Tired of screenshots taking over your entire screen? You can fix that easily.
In iOS 26, taking a screenshot automatically opens it in a full-screen preview. Previous iOS versions displayed screenshots as small thumbnails, which were less intrusive. While the full-screen preview highlights the new Visual Intelligence features, it can be annoying to close it each time. If you prefer the older, simpler thumbnail previews, here’s a quick way to turn off full-screen screenshot previews on your iPhone.
How to Turn Off Screenshot Previews on Your iPhone
If the full-screen screenshot previews in iOS 26 have been bothering you, there’s a simple way to disable them through the Settings app. Follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app and navigate to General > Screen Capture.
- Switch off the Full-Screen Previews option.
- If enabled, you can also disable Automatic Visual Look Up.
After doing this, taking a screenshot using the power and volume up buttons will produce a smaller thumbnail, similar to the previous iOS behavior. You can still use Visual Intelligence features by tapping the thumbnail to expand it, making it one of the standout features of iOS 26.
I personally prefer this setup because it’s less disruptive, doesn’t take over the entire screen, and still allows access to screenshot editing and AI tools with a simple tap—without needing to dismiss the preview every time.
