How to Save and Print a Screenshot Messaging Evidence

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How to Save and Print a Screenshot

Perpetrators can misuse messaging platforms to harass, intimidate, and threaten people. When

technology-facilitated violence occurs, maintaining a record of events is important for criminal and civil

legal proceedings. “Messaging platforms” includes a variety of communication technologies. We use the

term to include both text messages (SMS and MMS) and instant messaging applications (such as

WhatsApp and Signal). We also include applications that a user downloads onto their device (such as

Instagram DMs or Facebook Messenger).

Messaging Evidence Preserved by Screenshots

Messaging evidence can provide proof of abuse and provide evidence of harassment, threats, and

domestic violence. While messaging evidence can be extremely useful, it is important to properly

capture it to maintain its usefulness in court. It is possible for it to get accidentally deleted or damaged if

not captured right away. One way to capture and preserve evidence of harassment, intimidation and

threats is through a screenshot. The second way is to provide a video screen recording. See the BCSTH

handout on video screen recording for instructions.

What is a Screenshot

A screenshot is a photo capture of what you currently see on the screen of your device.

This can be done on most smartphones, tablets, computers and laptops. You can take

screenshots of anything that can be seen on your screen. Some apps, like Snapchat,

will send a message to the person’s account if you take a screenshot of their content -

so you will want to look into the app that you are taking a screenshot of. It’s also

important to remember that some apps delete messages after they’ve been read, like

Snapchat.

A screenshot will only capture what you see on your screen, so you will have to take

multiple screenshots to capture all of the messaging evidence you want to preserve if

it is on more than one screen.

This information sheet will provide information about how to take a screenshot on your device and what

to include for evidence preservation. We will use text messaging as an example throughout this

information sheet, however most of the tips apply to capturing evidence via screenshots on social media

platforms and websites.

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Safety Check

Before you screenshot text messaging evidence, always think through any potential risks to your safety,

as your mobile devices may be monitored.

If you think your computer or laptop is being monitored – either by spyware or a parental monitoring

software – the person monitoring your device might know that you are taking screenshots on the

computer.

On a smartphone, if someone has access to the photos and videos you take (for example, if you share

devices or the perpetrator knows your cloud ID and password) they might be able to see that you are

capturing screenshots. Monitoring of smartphones via mobile spyware is also possible. If the perpetrator

is monitoring your device, this could alert them to you collecting evidence. This has the potential to

escalate the abuse and the perpetrator may find ways to delete the files of your evidence.

If you think that preserving evidence via screenshots will be a safety concern, consider taking the

screenshot on a computer that isn’t being monitored, such as a computer at the public library or a

friend’s computer. If you are worried about your phone being monitored, rather than using your phone

to take the screenshot, you can use a separate camera to take pictures of the screen.

Consider password safety and the importance of changing passwords on all relevant platforms and

devices. If you have any concerns that your device(s) may be monitored or infected with spyware, make

a safety plan on how to change passwords without alerting the perpetrator. If it is safe, looking into your

account settings to see what devices are connected to it and disconnecting other devices(such as the

perpetrator’s devices) may be essential to maintain your privacy.

Messaging apps can be accessed remotely by a perpetrator through an insecure password or automatic

syncing, so important evidence could be modified or deleted if not properly protected. You may need to

consider alternative ways to preserve evidence, some of which can be found in this toolkit.

How to Take a Screenshot

Taking a screenshot can be slightly different for each device and different models of the same device. If

you are not familiar with how to take a screenshot from your device, you can also do an online search

for “How to take a screenshot on a [your specific phone or tablet]” for instructions. There are many

videos online that can show you how to do this.

The chart below provides general information about how to take a screenshot on a computer or

smartphone.

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Device

Take a Screen Shot

Find Your Screen Shot

Windows Laptop or Computer

Find the key on the keyboard that

says: PrtScn, Prt Scr, or Print

Screen.

Note: not all new keyboards have

these keys. You may have to do a

quick search of your mode to

learn how to do this.

Press the Windows key + Shift + S

Use the “Sniping Tool” in your

programs

Normally you will find your

screenshots saved in this folder

Pictures → Screenshot

Immediately after taking the

screenshot, open a document

that lets you paste an image

(such as Word or Google Docs),

and “paste” the screenshot.

Mac Laptop or Computer

At the same time, press these

keys: Shift + Command + 3. This

will save the screenshot onto

your computer desktop.

Screenshot will be saved onto

the desktop as a picture.

iPhone or iPad

At the same time, press the On/

Off button + the Home button.

For iPhone X or higher, press the

On/Off button + the Up Volume

button.

Screenshot will be saved into

your Photos app as a picture.

