Download Article
The quickest ways to find screenshots on PC
Download Article
Wondering where Windows saved your screenshot? If you used the Snipping Tool , Snip & Sketch, or pressed Windows key + Shift + S , to take the screenshot, you'll find the screenshot in your Pictures folder in a subfolder called "Screenshots." If you used the Print Screen key alone, the screenshot is not saved anywhere—just open Paint and press Ctrl + V to paste it from your clipboard, then save it wherever you'd like.
Where Windows Screenshots are Saved
If you used Snipping Tool or pressed Windows Key + PrtScr, open File Explorer, open the Pictures folder, then open the Screenshots folder. If you just pressed the PrtScr key alone, the screenshot isn't saved—paste it by pressing Ctrl + V.
Steps
Section 1 of 4:
If You Used Snipping Tool or a Shortcut
Download Article
-
Open File Explorer . This file app icon is in your taskbar or Start menu.
- If you took a screenshot using Snipping Tool, Snip & Sketch, or using a keyboard shortcut like Windows key + Print Screen or Windows key + Shift + S , your screenshot is in your Screenshots folder, which you'll find in your Pictures folder.
- If you used any other method for taking a screenshot, try this method first, and then move on to the next.
-
Double-click the Pictures folder. You should see it in the "Quick Access" area of the left panel.
- If you don’t see it, try clicking This PC in the top bar first.
- If you use OneDrive to automatically back your files up to the cloud (common if you use Microsoft 365), click your name at the top-left corner (Windows 11) or OneDrive in the left panel (Windows 10), and then double-click Pictures .
Advertisement -
Double-click the Screenshots folder. All the screenshots you've taken by pressing Win + PrtScn , using Snipping Tool, or Snip & Sketch, will appear here.
Advertisement
Section 2 of 4:
If You Used the Print Screen Key
Download Article
-
Open Paint. If you pressed the Print Screen key (e.g., PrtSc, PrScn, etc.) to take a screenshot, you won't find the screenshot saved on your computer—you must save it manually. The easiest way to do this is to use Paint.
- To open Paint , type paint into the Windows search bar, then click Paint in the search results.
-
Press Ctr + V . This pastes the screenshot into the blank Paint file, making it easy to save in any format.
-
Save the screenshot as an image. Click the File menu, select Save as , and then choose an image type—go with JPG or PNG for the best compatibility. Select the folder to which you want to save your screenshot, then click Save .
Advertisement
Section 3 of 4:
If You Used Game Bar
Download Article
-
Open your Windows Settings. You can do this quickly by clicking the Start menu and selecting Settings (or the gear icon). If you used the Game Bar Capture widget to take a screenshot or screen recording , this method will show you a super easy way to find the image or video.
-
Click Gaming . You'll see it in the left panel on Windows 11, or click the Xbox icon on Windows 10.
-
Click Captures . This opens a menu that includes settings for Game Bar screenshots and recordings, as well as a quick link to the folder your existing screenshots are saved to. [1] X Trustworthy Source Microsoft Support Technical support and product information from Microsoft. Go to source
-
Click Open folder . This opens the folder containing all screenshots and screen recordings you've captured with Game Bar.
Advertisement
Section 4 of 4:
Change Where Screenshots are Saved
Download Article
-
Open File Explorer . This file app icon is in your taskbar or Start menu .
- If you want to change where Game Bar saves your screenshots, you can just move the folder to another location and Game Bar will automatically update the saving location. [2] X Research source
-
Create a new folder where you want to save your screenshots. This can be in any location, but remember the location because you'll need it soon.
- To make a new folder , right-click a blank area of an existing folder, select New > Folder , type a name, and then press Enter .
-
Navigate to your old Screenshots folder (but don't open it). Click your Pictures folder in the left panel—you should see the Screenshots folder there.
-
Right-click the Screenshots folder and select Properties . This displays properties for your current Screenshots folder.
-
Click the Location tab and click the Move… button. This opens your PC's file browser.
-
Select your new screenshot folder and click Select Folder . You should now see the path to the new folder you created in the field.
-
Click Apply and then OK . Now, any screenshots you take using Win + PrtScn , Snipping Tool, Snip & Sketch, or Win + Shift + S will be saved in the new folder.
Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
References
About This Article
Article Summary
X
1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click This PC
.
3. Double-click Pictures
.
4. Double-click Screenshots
.
Did this summary help you?
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 368,973 times.
Advertisement
