A screenshot is a helpful tool in Smartphones that you can seldom use. But sometimes, this function may not work well due to various reasons. If you are annoyed with these “couldn’t capture Screenshot” messages, then you are in the right place. Why can’t I take a Screenshot? Some of the common reasons that you can’t take Screenshot can be due to your phone’s security policy, incognito mode, limited storage etc. Here we have listed different types of mobile phone screen shot errors and troubleshooting methods for each in detail to help you fix your screenshot not working problem.
What to do when we can’t take screenshot due to security policy?
If screenshot not allowed by app or some websites, it may be due to their security policies. However, you can crack them easily by following the below solutions.
Solution 1: Check for Alternative Screenshot Methods
Before trying other fixes, it is better to get familiar with screen shots on Android or iOS devices.
Method 1: Screenshotting using Buttons
First, let’s look at the procedure for screenshotting using buttons.
- First, open the screen which you want to screenshot before using the buttons.
- Make clear what key combinations you should try on your phone for taking a screenshot. In most Android mobiles, ‘power’ and ‘volume down’ buttons are used, but ‘home’ and ‘power’ buttons are used in other mobiles.
- Now, press and hold ‘power’ and ‘volume down’ simultaneously to snapshot your screen.
Method 2: Screenshotting using Accessibility Feature
If you are not comfortable or couldn’t use the buttons for taking screenshots, you can use other alternatives. Most of our phones will have an accessibility feature, where you can enable the three-finger swipe screenshot option.
1. You can find accessibility functions in settings, so first, find and open the ‘Settings’ on your phone.
2. In settings, find ‘Smart assistance’ and open it. If you couldn’t find it, type ‘Smart assistance’ in the search bar on your ‘Settings.’
3. After opening ‘Smart assistance’, now you will see a list of other options. From that list, select the ‘Motion control’ tab.
4. Here, you can see that Three-finger screenshot option. Enable it by sliding the bar.
Method 3: Screenshot using Google Assistant
1. First, open Google settings and check whether you have permitted Google Assistant to access your screen. If not, follow solution number 2 for enabling screenshot permissions.
2. Say “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” to activate google assistant using voice command. You can also long-press your ‘home button’ to open Google Assistant.
3. Your Google Assistant will return you with options. From the options, click ‘What’s on my screen?’.
4. It will show some results related to your screen, and from the options shown, click ‘Share Screenshot.’ Your snapshot is ready, and you can directly share it through apps.
Solution 2: Enable Screenshot Permission
Do you know that you can enable or disable the screenshot function on your phone? If none of the screen capturing methods are working, then you must check whether ‘Screenshot’ is enabled on your device. Follow the steps below to enable screenshot permission on your device.
1. Open your phone ‘Settings,’ and from the list of options displayed, find ‘Apps.’ Now, click and open ‘Apps.’
2. In the ‘apps’ tab, find and click ‘Default Apps.’ Here, you can see a list of apps that are set as default for different functions. Now, select ‘Assistance & voice input.’
3. Here, you can see that the default ‘Assist app’ is set as Google. To allow Google Assistant to take a screenshot, enable the ‘Access on-screen text’ and ‘Use screenshot’ options by touching on the bar.
Solution 3: Clean Up Phone Storage
Sometimes you can’t take screenshots due to limited storage space; you have to clean up some of your storage space for saving new screenshots. For manual storage emptying, follow the steps below.
1. Go to your phone ‘Settings’ and select ‘Storage’ by clicking on it. Storage will display all your data like images, documents, videos, and apps.
2. In ‘storage,’ you can see storage space available on your device and the storage used. And it also displays the total size of all types of data. To empty storage space, click on the ‘Clean Up’ button at the bottom.
3. By clicking on the ‘Clean Up’ button, a new tab opens, and the system automatically recommends some files for cleaning. You can make space by cleaning up any unused apps, junk files, and duplicate files. For doing so, you need to click on that ‘Clean Up’ button next to the particular type of file you want to clean.