Android Phone or Tablet

Android devices differ. You

should try the following options:

1) Down Volume button + Home

button, 2) On/Off button + Home

button. If neither of those work,

try an online search for “How to

take a screenshot on a [your

specific phone or tablet]”.

Screenshot will be saved into

your Gallery as a picture.

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Printing the Screenshot

Printing your screenshot directly after you have captured it is recommended. You can use these

printouts in court. It can be easier for courts to view printed screenshots than digital files. Additionally,

the authenticity of your evidence is less likely to be questioned if you preserve it immediately. Opposing

counsel could claim there was manipulation of evidence during the capturing process if there was a

delay in printing the screenshots and/or a significant amount of time passed between when you saw the

evidence, captured it and printed it.

From a smartphone, you may be able to print your screenshot directly from your device to a wireless

printer. Depending on where your screenshot is stored on your computer or laptop, you may be able to

print the file directly.

If you cannot directly print the original screenshot, you should always safely store the digital original.

Other ways to preserve screenshots include saving the screenshots in a file folder in proper order, or

pasting your screenshot (or picture) into a document using a program that lets you paste an image (e.g.,

Word, Pages, or Google Docs). Pasting them in a word document can help you keep them all in

chronological order. Once in the new document version, print the document that includes the

screenshots. You may also want to email or text the document to a device that you will continue to have

secure access to, in order to have an extra copy.

Taking a Photo

If your phone or computer doesn’t allow you to take a screenshot, or you think your device might be

monitored, take a photo of the computer, phone, or tablet screen with another camera. Doing this can

also be a way to avoid the problem with Snapchat and similar apps that notify the sender when you take

a screenshot. Be sure to capture the message and the entire screen. You should make sure you are

taking overlapping photos of the texts as well (for example, have a portion of the bottom of the last

photo in the top of the next so the court can see what order the texts are made in). Sometimes, the

screen can be quite small, so you may want to make sure you hold the camera close. Look at the photo

to make sure that the words are easy to read and any image is clear.

Printing the Photo

If you took a photo, you can print it as you would normally print other photos. If you have a digital

photo, you can copy or “insert” the photos into a document and print the document. Just make sure

that any image is clear and words are easy to read.

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Recording a Video

You can also take a video of the message. This might be helpful if you have a lot of information you want

to capture and taking photos or screenshots is too slow. This can also be another way to avoid the

problem with Snapchat and similar apps that notify the sender when you take a screenshot. With the

“video screen recording” function activated on your smartphone, hold your camera steady while you

scroll through the content you want to document. See our handout on Video Screen Recording for more

information.

What to Include When Capturing Messaging Evidence

Capture the Entire Conversation

Many self-representing litigants will capture a screenshot of an offending message, such as a

threatening text, rather than the entire text conversation. To provide the court with the context of the

conversation, you should include the full conversation in your digital evidence.

As mentioned previously, screenshots only capture what is currently on your screen. As some courts will

not accept partial messaging conversations, it is always best to capture the entire conversation even if it

does not have any relevance to your case. To do this, you will generally need to take multiple

screenshots to capture an entire text message conversation.

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Get Supporting Evidence

Screenshots of a message or conversation may be adequate to prove your case. However, this type of

evidence may not always be sufficient. You might need more information to prove your case. You should

think about what other supporting evidence is available to you that might help bolster your case. This

could be in the form of phone bills that show the date and time that messages or phone calls were sent

or received. These messages can be compared with the screenshot or data from your Facebook Account

using their Download Your Data Feature.

Include the Sender’s Contact Information

Smartphone:

On a smartphone, you may have the abusive person’s name stored in your contacts and therefore, the

sender of messages is identified by name rather than a phone number. Because you can assign any

name to a person in your contact list and connect it to any number you have in your phone, this can be

an issue in some court cases. They might not believe the message is actually from the perpetrator unless

there is more proof that the sender was actually them. It may be beneficial to delete the person’s name

from the contact list before taking screenshots so that the phone number shows up, instead of the

name.

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You can also take a photo of their contact information to show their number is associated with the name

in your phone. Do this by taking a screenshot of the contact entry along with the messages to

demonstrate that the contact entry name is connected to that number.

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Social Media:

On a social media platform like Instagram, Facebook, SnapChat or Twitter, capture the:

● Image or message that contains the harmful information and the surrounding conversation,

● photo(s) of the account of the person who wrote, sent or posted the harmful photo, image or

comment,

● comment(s) that are harassing or threatening,

● the profile of the person who sent wrote, sent or posted the harassing photo, image or

comment, and

● the person’s profile URL.

