IPHONE
How to turn off full-screen screenshot previews on an iPhone
In short
Open Settings, tap General, then Screen Capture, and switch off Full-Screen Previews. A screenshot then shows as a small thumbnail in the lower-left corner again, as on earlier versions, and no longer opens across the whole screen.
Well, the full-screen preview is a little too eager to help. On iOS 26 and iOS 27 a screenshot appears in full screen by default, straight after you take it. That is lovely for one screenshot, but if you take several in a row, it gets in the way every single time. Apple's iOS 26 and iOS 27 guides both put the switch under General, Screen Capture.
3 of 3 steps show a real screenshot from our iPhone 17e.
Steps
- 1
Open Settings and tap General
On our iPhone 17e, General is the first row in the main group of Settings, above Accessibility and Action Button.
- 2
Tap Screen Capture
Scroll down the General page if you need to.
On our iPhone 17e, Screen Capture is in the group with AirDrop, AirPlay & Continuity and Picture in Picture, just above CarPlay.
- 3
Switch off Full-Screen Previews
On our iPhone 17e the text under the switch reads: Display screenshots in full view instead of showing a temporary thumbnail in the lower-left corner.
Our screenshot shows Full-Screen Previews switched off.
Below it are a CarPlay Screenshots switch, which was off on ours, and a Format choice of HDR or SDR (Most Compatible), with SDR (Most Compatible) ticked.
If you do not see this option
- You do not see Automatic Visual Look Up. Apple says it is only on supported models and in some languages. Our iPhone 17e did not show it on the Screen Capture page. Sources: Change the screen capture settings on iPhone, Change the screen capture settings on iPhone (iOS 26), Take a screenshot on iPhone
- You looked under Camera or Photos. Screen Capture is on the General page: tap General, then tap Screen Capture.
- You do not see Screen Capture at the top of General. Scroll down. On our iPhone 17e it sits below AppleCare & Warranty, in the group with AirDrop and CarPlay. Sources: Change the screen capture settings on iPhone, Change the screen capture settings on iPhone (iOS 26), Take a screenshot on iPhone
If this does not work
- The thumbnail is gone before you tap it. Don't worry, it has not gone for good. Apple calls it a temporary thumbnail, and says screenshots with thumbnails save automatically. Open Photos, tap Collections, scroll down to Media Types and tap Screenshots.
- A screenshot looks less bright on another screen. Nothing is wrong with the picture itself. Apple says HDR screenshots are saved as HEIF and need an HDR display to show in full; on a standard display they appear in SDR. To save PNG files instead, choose SDR (Most Compatible) on the Screen Capture page. On our iPhone 17e it was already ticked.
Good to know
How to take the screenshot in the first place: how to take a screenshot on an iPhone.
With Full-Screen Previews off, Apple says screenshots with thumbnails save automatically. So you can keep snapping away, and tap the thumbnail in the lower left only when you want to crop it, mark it up or capture a full page.
If you keep full-screen previews on, Apple says you save a screenshot to your photo library by swiping up or choosing an option.
Instead of the side button and volume up button, Apple says you can take a screenshot with Siri, AssistiveTouch or Back Tap. We have not checked on our iPhone 17e how those screenshots preview.
About this guide
- Device
- iPhone
- Shown on
- iOS 27.0.1 (iPhone 17e)
- App
- Settings
- Path
- Settings › General › Screen Capture
- Real screenshots
- 3 of 3 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 3 official, linked below
What changed: the screenshots are now our own iPhone 17e on iOS 27.0.1, dark mode, and the wording is checked against those screens and Apple's iOS 27 guide.
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
Sorry about that. What happened?