Where do screenshots go on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
On Windows, saved screenshots go to Pictures\Screenshots, but PrtScn on Windows 10 only copies to the clipboard. On a Mac they land on the Desktop. iPhones and Android phones put them in the Photos or Gallery app, and Chromebooks save them to Downloads.
14 September 2026
Where screenshots go on Windows 10 and 11
Windows has several screenshot shortcuts, and they do not all save a file. That is the most common reason people cannot find a screenshot.
- Windows + PrtScn: saved as a PNG in Pictures\Screenshots (This PC, Pictures, Screenshots in File Explorer).
- Snipping Tool and Windows + Shift + S on Windows 11: copied to the clipboard and, by default, also saved to Pictures\Screenshots. Screen recordings from the Snipping Tool go to Videos\Screen Recordings.
- Windows + Shift + S on Windows 10: clipboard only, unless you open the notification and save it.
- PrtScn on its own: on Windows 10 it copies the full screen to the clipboard only. On current Windows 11 builds it opens the Snipping Tool, which saves as above.
- Alt + PrtScn: the active window, clipboard only.
- Xbox Game Bar (Windows + Alt + PrtScn): Videos\Captures.
When OneDrive moves your screenshots
If OneDrive backs up your Pictures folder, the Screenshots folder lives inside OneDrive, at OneDrive\Pictures\Screenshots. It still appears under Pictures in File Explorer, but the files also sync to the cloud. OneDrive also has its own setting to save screenshots you capture to OneDrive, which can create a second Screenshots folder. If a screenshot is missing, check both places, or open OneDrive in a browser and search for it.
Where screenshots go on a Mac
macOS saves screenshots to the Desktop, named like Screenshot 2026-09-24 at 10.30.15.png. If you hold Control as well (for example Cmd + Ctrl + Shift + 4), the screenshot goes to the clipboard instead and no file is made. If you clicked the floating thumbnail after taking the shot, the file is saved once you close the markup window.
- Press Cmd + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
- Click Options.
- Under Save to, choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages, Preview, or Other Location to pick any folder.
- Your choice is remembered for the keyboard shortcuts too.
Where screenshots go on iPhone and iPad
Screenshots are saved to the Photos app, in your main library and in the Screenshots album under Media Types. Where Media Types appears in Photos depends on your iOS version. If iCloud Photos is on, they sync to your other Apple devices.
A full page screenshot taken in Safari (tap the thumbnail, then Full Page) is different: it is saved as a PDF to the Files app, not to Photos.
Where screenshots go on Android and Samsung
Android saves screenshots in a Screenshots folder, but the parent folder depends on the maker. On Google Pixel and many other phones it is Pictures/Screenshots. On Samsung Galaxy phones it is DCIM/Screenshots. To find them without a file manager, open Google Photos and look in the Screenshots folder under your device folders, or on a Samsung open Gallery, then Albums, then Screenshots.
Chromebook, Ubuntu and browsers
- Chromebook: the Downloads folder in the Files app. Change it by opening Screen capture, then the settings icon, then Save to.
- Ubuntu (22.04 and later): Pictures/Screenshots in your home folder, and a copy on the clipboard. Screen recordings go to Videos/Screencasts.
- Browser tools and extensions: full page screenshots from Chrome DevTools, Firefox's screenshot tool or an extension such as NeoReader Full Page Screenshot are saved wherever your browser saves downloads, usually the Downloads folder, unless you choose Copy.
How to change where screenshots are saved on Windows
Windows + PrtScn and the Snipping Tool then save to the new place. Newer versions of the Snipping Tool also have a setting to change its save folder or turn automatic saving off.
- Open File Explorer and go to Pictures.
- Right-click the Screenshots folder and choose Properties.
- Open the Location tab and click Move.
- Pick the new folder and click Select Folder, then OK.
- Choose Yes to move existing screenshots across as well.
Still cannot find your screenshot?
- It may only be on the clipboard. Open Paint, a document or a chat and press Ctrl + V (Cmd + V on a Mac). On Windows, Windows + V shows clipboard history if it is turned on.
- Search for the word Screenshot in File Explorer, Finder or the Files app, sorted by date.
- Check the Recent section of Files on a Chromebook or Recents in Finder.
- Some apps and protected video block screenshots, which leaves no file or a black image.
