Screenshots are a big part of our lives on the Internet, and their domain extends to anything that can display graphics, including Android TV devices. However, taking screenshots on Android TV isn't as simple as it is on Android phones.

Android TV doesn't have a built-in screenshot feature, but that won't be enough to stop you from taking screenshots. In this article, we're going to go over a method that allows you to capture screenshots or record videos of your Android TV device.

How to Take Screenshots on Android TV

On an Android phone, you can take screenshots by pressing a combination of buttons or using an array of apps available in the Play Store. Unfortunately, this is not the case for Android TV, as there is no native screenshot feature.

Considering that, one sly method for taking screenshots on Android TV is to stream the screen on a PC, where you can take screenshots of any app or page you want.

To achieve this, we're going to install ADB and scrcpy on a computer. These programs allow you to connect to your Android TV device and then stream the screen onto your computer. Both these programs are available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Though the process might seem daunting if you don't have any programming experience, there's no need to panic. Even if you haven't ever used command lines on your computer, the steps in this article are easy to follow. Let's get started!

1. Installing ADB and scrcpy on Your PC

The very first step is to install ADB or Android Device Bridge. The Android Debug Bridge or ADB is a developer tool that lets you run console commands on your Android device through your PC.

You should download and install Scoop in Windows to use ADB. If you're using macOS, you can install ADB in Terminal using Homebrew on Mac. On Linux, you can install it directly through the terminal.

We will use Scoop for Windows to install ADB. Scoop is a command-line installer for Windows that allows you to add other programs and plugins to your terminal. To install ADB, first, we need to install Scoop like this:

  1. On Windows, open Windows Powershell as administrator. You can do this by searching Powershell in the Start menu and then clicking Run as Administrator.
  2. Once inside Powershell, run the command below:
    Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -scope CurrentUser
    This command will allow you to install programs on your terminal.
  3. Run the command below:
    iwr -useb get.scoop.sh | iex
    This command invokes a web request to install Scoop.
Scoop installation.

Once you get a message saying that Scoop was successfully installed, you're good to proceed. You now have a platform that enables you to install ADB and scrcpy.

Now it's time to install ADB. Thanks to Scoop, this will take only a moment and a single line in the Windows Command Prompt.

  1. Open Command Prompt on your PC. You can do this by searching for CMD in the Start menu.
  2. Inside Command Prompt, enter the command below and press Enter:
    scoop install ADB
    This command calls on Scoop to install ADB on your PC.
Installing ADB on Windows

This process should be quick, but it can take a while, depending on how fast your connection is. Once you get a message saying that ADB was installed successfully, you're good to proceed.

Next, it's time to install scrcpy. scrcpy is an open-source program that lets you stream your Android device's screen onto your computer. You can use scrcpy for any Android device, including phones and Android TV devices.

  1. Inside Command Prompt, as we showed you before, enter the command below:
    scoop install scrcpy 
    This command calls on Scoop to install scrcpy.
  2. Press Enter.

Scoop needs to download scrcpy and then install it. Scrcpy is around 30MBs, so this can take a while if you have a slow connection. Once you get a message telling you that scrpcy was installed, you're all primed up.

2. Enabling Developer Mode and Debugging on Your Android TV

ADB needs permission from your Android TV to connect to it. For this, you need to enable debugging from the Developer Options menu, and to access that menu in the first place, you need to enable Developer Mode.

The process of enabling Developer Mode on Android TV is identical to enabling USB debugging mode on Android phones.

  1. Go to your Android TV's settings.
  2. Select Device Preferences and then go to About.
  3. Press OK on Build until you're a developer.
Enabling developer mode on Android TV.

Now that you're a developer, you can access the developer options and enable debugging.

  1. Go to your Android TV's settings.
  2. Select Device Preferences.
  3. Select Developer Options.
  4. Enable USB Debugging. If your Android TV also has a separate option for Wireless Debugging, then enable that as well.
Developer options in Android TV.

Now your Android TV is all set up to connect with your PC. There's one last thing you need, though: your Android TV device's IP address.

  1. Go to your Android TV's settings menu.
  2. Select Device Preferences and then go to About.
  3. Go to Status. You can see your device's IP address here.

Jot down that IP address as you will need it in the next steps.

3. Streaming Your Android TV’s Screen on Your PC

scrcpy on Android TV

Now it's time to have some fun. If you've done the previous steps correctly, then connecting to your Android TV device should be a piece of cake now.

  1. Open Command Prompt on your PC, as we showed you before.
  2. Type the command below and press Enter:
    adb connect IP_ADDRESS
    Replace IP_ADDRESS with your Android TV's actual IP address.
  3. Once you get a message that the connection was made, enter the command below:
    scrcpy
  4. Press Enter.

A new window streaming your Android TV's screen will pop open. You can resize this window, or use your mouse and keyboard to navigate through your Android TV's interface.

4. Taking Screenshots of Your Android TV

Android TV home page.

Finally, it's time to take screenshots. This step depends on how you take screenshots on your PC since your Android TV's screen is streamed on your PC now. For starters, you can press Windows + Shift + S on your keyboard to summon Window's Snipping Tool.

Furthermore, you can also record your Android TV's screen by streaming it on your PC and then recording your PC's screen.

As a security measure, remember to disable USB and Wireless Debugging. Otherwise, anyone with knowledge of ADB can easily access your Android TV and mess with it.

Snapping Shots on Android TV

Taking screenshots on Android TV is a bit of a hassle since there's no native built-in feature. But that doesn't mean that you can't take screenshots on your Android TV device. Using scrcpy and some command lines, you can take screenshots of your Android TV's screen in the comfort of your PC.

Though the steps and the prerequisites for running scrcpy might look like a lot of work, the process actually takes little time to complete. What's more, you won't have to repeat the steps in the future. All you'll need to do is connect to your Android TV and run scrcpy.