How to Take Screenshot of WhatsApp View Once Photos: 12 Ways

Do you want to take a screenshot of view once photo on WhatsApp? When you try to do so, WhatsApp will throw a message on your screen that says “Screenshot blocked. It looks like you tried to take a screenshot. For added privacy, view once messages don’t let you do this.”.

The same thing happens when you try to use screen recording to capture view once video on WhatsApp. For privacy reasons, WhatsApp has added screenshot protection on view once media files so as to prevent the recipient from saving them on their device.

In this article, we will show you how to bypass this screenshot protection on WhatsApp view once messages. We have shared various methods to help you take screenshots of view once photos and videos on WhatsApp without getting your screen blocked. Without further ado, let’s get started!

1. Use Virtual Android to screenshot WhatsApp view once

One of the easiest ways to take a screenshot of view once photos on WhatsApp is by using Virtual Android. This is an application made for Android which lets you create a secondary virtual Android system on your device.

Within this system, you can install WhatsApp and log in to your account as you would normally do on a new Android phone.

If you open a view once photo within WhatsApp on this Virtual Android system, you will be able to take its screenshot without getting an error message “Can’t take screenshot due to security policy”.

Note: You will need a secondary Android phone for this method as you have to scan the QR code through your WhatsApp on main device to log in to your account on Virtual Android.

Here’s a step-by-step for this method:

1. Download and install Virtual Android app on your Android device. This app is available on Play Store for free.
2. Open the app and download the additional resource packages that are required to install the Android system.
   
3. Once the downloading is done, wait for it to install the Android system. After that, tap the Start button to boot it up. You will see a home screen of your new system.
   
4. Tap on Import button. With this tool, you can directly install apps from your main Android system into Virtual Android.
   
5. Find WhatsApp from the list of apps and tap the Install button next to it.
   
6. Once installed, open WhatsApp and log in to your account. You can scan the QR code displayed on your screen from a device where your WhatsApp account is already logged in. Simply, go to WhatsApp > Menu (three dots) or Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device.
   
7. Next, open the chat where you want to save a view once photo.
   
8. Tap on the view once photo to open it and then take a screenshot on your Android device by long-pressing the Volume Down button and Power Off button at the same time.
   

The screenshot of your view once photo will be saved to the gallery app on your main Android system. Luckily, WhatsApp doesn’t show the error message “Can’t take screenshot due to security policy” with this method.

2. Use Chrome extension on WhatsApp Web

If you use WhatsApp Web on your PC, there is an extension available for Chrome named View Once Photos Bypass that can help you take screenshots of view once photos.

Normally, WhatsApp Web does not support view once feature due to privacy reasons but this extension provides an easy workaround. Follow these simple steps:

1. Launch Chrome browser on your Windows PC or MacBook.
2. Go to the Chrome Web Store and type “View Once Photos Bypass” in the search bar. Hit the Enter button to search.
3. Open the extension and click on “Add to Chrome” button.
4. You will see a pop-up box on your screen asking for confirmation. Click on “Add extension” to confirm.
5. Once the extension is installed, visit the WhatsApp Web and log in to your account.
6. Next, navigate to the chat where you want to take a screenshot of view once photo. The photo will appear as a regular media attachment.
7. Click on the photo to open it in full screen.
8. Now take a screenshot using the keyboard shortcuts on your PC i.e. Windows + Print Screen (on Windows) or Command + Shift + 3 (on MacBook). Alternatively, you can click on the download icon in the upper-right corner to save the photo directly.

3. Use screen mirroring to capture WhatsApp view once

Screen mirroring is a technique that allows you to display the screen of your mobile device on a PC or TV.

You can use screen mirroring to take a screenshot of WhatsApp view once photos from your PC or laptop. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Connect your PC and smartphone to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open the screen mirroring software on your PC. This could be a built-in feature, like “Project to this PC” on Windows, or third-party software like ApowerMirror, TeamViewer, or AirDroid.
3. Enable screen mirroring on your Android phone. Go to Quick Settings and look for options like “Screen Mirroring”, “Cast Screen”, or “Smart View”.
4. Once screen mirroring is enabled on both devices, select your PC from the list of available devices on your smartphone. This will establish a connection between the two.
5. You should now be able to see the screen of your smartphone displayed on your PC.
6. Head to WhatsApp and open the view once photo you want to capture.
7. Take a screenshot of the view once photo displayed on your PC screen. You can press the Windows key + Print Screen key to capture the entire screen. Finally, save the screenshot to your specified location.

Most of the latest Android smartphones have a built-in screen mirroring feature, but if yours doesn’t, you can use a third-party app like ApowerMirror, TeamViewer, or AirDroid.