4. For instance, let us clean some ‘Duplicate files.’ After clicking on the ‘Clean up’ button next to duplicate files, we will get a list of videos, images, documents, archives, and other categories with duplicate files.
5. Here, let us delete some duplicate video files. Select
and then check the box next to the file that you want to delete. After selecting the files, click on the ‘Delete’ button at the bottom.
6. Similarly, you can delete any duplicate files or unused contents from your device to free up space. After making up the required space for taking screen shots, ‘Restart’ your device. To restart your device, long-press the ‘Power’ button and select ‘Restart.’
If you still don’t have enough space, you can move some of your files to an external storage device like SD cards.
Solution 4: Enable App Permissions
Some people complain that we can’t take screenshot due to security policy on specific apps like Facebook. This case happens when specific app permissions that are necessary to take screenshots are not enabled. You can fix this issue simply by following the procedure below.
1. Open ‘Settings’ and in ‘Apps,’ find the app that prevents you from screen capture. (here, let us consider the Facebook app as an example).
2. Click the ‘Facebook’ app and select ‘Permissions’ from the list of options.
3. Now, you can see a list of app permissions required. From that list, enable ‘Camera’ and ‘Storage’ permissions.
This procedure can be used for any other app that doesn’t allow to take screenshots due to disabled app permissions.
Solution 5 – Use Another Android Device
This method goes handy when you barely need a screencast, and your phone or app disallows it. With this method, you can capture your screen information even while using chrome incognito or banking apps. But, it would help if you had an additional Android mobile for trying this method.
Method 1- Use TeamViewer App
1. Install the TeamViewer app from the Play Store if you don’t have it on your device.
2. After installing, open ‘TeamViewer’ on both your devices. Connect both mobiles by using the ‘Partner ID’ in ‘remote control’ mode.
3. Now, open the app or screen. You want to take a screenshot from the additional device and do a screengrab.
You can try this method for troubleshooting any ‘cant take Screenshot due to security policy Android’ problem.
Solution 6: Do a Factory Reset
Use this as a final alternative if none of the above methods are working on your device.
1. Go to the ‘Settings’ app on your phone. In settings, open ‘System’ or ‘System Settings’ and select ‘Reset’ from the list of options.
2. If you cannot take screenshots due to any settings, try ‘Reset all settings.’ Click the ‘Reset all settings’ button, and now all your system settings will be restored to default settings.
3. Sometimes, doing Reset of all settings does not work because any apps or data on your phone might be preventing you from taking screenshots. Therefore, click “Reset phone” button at the bottom and reset the phone.
Before doing a factory reset or Reset phone, don’t forget to back up all the files, images, and contacts on your device. Factory resetting will erase all your data on your phone and restore settings. This process uninstalls apps whose security policy is preventing you from taking screenshots.
Solution 7: Uninstall Apps that Block Screenshot Feature
Sometimes, the screenshot function might have stopped working after installing a new app. For example, a new parental control app that you have installed recently might be the reason. As these kinds of apps are designed to control your phone, they disallow screen captures. You cannot bypass the security policies of these apps, so you have to uninstall them.
Solution 8: How to Screenshot on Android using 3rd Party Apps?
For taking snapshots, there are several third-party apps available in the play store. You can install and use one of them if your phone’s screenshot function is not working or want more customized screenshots. These apps offer more features like selecting screenshot areas before taking snapshots and also have advanced editing features.
Solution 9: Close Incognito Modes
As we discussed earlier, in the message ‘can’t take screenshot due to security policy Incognito,’ we cannot take screenshots in Chrome incognito mode. Similarly, apps like Facebook and Instagram will prevent us from taking snapshots while used in incognito mode. So, you need to close and use them in non-incognito modes to do screen grabs.
Conclusion
Getting a message like “Android Can’t take Screenshot Due To Security Policy” will be irritating if you need a screenshot in emergency cases. As already discussed, the possible reason for a screenshot issue can be varied for different devices. We have covered all causes and troubleshooting methods when you can’t take screenshot due to limited storage space, app security policy, etc. Comprehending them can help you in critical situations, and we hope that our solution has worked well for you.