The fastest way to delete screenshots depends on where they are stored
Screenshots save to a specific folder on your device — usually called Screenshots, Pictures, or Photos — and you delete them the same way you delete any other file. On most phones and computers, you can select one screenshot and press Delete, or select multiple at once and remove them in bulk. The method changes slightly depending on whether you use an iPhone, Android phone, Windows computer, or Mac, but the basic steps are the same: find the file, select it, and send it to trash or recycle bin.
The main reason to delete screenshots is to free up storage space, since screenshots take up the same amount of storage as regular photos. If your phone or computer is running low on storage, deleting old screenshots is often faster than deleting other files because they tend to accumulate without you noticing.
Key Takeaways
- Screenshots on iPhones save to the Photos app by default, and you delete them by opening Photos, finding the screenshot, and swiping left or tapping Edit and Delete.
- Android screenshots go to a Screenshots folder in your file manager or gallery app, and you delete them by selecting the file and pressing Delete.
- Windows screenshots save to a Pictures folder (or wherever you chose to save them), and you delete them by right-clicking and selecting Delete, then emptying the Recycle Bin.
- Mac screenshots save to the Desktop or Documents folder by default, and you delete them by dragging them to Trash and then emptying Trash.
- Deleting screenshots from your device does not remove them from cloud storage like iCloud or Google Photos unless you also delete them there.
How to delete screenshots on iPhone
Open the Photos app and tap the Albums tab at the bottom. Scroll down and tap Screenshots — this folder shows only the screenshots you have taken. Tap Select in the top right corner, then tap each screenshot you want to delete, or tap Select All to choose every screenshot at once. Once you have selected the screenshots, tap Delete in the bottom right corner, then confirm by tapping Delete Photo.
If you want to delete just one screenshot, you can also open it directly in the Photos app, tap the trash icon in the bottom right corner, and confirm the deletion. The screenshot moves to the Recently Deleted album, where it stays for 30 days before being permanently removed. If you want to delete it immediately without waiting, open Recently Deleted, tap Select, choose the screenshot, and tap Delete.
Keep in mind that if you have iCloud Photos turned on, deleting a screenshot from your iPhone also deletes it from iCloud and any other devices signed into your Apple account. If you only want to remove it from your iPhone but keep it in iCloud, you will need to turn off iCloud Photos first or delete it only from your device by using a different method.
How to delete screenshots on Android
Open your file manager or gallery app — the exact name depends on your phone brand, but it is usually called Files, Gallery, Photos, or Google Photos. Look for a folder called Screenshots, Pictures, or Images. Tap and hold a screenshot to select it, then tap the delete or trash icon. If you want to delete multiple screenshots, tap and hold the first one, then tap the others while holding down your finger, and delete them all at once.
On phones with Google Photos, you can also open the Google Photos app, go to the Search tab, and look for a Screenshots album. Select the screenshots you want to remove and tap the delete icon. If you have Google One backup turned on, deleting from Google Photos also removes the screenshot from your backup, so it will not reappear if you restore your phone later.
Some Android phones let you set where screenshots save. If you want to change the location, open your camera or screenshot app settings and look for a storage or save location option. Moving screenshots to a separate folder makes them easier to find and delete in bulk later.
How to delete screenshots on Windows
Screenshots taken with the Print Screen key or Snipping Tool usually save to your Pictures folder. Open File Explorer, navigate to Pictures, and look for a Screenshots folder. Select the screenshots you want to delete by clicking on one, holding Ctrl, and clicking others. Right-click and select Delete, or press the Delete key on your keyboard.
When you delete a file on Windows, it goes to the Recycle Bin instead of being permanently removed. To permanently delete the screenshots and free up storage space, right-click the Recycle Bin on your desktop and select Empty Recycle Bin. Once you empty the Recycle Bin, the files cannot be recovered.
