How to turn off the shutter sound when taking a screenshot android?

Many Android devices play a shutter sound effect whenever a screenshot is captured. This is often enabled by default and can be annoying or distracting to users who take screenshots frequently. There are several reasons why someone may want to disable the screenshot shutter sound on their Android device:

Privacy – The shutter sound publicly announces that a screenshot was taken. Users may wish to disable it to stealthily capture screenshots.
Convenience – The sound can be bothersome if you take a lot of screenshots. Turning it off results in a smoother, uninterrupted experience.

Professional settings – The shutter sound can be disruptive and unprofessional if taking screenshots during meetings, classes, or presentations.
Gaming – The sound effect may ruin gaming immersion or footage capture.
Personal preference – Some users simply find the shutter sound unpleasant and prefer their device to be silent.

Thankfully, there are a few different methods to turn off the screenshot shutter sound on Android. The steps needed depend on your device model and Android version.

Check manufacturer settings

Many Android phones have built-in settings to disable the shutter sound when taking screenshots. Manufacturers like Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, and others include options in their system settings to turn off screenshot sounds.

For example, on a Samsung Galaxy device, open the Camera app and go to Settings > Shutter sound to toggle it off. This will disable shutter sounds for both the camera and screenshots ¹.

If you don’t see a clear toggle for disabling screenshot sounds in your device settings, try searching your Settings app for keywords like “screenshot” or “shutter sound” to locate the right option.

However, manufacturer settings don’t always work reliably. You may find the screenshot sound gets re-enabled after system updates. In that case, you’ll need to use another method to permanently disable the shutter sound.

Use 3rd party apps

One way to turn off the screenshot sound is by using third party apps that are designed for this purpose. Apps like NoShutterSound can disable the shutter sound when taking screenshots.

NoShutterSound works by replacing the default screenshot capture sound with a silent audio file. After installing the app, it will run in the background and mute any screenshot sounds across the system.

Other apps like Silent Screenshot and Mute Screenshot use accessibility services to detect when a screenshot is taken and suppress the sound.

The advantage of using these specialized apps is that they provide an easy one-tap solution without needing to edit system files or use complex workarounds. However, you do need to grant accessibility permissions for them to function.

Use ADB Commands

One way to disable the screenshot shutter sound on Android is by using ADB (Android Debug Bridge) commands. ADB allows you to send commands to your Android device from a computer. There is a specific ADB command that can disable the screenshot shutter sound system-wide.

The command is:

adb shell settings put global screenshot_sound 0

To use this, you need to have ADB set up on your computer and have USB debugging enabled on your Android device. With your device connected to your computer via USB, open a command prompt or terminal window. Type in the adb command above and hit enter. This will disable the screenshot shutter sound.

The main advantage of using ADB is that it modifies the system setting directly, so the screenshot sound will be disabled globally on your device, in all apps and scenarios. You don’t have to repeat the process for each app. The disadvantage is that it requires a computer and some technical know-how to use ADB.

Overall, if you are comfortable using command line tools, the ADB command is an effective way to permanently disable the annoying screenshot shutter sound on Android. Just run that one command and you’ll no longer hear the sound when taking screenshots.

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Edit config files

One way to turn off the shutter sound when taking screenshots on Android is by editing configuration files like audiopolicy.conf. This file controls audio policies on Android devices, including which sounds play when.

By opening audiopolicy.conf in a text editor and modifying certain values, you can disable the shutter sound specifically. For example, you can change the setting for the camera shutter sound from “1” to “0” to turn it off.

The location of audiopolicy.conf varies by device manufacturer and Android version, but is often found in /system/etc or /vendor/etc. You’ll need root access to edit this file.

While editing configuration files can be complex, it gives you direct control to turn off shutter sounds at the system level. Just be extremely careful when editing these files, as one mistake could cause system issues.

For step-by-step instructions, see this guide: How to Turn Off Camera Shutter Sound on an Android Phone.

Use Magisk modules

Magisk modules like DisableCamSound can help turn off the screenshot shutter sound. These modules replace the default camera and screenshot audio files with silent versions to mute the sounds. Using modules does require root access and installing Magisk, but they provide a simple way to disable the sounds if you’re willing to make system-level changes.

There are a few different Magisk modules focused on disabling camera and screenshot sounds, like this one that replaces camera_click.ogg with a blank file. Browse the Magisk downloads section to find a module that suits your needs. Just install the module and reboot to apply the changes.

Use recovery mode

Some custom recoveries like TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) allow you to directly modify system files and settings to disable the screenshot sound. When you boot your Android device into recovery mode, you gain superuser access to the file system. This lets you delete or modify files that normally require root access.

As mentioned in the Android Stack Exchange post How to disable the screenshot sound effect on Android 12 and above, you can use TWRP to delete or modify the audio files located in /system/product/media/audio/ui/ that control the screenshot shutter sound. By booting into recovery and deleting ui_screenshot.ogg, you can permanently disable the sound.

The main drawback with this method is that you need an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery installed. You’ll also need to reboot into recovery mode each time you want to make changes. But for devices where other options don’t work, using TWRP or another custom recovery is an option to disable the screenshot sound.

Root your phone

One way to disable the screenshot sound is by rooting your Android device. Root access allows you to modify system files and settings that are normally inaccessible to users.

To root your phone, you’ll need to unlock the bootloader which may void your warranty. Then you can install a custom recovery like TWRP and use it to flash Magisk or SuperSU to gain root access. Be sure to research specific rooting instructions for your device model.

Once you have root, you can modify the screenshot sound file directly. The sound is typically located at /system/media/audio/ui/camera_click.ogg. With a root file explorer, you can rename, delete, or replace this file to disable the sound.

There are also Magisk modules that can do this automatically. These use the power of root to mount the system partition and make changes to disable the screenshot sound.

While rooting lets you fully customize your device, it does come with risks. Proceed with caution and make sure you understand how to root your specific phone model properly.

Use automation

Automation apps like MacroDroid can mute media on screenshots. You can create a macro in MacroDroid that will detect when you take a screenshot and then mute media volume so the shutter sound is silenced. This automates the process so you don’t have to remember to mute media each time you want to take a quiet screenshot.

To set this up in MacroDroid:

Create a new macro triggered by the “Screenshot” event.

Add an action to “Change media volume” and set it to 0% or mute.
Optional: Add an action to revert the volume back to normal after a delay.

With this automated macro, your phone will automatically mute media volume whenever you take a screenshot through MacroDroid. This allows you to bypass the default shutter sound for screenshots on Android.

Consider workarounds

Since the shutter sound is often required by regulations and can’t be fully disabled through software settings, you may need to rely on simple workarounds:

One option is to turn on Airplane mode before taking screenshots. This will disable all network connections and prevent the phone from playing any system sounds that rely on connectivity.

Alternatively, you can try muting your media volume before taking a screenshot. On Android, the screenshot shutter sound uses the same volume level as your media and notifications. So lowering the media volume to vibrate or mute can prevent the shutter sound from playing out loud.

You can also try covering the speaker with your finger when capturing a screenshot. While not ideal, this can dampen the shutter sound significantly.

Some users report success by plugging in headphones with mic support, which switches audio output and prevents the speaker from emitting any loud sounds.

While not a complete solution, these workarounds can help bypass or muffle the screenshot shutter sound on Android.