How to verify a screenshot

Record exactly what is visible

Note the account name, date, wording, image, interface and any visible URL without filling in cropped details. Separate direct observation—“the screenshot displays this sentence”—from the attached claim—“this person published it yesterday”.

Find the original page or post

Search a distinctive sentence in quotation marks and add the named person, organisation or site. Check official archives and the account’s own timeline. Open the complete page and compare wording, timestamp, replies, corrections and links.

If the original cannot be located, say so. Deletion is one possible explanation, but it does not prove the screenshot was genuine.

Recover what the crop removed

Look for the preceding and following posts, full headline, author, publication date and page address. A satire label, correction, old date or quoted speaker may sit just outside the crop. Confirm whether the interface design fits the claimed platform and period, but treat appearance only as a clue.

Check the factual claim independently

Even when the original post exists, verify its claim using suitable sources. A genuine post proves that an account published a statement; it does not establish that the statement is accurate. Prefer primary records and credible independent reporting.

Inspect the image file cautiously

Reverse-image search may locate earlier versions. Metadata can support a chain of custody when preserved, but social platforms often strip it. Compression artefacts, inconsistent type or odd spacing may justify closer inspection; they do not prove editing or AI generation alone.

Related guidance

• How to fact-check the visible claim
• How to check whether an image may be AI-generated