If you are an iPhone user, you can connect your phone to your MacBook using the native screen mirroring feature on iOS. Simply, connect both devices to the same Wi-Fi network and then go to the Control Center on your iPhone.

After that, tap on Screen Mirroring option and select your MacBook from the list of available devices. Once your iPhone’s screen is mirrored on your MacBook, open the view once photo on WhatsApp and take a screenshot using the Shift + Command + 3 shortcut key.

4. Method for rooted Android phones

If you have root access on Android, you can use a simple hack to bypass the “Screenshots are blocked for added privacy” notice on WhatsApp while taking a screenshot of view once photos.

Please note that this method is not meant for normal users as it requires advanced knowledge of rooting and modifying your Android device.

Pre-requisites:

• Ensure your Android device is rooted.
• Install Magisk on your rooted device.
• Install the latest version of LSposed from Github.
• Download a specific Xposed module that allows you to disable FLAG_SECURE protection for screenshots. You can find this module on the Xposed Module Repository or Github.

Once you have all the prerequisites installed on your Android phone, you can proceed to enable screenshot on WhatsApp view once photos by following these steps:

1. Open LSposed on your rooted Android phone.
2. Go to the Modules tab.
3. Locate the FLAG_SECURE module in the list of installed modules. Toggle the button to activate it. Make sure to enable it specifically for WhatsApp.
4. After enabling the module, it’s a good idea to restart your device for the changes to take effect.
5. Once your device has restarted, open a view once photo on WhatsApp and take a screenshot as you would normally do.

If everything worked fine, WhatsApp won’t show you the “Screenshot are blocked for added privacy” message after this.

5. Screenshot view once photos on WhatsApp Web

Luckily, it is possible to take a screenshot of view once photos through WhatsApp Web by using the built-in screenshot tool or a third-party software on your PC.

This method requires you to log in to your account on WhatsApp Web and then take a screenshot from your PC. Follow these simple steps:

1. Open any browser on your PC or laptop such as Chrome and visit the WhatsApp Web at web.whatsapp.com.
2. Open WhatsApp on your phone and go to Menu (three dots on Android) or Settings tab (on iOS).
3. Tap on “Linked devices” option.
4. Next, tap on “Link a device” button.
5. Now scan the QR code displayed on your PC. Once the QR code is verified, you will be logged into your account on WhatsApp Web.
6. Open the chat containing the view once photo you want to capture. You may need an extension like View Once Photos Bypass to open the media.
7. Finally, take a screenshot on your PC using the following shortcut key: Windows + Print Screen (on Windows) or Command + Shift + 3 (on MacOS). Alternatively, you can use screen recording to record a video of view once photo.

6. Use Android Debug Bridge (ADB) tool

ADB (stands for Android Debug Bridge) is a command-line tool that allows you to communicate with your Android device through PC via commands. There is an ADB command available that lets you take screenshots on your phone.

This command can also help you enable screenshots on WhatsApp view once photos. In this method, you will have to connect your Android phone with PC via USB tethering. This will also require you to use Android Studio. Here’s a complete guide for this method:

Step 1: Download and install Android Studio on your PC.

Step 2: Enable USB Debugging on your Android phone. For this, go to Settings > About Phone and tap on “Build number” 7 times. This will enable Developer Options on your device. Now go back to the main Settings > Developer Options. After this, find the “USB Debugging” option and enable the toggle button next to it.

Step 3: Now connect your Android phone to your PC via USB and launch CMD inside ADB directory.

Step 4: Open the view once photo on WhatsApp that you want to capture via screenshot.

Step 5: Execute the following command in CMD:

adb shell screencap /sdcard/screenshot.png

This will take the screenshot of the WhatsApp view once photo and save it to your phone with the name screenshot.png. You can find the screenshot in your gallery or locate the file in the main directory of your internal storage.

7. Use the screen sharing on Zoom

There is a screen sharing feature in the Zoom app that lets you share the entire screen of your device on a meeting with other participants. With this feature, you can mirror your phone’s screen on another device and then take a screenshot of WhatsApp view once photo.

To start screen sharing on Zoom, simply tap “Share content” (on iOS) or just “Share” (on Android) in your meeting controls. You will then see a pop-up menu asking you to choose the type of content you want to share. Select “Screen” from the list of options available.

Now your phone will let you know that you are about to share your screen. Tap on “Start now” to confirm. Once the screen sharing has started, you can open the WhatsApp view once photo and then take a screenshot or record the screen on another device.

8. Screenshot WhatsApp view once photos on PC

Another way to take a screenshot of view once photos on WhatsApp is by using an Android emulator on your PC. For those who don’t know about the Android emulator, it is a software tool that allows your PC to act like a smartphone running the Android operating system.

With an Android emulator, you can run WhatsApp on your PC or laptop and then easily take a screenshot of view once photos. This method will bypass the “Screenshot blocked. It looks like you tried to take a screenshot. For added privacy, view once messages don’t let you do this.” message.

