPhone Photos, use the normal photo controls to crop it, add markup, place it in an album, share it, or delete it. The exact buttons can differ by iOS version and by whether you opened the image from Photos or a share sheet. Apple’s iPhone guide explains the standard controls: Take a screenshot on iPhone.
Family Setup: a different retrieval path
A watch configured for a family member does not follow the ordinary paired-watch retrieval route. On the family member’s watch:
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![Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31Gq8SToFJL._SL160_.jpg)
- GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
- A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
- KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
- GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*
- Open Settings → General → Screenshots.
- Turn on Enable Screenshots.
- Press the Digital Crown and side button together to capture the screen.
Apple says the screenshot is saved to the family member’s Apple Watch Photos app and sent to the managing iPhone. On that managing iPhone, retrieve it as follows:
- Open the Apple Watch app.
- Tap All Watches.
- Select the family member’s watch, then tap Done.
- Tap General → Diagnostic Logs.
- Tap the screenshot and use the Share button to save or send it.
These Family Setup instructions are detailed in Apple Support. Do not use the Diagnostic Logs route for a normally paired watch.
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![Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41s72HIk5TL._SL160_.jpg)
- A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
- KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
- GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
- SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
- A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.
Why Apple Watch screenshots may not work
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| Nothing happens | Verify that Enable Screenshots is on in the iPhone Apple Watch app or under the watch’s Settings → General → Screenshots. |
| The capture does not register | Press the Digital Crown and side button at exactly the same time with two fingers. Make sure you are using the round crown and the lower side button. |
| The workout paused | During an active workout, this same button combination pauses the workout. Press both controls again to resume it, as Apple explains at Apple Support. |
| You cannot find the image | Check the paired iPhone’s Photos → Screenshots album, not only the watch display. |
| A family member’s screenshot is missing | Use the managing iPhone’s Apple Watch → All Watches → family member’s watch → General → Diagnostic Logs path. |
What this shortcut captures
The shortcut captures a still image of the screen currently displayed after you navigate to it. It is not continuous screen recording, a scrolling capture, or a photograph taken with the iPhone camera. Apple documents the Digital Crown-and-side-button method for Apple Watch without limiting the instructions to a particular hardware model; availability and labels can depend on the watchOS software installed.
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