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This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Nicole Levine, MFA. Nicole Levine is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. She has more than 20 years of experience creating technical documentation and leading support teams at major web hosting and software companies. Nicole also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Portland State University and teaches composition, fiction-writing, and zine-making at various institutions.
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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
If You Used Snipping Tool or a Shortcut
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![Step 1 Open File Explorer icon.]()
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.
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![Step 2 Double-click the Pictures folder.]()
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.
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![Step 3 Double-click the Screenshots folder.]()
Double-click the Screenshots folder. All the screenshots you've taken by pressing Win + PrtScn, using Snipping Tool, or Snip & Sketch, will appear here.
If You Used the Print Screen Key
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![Step 1 Open Paint.]()
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.
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![Step 2 Press Ctr+V.]()
Press Ctr+V. This pastes the screenshot into the blank Paint file, making it easy to save in any format. -
![Step 3 Save the screenshot as an image.]()
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.
If You Used Game Bar
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![Step 1 Open your Windows Settings.]()
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. -
![Step 2 Click Gaming.]()
Click Gaming. You'll see it in the left panel on Windows 11, or click the Xbox icon on Windows 10. -
![Step 3 Click Captures.]()
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] -
![Step 4 Click Open folder.]()
Click Open folder. This opens the folder containing all screenshots and screen recordings you've captured with Game Bar.
Change Where Screenshots are Saved
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![Step 1 Open File Explorer icon.]()
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]
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![Step 2 Create a new folder where you want to save your screenshots.]()
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.
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![Step 3 Navigate to your old Screenshots folder (but don't open it).]()
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. -
![Step 4 Right-click the Screenshots folder and select Properties.]()
Right-click the Screenshots folder and select Properties. This displays properties for your current Screenshots folder. -
![Step 5 Click the Location tab and click the Move… button.]()
Click the Location tab and click the Move… button. This opens your PC's file browser. -
![Step 6 Select your new screenshot folder and click Select Folder.]()
Select your new screenshot folder and click Select Folder. You should now see the path to the new folder you created in the field. -
![Step 7 Click Apply and then OK.]()
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.
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About This Article
1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click This PC.
3. Double-click Pictures.
4. Double-click Screenshots.
