A method of capturing content, performed by a mobile terminal, is provided. The method includes sensing a user gesture requesting the mobile terminal to capture at least one content, selecting a type of content to be captured, based on a time period for which the user gesture is maintained or a number of times that the user gesture is repeated, and capturing the selected type of the content. The type of the content includes internal content reproduced in the mobile terminal, and external content from outside the mobile terminal.