How To Capture HDR Screenshots and Screen Recordings on iOS 26

For those who obsess over crisp, lifelike visuals, iOS 26 now includes the ability to capture high dynamic range (HDR) screenshots and screen recordings. Moving from SDR (standard) to HDR is as easy as navigating to the new Screen Capture section under Settings > General. This section also includes options for Full-Screen Previews, Automatic Visual Look Up, and CarPlay Screenshots.

After enabling this option, your iPhone will snap photos and videos in HEIF format. This provides a full dynamic range for anything you want to capture on your iPhone. For screen recordings, your iPhone will use HEVC HDR10 (High Efficiency Video Recording), which helps produce high-quality video while keeping the file size low. Additionally, capturing images with SDR will still save your images as a PNG file and videos as standard HEVC.

How To Enable HDR Screenshots and Screen Recordings in iOS 26

NOTE

To capture a screenshot on iPhone, quickly press the Volume Up, Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously. For screen recording, drag-down from your battery icon in the top-right corner and tap the Screen Recording button (small circle) within Control Center.

The new iOS 26 provides a wealth of new features and an all-new visual experience thanks to Liquid Glass, including capturing high-resolution screenshots. Enabling the new HDR screenshot and screen recording feature is as simple as turning on a switch.

That’s all there is to it. Keep in mind that not every smartphone or device supports the HDR format, so it’s a good idea to capture screenshots with SDR if you plan on sharing your photos or videos.

I tested this feature with these very screenshots, and you should note the file size will be slightly larger than the typical SDR settings. The Screen Capture photo was 249KB as a PNG and 396KB as HEIF. Lastly, be aware that the new Screen Capture section includes a couple of additional features, which you can learn all about here.