Run adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png in your computer’s terminal to capture the connected Android device’s current display as a local PNG. The command streams the screenshot directly to your computer in one step. Android Developers documents screencap as the shell utility for taking a screenshot of a device display and recommends exec-out for retrieving raw data.
What the command does
adb (Android Debug Bridge) sends commands to an Android device. exec-out runs a command and returns its raw output to the computer. screencap captures the device display, and -p requests PNG format. The > screen.png portion is terminal redirection: it writes the returned bytes to a file named screen.png on your computer.
Use this exact command from the directory where you want the image saved:
adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.pngA successful run normally returns to the prompt without printing a message. Open screen.png with any image viewer to check the result.
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Before you capture
- Install Android SDK Platform-Tools so the
adbexecutable is available in your terminal. - Connect the Android device to the computer and ensure it is available to ADB.
- Use the device’s display in the state you want to record;
screencapcaptures the current display, not a future screen or an app’s internal layout.
Check whether ADB can see a target with:
adb devicesIf more than one device or emulator is connected, select the intended target explicitly. ADB supports -d for a physical device, -e for an emulator, and -s serial_number for a particular serial number.
Capture a screenshot directly to your computer
- Connect the device and confirm it appears in
adb devices. - Arrange the screen you want to capture.
- Run
adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png. - Open the resulting file and verify that it is a valid PNG.
For a selected device, put the selector before exec-out:
adb -s SERIAL_NUMBER exec-out screencap -p > screen.pngReplace SERIAL_NUMBER with the value shown by adb devices. This avoids accidentally capturing from the wrong target when several are connected.
Choose a different output name or folder
The filename after > is local to your computer, so you can include a path and a timestamp generated by your own shell. For a simple numbered sequence, use distinct names:
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adb exec-out screencap -p > screen-001.png
adb exec-out screencap -p > screen-002.pngDo not add a device path to the redirection filename; that would refer to the computer’s filesystem, not the Android device.
Alternative: save on Android, then pull the file
If you prefer to create the image on the device first, run:
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adb shell screencap /sdcard/screen.png
adb pull /sdcard/screen.pngThe first command writes screen.png on the device. The second copies it to your current computer directory. This workflow has two commands and makes the device-side path explicit.
When the two-step workflow is useful
- You want to leave a copy at a known device path before transferring it.
- Your terminal’s output redirection is inconvenient or produces an invalid file.
- You need to pull an existing screenshot later rather than stream it immediately.
The direct and two-step workflows are functionally different destinations: direct capture writes to the computer immediately; the alternative writes to Android first and then transfers the file. The Android documentation does not claim that one is faster.
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Physical device only
adb -d exec-out screencap -p > phone.png-d restricts the command to a connected physical device.
Emulator only
adb -e exec-out screencap -p > emulator.png-e restricts it to an emulator.
Specific serial number
adb -s SERIAL_NUMBER exec-out screencap -p > target.pngUse the serial exactly as displayed by adb devices.
Capturing repeatedly or from scripts
Because the command writes a normal PNG stream, it can be called by a shell script, test runner, or build job. Give every capture a unique destination so a later run does not overwrite an earlier one. Keep the ADB selector in the script when the environment can contain multiple targets.
For a device-side sequence, change the remote filename before pulling:
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adb shell screencap /sdcard/step-01.png
adb pull /sdcard/step-01.pngClean up device-side files when they are no longer needed, using the Android shell tools available on that device.
Troubleshooting
“adb: command not found” or an unrecognized command
The terminal cannot locate Platform-Tools. Install Platform-Tools and either run the command from its directory or add that directory to your operating system’s PATH. Re-run adb devices to verify that the executable is available.
No device appears in adb devices
Check the physical connection, confirm the device is powered and unlocked, and reconnect it. The capture command cannot target a device that ADB does not list. If you intended to use an emulator, make sure the emulator is running and then check the list again.
The device is listed but not usable
ADB may be waiting for the device to authorize the computer. Unlock the Android device and respond to any authorization prompt, then run adb devices again. If the status remains unusable, restart the ADB connection and reconnect the device before retrying.
“more than one device/emulator”
Supply -d, -e, or -s SERIAL_NUMBER. Without a selector, ADB cannot know which display you want.
The output file is empty, corrupt, or not recognized as PNG
Use the documented raw-data form exactly: adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png. Avoid replacing exec-out with a command that transforms the stream. If redirection still fails in your terminal, use the device-side method and adb pull instead.
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- BUILT TO LAST: With an improved IP54 rating, Galaxy A17 5G is even more durable than before.⁴ It’s built to resist splashes and dust and comes with a stronger yet slimmer Gorilla Glass Victus front and Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer back.
The image shows an unexpected screen
screencap captures the display at the moment the command runs. Navigate to the intended screen first, wait for it to finish rendering, and then invoke the command. For repeatable tests, make the navigation and wait part of the test sequence before capture.
The command writes to the wrong place
The path after > is interpreted by the computer’s shell. Use an absolute local path or change to the desired directory before running the command. In the two-step workflow, the path in adb shell screencap /sdcard/screen.png is on Android instead.
Direct capture versus device-side capture
| Workflow | Commands | First destination | Steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw stream | adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png |
Computer | One command |
| Save then pull | adb shell screencap /sdcard/screen.pngadb pull /sdcard/screen.png |
Device, then computer | Two commands |
Choose the raw stream when you want a local file immediately. Choose save-then-pull when an explicit device-side file is part of your workflow. Neither choice changes what screencap captures: the device display.
Or skip the browser setup
ADB is for a connected Android display. If what you need is a screenshot of a public or authenticated website, ScreenshotNeo provides a website screenshot API instead; it does not replace ADB for capturing a phone’s physical screen.
One GET request returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo documentation for the full parameter reference. Equivalent examples:
Python
import requests
r = requests.get("https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot", params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"}, timeout=90)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);ScreenshotNeo accepts cookies and consent banners like a visitor, removes more than 60 known consent platforms plus newsletter popups and chat widgets before capture, and lets you turn each cleanup step off. Bot checks, CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed as clean shots; response headers identify the page verdict and billing result. Its MCP server exposes take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients.
Other options include full-page capture with lazy images loaded, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, 12 device presets or a custom viewport, retina scale, PDF paper and page controls, custom CSS and JavaScript, click-before-capture actions, selector hiding, selector/delay/network-idle waits, request and resource blocking, custom headers, cookies, user agent, Authorization, timezone and geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, chosen cache TTLs, signed image links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, a usage API, and an OpenAPI specification. Parameter names used by other screenshot APIs also work to ease migration.
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FAQ
What does the -p option mean?
It asks screencap to output PNG format.
Where is the screenshot saved?
With the direct command, it is saved to the computer at the path supplied after >. With save-then-pull, the first file is on the device and the pulled copy is local.
Can I capture a particular app window?
The documented command captures the device display. It does not provide an app-window selector.
How do I choose one target among several?
Use -d, -e, or -s SERIAL_NUMBER with the ADB command.
The Bottom Line
For a local Android screenshot, use adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png. If you need a website image rather than a connected-device display, use ScreenshotNeo’s API and its free 1,000-screenshot monthly plan.
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