Here are the basic steps to follow for this method:

1. Download and install an Android emulator on your PC. One of the most popular emulators is Bluestacks, but there are several others like Nox Player, LD Player, or even the official Android Studio emulator.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the emulator. Sign in with your Google account, just like you would on a physical Android device.
3. Once the emulator is set up and running, open the Google Play Store within it ans search for “WhatsApp”. Download and install the app.
4. Now set up WhatsApp and log in to your account.
5. Go to the specific chat where you have the view once photo. Tap on it to open.
6. Now capture a screenshot on your PC using the Windows key + Print Screen key.

That’s it! You’ve successfully taken a screenshot of a WhatsApp view once photo from an Android emulator running on your PC. You can send it to your phone via USB or cloud storage.

9. Ask Siri to screenshot WhatsApp view once photos

Siri is an advanced voice assistant tool that not only provides you with the relevant information you ask from it but can also perform a wide range of tasks on your iOS device with simple voice commands.

If you are an iPhone user, you can also ask Siri to take a screenshot of WhatsApp view once photos. First, open the view once photo you want to screenshot and then activate Siri by pressing and holding the Power button.

Once Siri is activated, you can say a simple command like “Hey Siri, take a screenshot”. Unlike the standard screenshot method, Siri may not be restricted by the security policies that prevent you from taking a screenshot in WhatsApp view once.

10. Use Google Assistant to take a screenshot

If you are getting an error “Can’t take screenshot due to security policy” while capturing a screenshot of view once photos on WhatsApp, you can try Google Assistant to bypass this error.

Start by opening Google Assistant on your Android device. You can usually do this by saying “Hey Google” or by using the designated button or gesture, depending on your device.

Once Google Assistant is active, ask it to “Take a screenshot” or use a similar command like “Capture the screen“. Google Assistant will then attempt to capture a screenshot of the current screen, including the view-once photo you’ve opened on WhatsApp.

11. Use GB WhatsApp

GB WhatsApp is a modified version of the original WhatsApp application developed by some third-party developers. This modified version offers additional features and functionalities that are not available in the official WhatsApp application.

One of the features of GB WhatsApp is the ability to bypass certain restrictions imposed by WhatsApp, such as the ability to take screenshots of view once photos without triggering the security policy error. Here’s how to use this method:

1. Download and install GB WhatsApp on your Android device. Search for GB WhatsApp on the internet and download its APK file from a trusted source.
2. After downloading the APK file, install GB WhatsApp on your device. You may need to enable installations from unknown sources in your device settings.
3. Open GB WhatsApp and set it up with your phone number. You might need to verify your number and restore your chat history.
4. Navigate to the chat containing the view once photo that you want to capture.
5. Take a screenshot using the usual method on your device i.e. pressing the Volume Down + Power button simultaneously.

It’s important to note that using GB WhatsApp or any other unofficial WhatsApp version can have consequences, including the risk of being banned from using WhatsApp altogether. These third-party apps are not endorsed or supported by WhatsApp.

12. Use another device to take a picture

This method involves taking a picture of the WhatsApp view once photo from another device. If you’ve attempted all the methods mentioned above without success, this is the final option available.

Step 1: Open the WhatsApp chat where you’ve received a view once photo.

Step 2: Tap on the message containing the photo to open it.

Step 3: Launch the Camera app on the secondary device and take a picture of the view once photo displayed on your primary phone’s screen.

Step 4: Now that you have successfully captured the view once photo, you can transfer it to your primary phone using various methods such as WhatsApp, email, or cloud storage.

Since you are taking a picture from another device, it’s important to note that the resulting image may not be of the highest quality. However, this method does provide you with a way to save the view once photo on WhatsApp if other methods to take a screenshot prove unsuccessful.

Note: The methods mentioned above may not provide a foolproof solution as WhatsApp is always working to address any vulnerabilities that allow users to take screenshots of view once photos. Keep in mind that view once messages are designed to be opened only once, so make to test these methods before relying on them.

Frequently asked questions

Final thoughts

So these were some methods that can help you prevent your screen from getting blocked while taking screenshots on WhatsApp view once photos.

You can easily bypass screenshot protection on view once messages and save media files without getting the “Screenshot blocked” or “Can’t take screenshot due to security policy” error on WhatsApp.

If you want to ask any questions regarding this topic, feel free to share them in the comments below.

Read other similar articles:

• How to Save View Once Photos and Videos on Instagram
• How to Save Disappearing Messages on WhatsApp
• How to Reopen View Once Photo or Video on WhatsApp
• How to Enable or Disable View Once Mode on WhatsApp
• How to Hide WhatsApp Photos and Videos from Gallery