Where are screenshots saved? Change their location in Windows 10

To answer questions like “Where are my screenshots in Windows 10?” or “Where do print screens go on Windows 10?”, you must first understand there are several ways to take screenshots on your computer or device. Screenshots (also called print screens by some) are saved to your clipboard or in a default location, and you can easily change the Windows 10 screenshot folder. If you want to know where are screenshots saved on Windows 10 and learn how to change their default location, read this guide:

Contents

1. Where do print screens go on Windows 10?
2. How to change the Windows 10 Screenshots folder location
3. How to restore the default location of the Windows 10 Screenshots folder
4. Would you like an easier way to find your screenshots in Windows 10?

NOTE: We’ve already explored how to take Windows screenshots in detail, if you want to read all about the built-in methods available in Windows 10. In case you’re wondering how to find screenshots on other devices as well (iPhones, Android smartphones, Mac), check out our guide about screenshot locations.

Where do print screens go on Windows 10?

In Windows 10, there is more than one way to capture the screen, and you have to take that into account when trying to find out where screenshots are saved.

In some cases, print screens go to your clipboard, and you have to paste a screenshot into an image editing program like Paint before saving it somewhere else. The default location suggested by Paint for storing images is This PC, but you can browse and choose a different one when you save a screenshot.

Decide where screenshots are saved from Paint

If you’re using Snip & Sketch to take screenshots, the app suggests the Pictures folder when you save the results, but you can choose another location.

Choose where screenshots are saved with Snip & Sketch

TIP: The apps remember the new folder you browsed to, which becomes the suggested location the next time you save a screenshot.

If you’re a gamer, it might interest you how to take screenshots in Steam and their location. Additionally, you can also use the Xbox Game bar to capture gameplay. To learn more about it and change its default screenshot folder, read How can I record my gameplay on a Windows 10 PC?

However, there is another, more comfortable way of taking screenshots, initially introduced in Windows 8. It saves the results automatically and doesn’t require third-party applications to do so. To use it, press Windows + Print Screen simultaneously on your keyboard.

Use the Windows + Print Screen buttons to save screenshots automatically

While this keyboard shortcut is convenient, it’s not obvious where Windows 10 print screens go. All the screenshots you take without using other tools are stored in the same default folder, called Screenshots. You should be able to find it by accessing Pictures inside your user folder.

IMPORTANT: The Screenshots folder is created only after you take your first screenshot using the method above.

Browse to the Windows 10 Screenshots folder

If you did not change the default location of your Pictures user folder, the path to the Screenshots folder is “C:\Users\your_name\Pictures\Screenshots” - where “your_name” is the name of your Windows 10 user account, as seen above.

Alternatively, you can also select the Pictures location from the Quick Access Navigation pane to go to the folder where screenshots are saved.

Use Quick Access to access the Windows 10 Screenshots folder

Although this location may be intuitive and work for most people, there are situations in which you may want to change it.

How to change the Windows 10 Screenshots folder location

If you want your Windows + Print Screen captures saved to another location, you should first create a new folder for your screenshots. The folder, which can be anywhere you want on your Windows 10 PC, gets renamed to Screenshots as soon as you make it the default location for your automatic screen captures. However, you can change its name afterwards.

Then, access the Properties of the Screenshots folder found in Pictures (“C:\Users\your_name\Pictures\Screenshots”). Right-click or press-and-hold on Screenshots to open a contextual menu and press Properties.

Open the Properties of the Windows 10 Screenshots folder

Access the Location tab, and you can see the existing path to your Screenshots folder. To change where your print screens go in Windows 10, click or tap on the Move button.

Press Move to change where Windows 10 saves screenshots

This opens the “Select a Destination” window. Browse your Windows 10 computer or device until you find the folder you created for screenshots, click or tap on it to select it, and then press on the Select Folder button.

Choose the new Windows 10 screenshots location

Going back to the Screenshots Properties window, you should see the new path you chose for the Screenshots folder. Click or tap OK or Apply.

Press OK or Apply to change where print screens go in Windows 10

Windows 10 asks if you want to move all the screenshots from the old location to the new one. Choose Yes, and all your old screenshots are relocated to the new Screenshots folder. All the screenshots you take from now on are going to be saved in the new location.

Move all captures to the new Windows 10 Screenshots folder

Depending on how many screenshots you have made so far, the moving process might take a while. When it’s done, the original Screenshots folder disappears from Pictures. You can see the new folder you chose as default was renamed to Screenshots.

The new Windows 10 Screenshots folder is the one you defined

The Screenshots folder is changed only for the current user account. Repeat this procedure for each account whose Screenshots folder you want to move.

IMPORTANT: It is essential not to move the Screenshots folder location to another system folder, like directly to Desktop. If you do that, you cannot redirect it later, as explained in How to change user folder locations in Windows 10.

How to restore the default location of the Windows 10 Screenshots folder

If you want to move the Screenshots folder back to its original location, you can easily do so from its Properties. Access the Screenshots Properties, as explained in the previous chapter, and press the Restore Default button in its Location tab.

Restore the default location where your print screens go in Windows 10

As soon as you do that, the path in the field above the Restore Default button changes to the default Pictures one. Click or tap OK or Apply to save your changes.

Change where you find screenshots in Windows 10

If the original Screenshots folder no longer exists, then it must be created. When Windows 10 asks whether you want to create it, press Yes.

Recreate the default Screenshots folder in Windows 10 to return to the initial location for saving captures

Move all your screenshots to the default Screenshots folder, as explained in the previous chapter. Then, press OK, and the Screenshots folder is restored to its default location.

TIP: If you need further help finding or restoring your Screenshots folder, check out our guide on How to restore Downloads and other user folders in Windows 10.

Would you like an easier way to find your screenshots in Windows 10?

Finding the location of your Windows 10 screenshots should not be a challenge. Sure, you might come across it eventually, but we wish there were an easier way for users to tell where each screenshot is saved. For instance, if you use VLC to screenshot videos, the location is immediately displayed on the screen. We’d like to see Microsoft do something similar or at least have Windows 10 display a notification about the screenshot location. What is your opinion? Would you prefer a simpler way to find screenshots in Windows 10? Let us know in the comments.