How to Take Screenshots in the Xcode Simulator (Full Resolution)

Quick answer: In Xcode 27, click the Screenshot button under the device in Device Hub. In Xcode 26 and earlier, press Command-S (File > Save Screen) in the Simulator app. Both save a full-resolution PNG to your Desktop. From Terminal, xcrun simctl io booted screenshot file.png saves it wherever you want. Pick a simulator whose resolution matches the App Store slot you need.

All three methods save the device's own pixels. Your Mac's display and the size of the simulator window make no difference. Apple's documentation says screenshots are captured at the full resolution of the device, so an iPhone simulator gives you an image you can use in App Store Connect without resizing it.

Device Hub in Xcode 27

Xcode 27 runs simulators in Device Hub, a single window for both simulated and physical devices, instead of the separate Simulator app. Run your app, go to the screen you want, and click the Screenshot button below the device. The PNG lands on your Desktop. Because the same button works for a connected iPhone, you can also capture features the simulator can't fake well, such as the camera.

The Simulator app in Xcode 26 and earlier

Choose File > Save Screen or press Command-S. The file goes to your Desktop with a name like "Simulator Screenshot - iPhone 16 Pro - date". In many versions, holding Option when you save asks you where to put the file. If that prompt doesn't show up, use the Terminal command below, which always takes a path.

Avoid the macOS screenshot shortcut (Shift-Command-4) for store images. It captures the window at your Mac's display resolution, often with the simulator's bezel and shadow, so you get the wrong pixel size.

The command line is the most reliable way to capture a full set with consistent names. These commands work with Xcode 27 as well as older versions.

1. Run your app on the simulator from Xcode so the device is booted.
2. Set a clean status bar: xcrun simctl status_bar booted override --time 9:41 --batteryState charged --batteryLevel 100 --cellularMode active --cellularBars 4 --wifiBars 3.
3. Capture the first screen: xcrun simctl io booted screenshot 01-home.png.
4. Go to the next screen in the app and capture it with a new name (02-search.png, 03-detail.png and so on).
5. When you're done, reset the status bar with xcrun simctl status_bar booted clear.

A few details save time:

• booted means "the simulator that is running." If several are booted, list them with xcrun simctl list devices booted and pass the UDID instead of booted.
• The default format is PNG. Add --type=jpeg if you want a JPEG, for example xcrun simctl io booted screenshot --type=jpeg 01-home.jpg.
• Switch to dark mode for a second set with xcrun simctl ui booted appearance dark, and back with xcrun simctl ui booted appearance light.
• Jump straight to a deep-linked screen with xcrun simctl openurl booted yourapp://settings, if your app handles that URL.
• Run xcrun simctl help io to see every option your Xcode version supports.

The status bar flags are explained in detail in our clean status bar guide.

App Store Connect only accepts exact pixel sizes, so pick the simulator by its output resolution, not by the name on the box. These simulators produce sizes that fit current App Store slots in portrait:

The 6.3″ iPhone set is required for every iPhone app. The 6.9″ set is optional: if you skip it, App Store Connect scales your 6.5″ screenshots for the largest phones, and you must then provide 6.5″ instead. Newer simulators often share these resolutions, so check a test capture rather than guessing. Our iPhone size guide and iPad size guide list every accepted size, and the free screenshot size checker tells you which slot an image fits.

A raw simulator screenshot is honest proof of your UI, and Apple's guideline 2.3.3 asks for exactly that: the app in use, not a splash screen or login page. But a full-bleed capture with no context makes shoppers work out what the app does on their own.

Most store screenshots wrap the real capture in a layout:

• A short headline that names the benefit ("Plan a week of meals in 5 minutes").
• A background in your brand color, so the set looks like one product.
• Optionally a device frame, or a frameless crop that shows the UI larger.

The final image must still match an accepted size exactly, so design at the target size (for example 1206 × 2622) and place the capture inside it. Our step-by-step screenshot guide covers headlines, order and layout.

• Wrong dimensions on upload. The simulator's resolution doesn't match the slot, or the image was resized. See fixing screenshot upload errors.
• Real-world status bar. A random time, low battery or carrier name looks careless. Override it before capturing.
• Alpha channel. If you edit captures in a design tool and export PNG with transparency, App Store Connect can refuse the file. Export flattened RGB; our alpha channel guide shows how.
• Debug leftovers. Debug menus, test accounts, "Lorem ipsum" and developer banners show up in captures. Use a demo account with realistic, fictional data.
• Keyboard covering content. Dismiss the keyboard unless the screen is about typing.
• Simulator-only glitches. Maps, video or the camera can look different from a real device. Capture those screens on hardware.

Capturing 6 screens on two devices by hand is fine. Capturing 6 screens on three devices in 10 languages is 180 images, and that is where automation pays off. A short shell script that loops over xcrun simctl openurl and xcrun simctl io booted screenshot handles simple apps. For anything bigger, UI tests driven by fastlane can launch each simulator, switch languages and save named files; see our fastlane snapshot guide.