If you use the Xbox Game Bar to take screenshots, they save to a different location: Users > [Your Username] > Videos > Captures. Open File Explorer and navigate there to find and delete them. You can also change where screenshots save by opening the app settings and looking for a storage or save location option.
How to delete screenshots on Mac
By default, Mac screenshots save to your Desktop or Documents folder. Look for files with names like Screenshot 2024-01-15 at 2.30.45 PM. Click on a screenshot to select it, then press Command+Delete to move it to Trash. To delete multiple screenshots at once, click the first one, hold Command, and click the others, then press Command+Delete.
Screenshots moved to Trash stay there until you empty it. To permanently delete them, click the Trash icon in your Dock, then click Empty in the top right corner of the Trash window. Once you empty Trash, the files are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.
If you want to change where Mac saves screenshots, open Terminal (in Applications > Utilities) and type: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Downloads then press Enter. Replace ~/Downloads with any folder path you prefer. After you run this command, new screenshots will save to that location instead of your Desktop.
Deleting screenshots from cloud storage
If you back up your photos to iCloud, Google Photos, OneDrive, or another cloud service, deleting a screenshot from your device may not remove it from the cloud. Check your cloud storage settings to see whether photos are synced automatically. If they are, deleting from your device also deletes from the cloud. If they are not synced, you need to delete the screenshot from both places.
To delete from iCloud on any device, go to iCloud.com, sign in, open Photos, find the screenshot, select it, and click Delete. To delete from Google Photos, open photos.google.com, find the screenshot, click it, and click the delete icon. Deleting from the web version removes it from all devices that use that account.
If you have a lot of old screenshots backed up to the cloud, deleting them there frees up storage space in your cloud account. Many cloud services offer limited free storage, and removing old screenshots can help you stay under your limit without paying for extra space.
Why screenshots take up so much storage
A single screenshot is usually between 1 and 5 megabytes, depending on your screen resolution and the content. If you take 20 screenshots a week, that adds up to 100 megabytes per week, or about 5 gigabytes per year. On a phone with 64 gigabytes of storage, that is roughly 8 percent of your total space used by screenshots alone.
Screenshots also get backed up to cloud storage automatically on many devices, which means they take up space in two places at once. If you have limited cloud storage, deleting old screenshots from both your device and the cloud can free up significant space without losing important files.
If you find yourself taking screenshots constantly, consider using your device's built-in annotation or markup tools instead. On iPhone, you can mark up a screenshot right after taking it without saving it to your library. On Android and Windows, you can use the Snipping Tool to capture and annotate without automatically saving to your main photo folder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a screenshot after I delete it?
On iPhone, screenshots stay in the Recently Deleted album for 30 days, so you can recover them during that time. On Android, Windows, and Mac, deleted files go to Trash or Recycle Bin for a period before being permanently removed — the exact time varies by device. Once you empty Trash or Recycle Bin, recovery is much harder and usually requires special software.
Do I need to delete screenshots one at a time?
No. On all devices, you can select multiple screenshots at once and delete them together. On iPhone, use the Select All option in the Photos app. On Android, Windows, and Mac, hold Ctrl (or Command on Mac) and click multiple files, then delete them all at once. This is much faster than deleting one by one.
Will deleting screenshots from my phone also delete them from my computer?
Only if they are synced through the same cloud account. If you use iCloud on both devices, deleting a screenshot from your iPhone also removes it from your Mac. If you use Google Photos on both, the same applies. If they are not synced, deleting from one device does not affect the other.
What happens if I delete a screenshot by accident?
On iPhone, you have 30 days to recover it from Recently Deleted. On other devices, check your Trash or Recycle Bin — if it is still there, you can restore it. If you have already emptied Trash, recovery is possible but difficult and may require paid software or professional help.
Can I set my phone to stop saving screenshots automatically?
Most phones do not have a setting to prevent screenshots from saving. Instead, you can regularly delete old screenshots, or you can disable cloud backup so they do not take up space in two places. Some phones let you change where screenshots save, which makes them easier to find and delete in bulk.