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An Important Note about Snapchat

In recent years, companies have created technologies that automatically delete information, such as

text, pictures, and videos, after the information is viewed. Snapchat is the most popular app that uses

this technology. This technology can help individuals increase privacy by limiting the time that another

person can access a sender’s information. While Snapchat and other similar technology may have some

privacy benefits, the technology can also make it very difficult to gather digital evidence.

The whole purpose of sending a “Snap” is for Snapchat to automatically delete the information soon

after it is viewed. This function is set up so that even if a professional forensic examiner were to search

for a deleted Snap, it is almost impossible to find. Therefore, if you are being harassed through Snapchat

(or another similar technology), you must plan how you will attempt to gather evidence that will be

automatically deleted by the app, which includes your own Snaps and Snaps sent by an abusive person.

Here are some suggestions for evidence gathering on “disappearing” messages:

● YOUR OWN SNAPS AND CHATS. You can choose to save your own posts to Memories or your own

Camera Roll, but you can’t save other people’s posts this way. Saving your own Snaps will keep

another person from misstating what you have sent, so this can be a good idea if you think they

will use your Snaps against you. Of course, this could be a dangerous option if the other person

has access to your device and can see that you are collecting evidence.

● OTHER PEOPLE’S SNAPS AND CHATS. After you open a Snap or Chat, you can take a screenshot, but

the sender will be notified you took a screenshot. You also can choose to save a Chat, but again,

the sender is notified. This may not be safe. You should consider your own situation and

whether alerting the other person that you have saved the information is dangerous.

● Screen recording apps are built into many smartphones, and you can download other recording

apps -- some free and some for a small price. Please be aware that certain apps may alert the

sender of the recording just like a screenshot. This is true for the iPhone built-in app, but we

have not tested others, so be cautious. Please make sure it is safe before deciding to record. You

might want to test this with a friend’s account or information before trying it on the

perpetrator’s. On the other hand, if you are concerned about someone else recording your

Snaps, Snapchat may not recognize all apps and so may not notify you if someone else records

your Snaps.

● One way to avoid the notification problem of taking screenshots or using a recording app is to

use a second device or camera to take pictures or record. Also, this requires having a second

device or camera readily available to record as you review the Snaps sent to you. You have to

plan ahead otherwise the Snaps will disappear.

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● Do not forget to tell the whole story—if you need to show both the sender’s Snaps and your

own for context, be sure to organize the screenshots or recordings before presenting them in

court. If you do a recording, follow the steps above in the section about video recordings to be

sure the court can view your evidence.

Time and Date Matter

Many messaging platforms hide the exact time that messages are sent or received, but most devices

allow you to include a timestamp which is helpful. On an iPhone and many Androids, swiping from the

right side of the phone towards the left side while holding your finger on the screen will show the

timestamp on a message. Because technology changes, do an online search for “How to show

timestamp on messages on [device name]” if you’re unsure.

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Sometimes the date and time is on the phone or computer, and you can include that when you are

taking a screenshot or video screen recording.

Collecting evidence with time and date stamps will be useful to demonstrate your case. It can show that

somebody sent 15 messages in a minute or two, which is substantially different than 15 messages in a

week. It also shows when the offending behavior happened. They are useful because they can be cross

referenced with phone records to help prove elements of the case.

Authentication

Since you will be presenting printouts, photos, or screen recordings of digital files and not the original

digital file, the authenticity of your printouts, photos, or screen recordings may be contested. If this is

the case, you will have to authenticate your printouts. BCSTH has more information about

authentication in the “Authentication of Digital Evidence for Protection Order Matters in BC Family

Court or BC Civil Courts” information sheet.

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Connect to an Anti-Violence Worker or Legal Advocate for Support

If you are unsure how to preserve evidence of technology facilitated violence, contact an anti-violence

program in your area for support and to develop a safety plan that includes technology safety

considerations. Legal advocates available in BC communities may be able to assist.

BC anti-violence programs and legal advocates:

● VictimLink BC

● Legal Aid BC

● Rise Women’s Legal Centre

● Shelter Safe Map

● BCSTH technology safety planning and A Guide for Canadian Women Experiencing Technology-

Facilitated Violence: Strategies for Enhancing Safety

Technology Safety Project

This document is a part of a series that details how to preserve evidence related to the misuse of technology in

experiences of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The series is part of the Preserving Digital Evidence

of Technology-Facilitated Violence Toolkit. This document, or any portion thereof, may be reproduced or used in

any manner whatsoever as long as acknowledgment to the BC Society of Transition Houses is included in the

product.

This document was published March 2021.

Adapted with permission from the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s Safety Net project, based on their

Legal Systems Toolkit.