Everyone (probably) knows how to take a screenshot on the iPhone -- it's a quick combo of the volume + and side button.
If your hands are full, you can even ask Siri to snap a screenshot for you. But sometimes you need a longer screenshot, that shows more than what's on your screen, and this is where scrolling screenshots come in handy.
In addition to the standard screenshot using the aforementioned button combo, your iPhone takes full page screenshots, which allow you to capture more of the webpage, PDF file or whatever lengthy thing you're trying to snap. There are some guardrails, however, you should know about to save the screenshot the way you want though. We'll explain.
While you're here, check out the most annoying features about iOS 18 and all the hidden iOS 18 features you should know about.
What is a scrolling screenshot?
A full-page screenshot, or scrolling screenshot, captures an entire page -- webpage, document or email -- without you having to take multiple screenshots and then stitch them together. For example, if you wanted to screenshot a 116-page document in Safari, you would only have to take a single screenshot to capture the entire thing.
To take a scrolling screenshot, do the following:
1. First, take a regular screenshot on your iPhone. Quickly press the side button and volume up button.
2. Tap the screenshot preview that appears in the bottom-left corner. It appears for about five seconds, so be quick.
3. Next, go to the Full Page option. You'll see a preview of the entire scrolling screenshot on the right, along with a larger preview in the middle. You have tools to crop the screenshot, in case it's too long. When you're finished editing, hit Done.
4. Finally, tap Save PDF to Files or Save to Photos (if available) to save the scrolling screenshot.
If you're saving the screenshot to Files, you must choose a folder to save it in. By default, the Files app will select the last folder you saved something to or the Downloads folder.
Nelson Aguilar/CNETYou can (sometimes) save long screenshots to photos
Before you could only save long screenshots as PDF files. And that's sort of still true -- depending on the length of your screenshot.
The most obvious way to see if your scrolling screenshot can be saved to your photo reel is to just check by doing step 4 above. The option to save the screenshot to your photos will either be there or it won't. The other way to know is by taking a look at the screen overview to the right after you tap the Full Page screenshot option.
If the length of the screenshot exceeds the length of your phone's screen, you'll only be able to save as a PDF. If it doesn't, you should be able to save it in your photos. Apple's support page doesn't define the exact parameters, but this is a good rule of thumb to go by.
The overview thumbnail of the screenshot on the right will determine what file type it can be saved as.
Blake Stimac/CNETHow to view long screenshots on your iPhone
As mentioned above, extra-long screenshots are automatically converted to PDFs, so they're saved to the native Files app. To view your scrolling screenshot, open the Files app, go to the folder in which your screenshot was saved and tap the screenshot.
Here you can rename the file, draw on it, leave comments and more. You can also share the scrolling screenshot, but the other person must have Files or another PDF-reader to view it.
If you saved your screenshot to your Photos app, then that's where you can expect to find it.
All your scrolling screenshots live in the Files app.
Nelson Aguilar/CNETFor more Apple, don't miss how to use ChatGPT with Siri on your iPhone and how to save money on your iPhone app subscriptions.