How to save a video frame as a photo on an iPhone

By Saadat Rafiq · 2 min read · 4 steps · Updated 5 October 2026

Device

iPhone

Shown on

iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 14 Pro)

App

Photos

Real screenshots

4 of 4 steps

Checked

October 2026

Sources

1 official, linked below

Step by step

1. 

   Open the video and pause it

   Open the video in Photos. Play it and pause, or drag through the play bar until you see the moment you want.

   Done

2. 

   Tap the three dots

   The More button is at the top right, next to the date of the video.

   Done

3. 

   Tap Save Video Frame as Photo

   It is the last item in the menu, below Don't Feature This Person.

   Done

4. 

   Look for Saved Video Frame

   A small message above the photo strip confirms it. The still is saved as a new photo in your library; the video stays as it was.

   Done

If you do not see this option

• Your iPhone may run a different version. The screenshots here show iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 14 Pro). On another version a setting can have a different name or sit in a different place. See your version under Settings, General, About. Update under Settings, General, Software Update; back up first, plug in and use Wi-Fi. Source: Find the software version on your iPhone Source: Update your iPhone or iPad
• Search for it. Open Settings, tap the search field, type the name of the setting and tap the result. Apple notes that the sections in Settings depend on the iPhone model. Source: Find settings on iPhone
• It is greyed out. Screen Time restrictions can lock settings; Apple gives this as the reason when the Apple Account row is greyed out. Check Settings, Screen Time, Content & Privacy Restrictions. Source: If you can't sign out due to restrictions, or your Apple Account is grayed out in Settings

About this guide

Until iOS 27 the only way to keep a single moment from a video was a screenshot, with the play controls in the way. iOS 27 adds Save Video Frame as Photo to the Photos menu.

The screenshots are our own, taken on an iPhone 14 Pro running iOS 27.0.1. We blurred the video itself in the pictures; only the Photos controls are shown.

Good to know

No Save Video Frame as Photo in the menu? The iPhone is on iOS 26 or earlier. Take a screenshot of the paused video instead, then crop the controls away: how to update an iPhone.

Photos you keep from Messages land in the library too; to stop that: how to stop photos taken in Messages being saved to your library.

In short: iOS 27 Photos: pause the video, three dots, Save Video Frame as Photo.