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adb screenshot and screenrecord: capture the phone's screen ​

In short: To take a screenshot with adb, run adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png, which saves the phone's screen as a PNG on your computer. To record the screen, run adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4, stop it with Ctrl+C or after at most 180 seconds, and copy the video over with adb pull. Neither needs root.

Screenshots and recordings from adb are the quickest way to attach evidence to a bug report without picking up the phone.

Take a screenshot ​

bash
adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png
powershell
adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png
adb pull /sdcard/screen.png
adb shell rm /sdcard/screen.png

exec-out streams the PNG straight into the file on your computer. Windows PowerShell 5.1, the version built into Windows, changes binary output sent to a file with >, which breaks the PNG, so on Windows the picture is saved on the phone, copied over and then deleted from the phone.

Record the screen ​

bash
adb shell screenrecord --time-limit 30 /sdcard/demo.mp4
adb pull /sdcard/demo.mp4
adb shell rm /sdcard/demo.mp4
OptionWhat it does
--time-limit 30Stops after 30 seconds; the default and the maximum are 180
--size 1280x720Records at a smaller size, which also helps when the encoder fails at full resolution
--bit-rate 4MSets the video's bit rate; higher is sharper and larger
--bugreportAdds the time and other details to the video, useful in bug reports

Press Ctrl+C to stop a recording early. The video has no sound, and parts of the screen that apps mark as secure are black.

On many phones at once ​

Comparing the same screen on many phones is how layout bugs show up. Save each phone's screenshot under its own name:

bash
for s in $(adb devices | awk 'NR>1 && $2=="device" {print $1}'); do
  adb -s "$s" exec-out screencap -p > "screen-${s//[:\/]/_}.png"
done
powershell
adb devices | Select-Object -Skip 1 | ForEach-Object {
  $serial, $state = $_ -split '\s+'
  if ($state -eq 'device') {
    adb -s $serial shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png
    adb -s $serial pull /sdcard/screen.png "screen-$($serial -replace '[:\\/]', '_').png"
  }
}

BenchFleet shows every connected phone's screen live on one page. On Pro, its group actions take screenshots on many phones at once, and each workflow run keeps a screenshot of every step, so a failed run can be replayed step by step.

Free for up to 3 phones, with no account. Pro adds workflows, schedules and AI for up to 25 phones from £12 a month + VAT.

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Common errors and fixes ​

ProblemWhat it meansFix
The screenshot is blackThe app on screen blocks screenshotsNothing to fix from the computer; test that screen by hand
The PNG will not open on WindowsPowerShell changed the binary outputUse the save-and-pull commands above
Encoder failed or a recording that stops at onceThe phone cannot encode video at full resolutionAdd --size 1280x720
The recording stops after three minutesscreenrecord's limit is 180 secondsStart a new recording, or use scrcpy's recording
adb: more than one device/emulatorSeveral phones are connectedChoose one with -s and its serial number

Questions ​

How do I take a screenshot with adb?

In bash or zsh, run adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png. In Windows PowerShell, save it on the phone with adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png and copy it with adb pull /sdcard/screen.png.

How do I record the screen with adb?

Run adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4, stop it with Ctrl+C or let it reach its time limit, then run adb pull /sdcard/demo.mp4 to copy the video to your computer.

How long can adb screenrecord record?

180 seconds at most, which is also the default; --time-limit sets a shorter limit. For longer recordings, start a new one when the last ends, or record with scrcpy, which has no such limit.

Why is my adb screenshot black?

The app on screen marks its window as secure, as banking apps and some video apps do, so Android leaves it out of screenshots and recordings. Nothing on the computer side changes that.

Can adb record sound?

No, screenrecord captures video only. scrcpy can record the screen with sound on Android 11 and newer.

Start with the Free plan

Free for up to 3 phones, with no account. Pro adds workflows, schedules and AI for up to 25 phones from £12 a month + VAT.

Download freeSee pricing