How to change the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 and 11

Windows 10 and 11 have plenty of ways to take screenshots, and the Snipping Tool app is by far the most convenient of them all (or PrintScreen if you need a quick screen grab). Snipping Tool saves every screenshot and screen recording on drive C by default, namely in your Pictures > Screenshots of your profile folder. If that is not okay and you want to have the Screenshot folder in another place, here is how to do that.

If your drive C has limited space or you have another reason to change the location of the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 or 11, doing it is very easy. You can select a new location from the Snipping Tool app, File Explorer itself, or the system registry if you feel a bit adventurous.

Note: This guide only applies to the default screenshot-taking app, Snipping Tool. If you use third-party apps like Snagit or ShareX, refer to their settings to change where those apps store taken screenshots by default.

How to change the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 and 11—option 1

Microsoft only recently updated the Snipping Tool app with a built-in option to change where the app stores screenshots and screen recordings. Here is how to do that.

Note: Snipping Tool settings do not affect where Windows stores screenshots taken with the Win + PrintScreen button. If you take screenshots this way and want to change the default folder, jump to option 2.

1. Open the Snipping Tool app and click the three-dot button in the upper-right corner of the window. Note that you might need to resize the app for more convenience.

   

2. Scroll down and find the "Automatically save original screenshots" option.
3. Press the arrow-down button next to it, and you will see the "Screenshots are saved to" option. Click the "Change" link and specify where you want to store your screenshots.

   

Note that Snipping Tool stores screen recordings in another folder. If you want to change it as well, scroll further down and do the same steps for the "Automatically save original screen recordings" option.

Tip: You can turn on automatic screenshot and screen recording saving. In such a case, screenshots and screen recordings will be copied to your clipboard, and you will have to save them manually each time, wherever you want.

Change the default screenshot folder in Windows—option 2

This method only works for screenshots, not screen recordings. It applies to both Snipping Tool and the Win + PrintScreen shortcut.

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the Pictures folder in your profile. It is pinned by default to the nav pane. Alternatively, go to 😄 > Users > Your Username > Pictures. You will find the Screenshot folder there.
2. Right-click the Screenshot folder and click Properties.

   

3. Go to the Location tab and click Move.

   

4. Specify the new folder for your screenshots. Upon saving, Windows will ask you whether you want to move existing screenshots to the new location.

Should you change your mind, repeat the same steps but click Restore Default in step 3. Windows might tell you that the folder does not exist and ask you to create it. Click Yes.

While Windows 10 and 11 do not allow you to do the same for the Screen Recordings folder, you can move the entire Video user folder to a new location. The process is the same as described above, just make sure you right-click the Videos folder (the one hosting the Screen recordings directory).

Change the default screenshot folder in Windows 10 and 11—option 3

Now, here is a method for those who do not mind getting their hands dirty, figuratively speaking. You can change the default screenshot location (this does not work for screen recordings) using the system registry.

Warning: Back up important data before messing around with the system registry. We also recommend creating a system restore point in case unexpected things happen.

1. Create a new folder where you want to store screenshots.
2. Press Win + R and type regedit to launch Windows Registry Editor.
3. Paste the following into the address bar: Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders.
4. Find the {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F} value and double-click it

   

   Tip: If the value does not exist, click Edit > New > String Value and rename it to that long cryptic name in braces.
5. Change the value data to the path of your new folder. For example, D:\Screenshots, and press Ok.

Note that this change will not move your existing screenshots to a new folder.

That is it. That is how you change the default screenshot location in Windows 10 and 11.

Source

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