Where Do Screenshots Go on Windows? Every Save Location
Screenshots on Windows land in different places depending on which shortcut you pressed: plain PrtScn goes to the clipboard only, Win+PrtScn saves to Pictures\Screenshots, Win+Shift+S goes to the clipboard unless auto-save is on, and the Xbox Game Bar writes to Videos\Captures. OneDrive can silently redirect several of these. Here is the complete map.
The quick answer: every shortcut and its destination
| Shortcut | Where it goes | File created? |
|---|---|---|
PrtScn | Clipboard only | No — paste it somewhere |
Alt + PrtScn | Clipboard only (active window) | No — paste it somewhere |
Win + PrtScn | Pictures\Screenshots + clipboard | Yes, PNG, auto-named |
Win + Shift + S | Clipboard + notification | Only if auto-save is enabled or you save from the editor |
Win + Alt + PrtScn (Game Bar) | Videos\Captures | Yes, PNG |
| Any of the above with OneDrive redirect on | OneDrive\Pictures\Screenshots | Yes, synced to OneDrive |
Maxisnap Ctrl + Alt + 5 | Annotation editor — save anywhere | You choose folder, or upload |
Why is my PrtScn screenshot not in any folder?
Because plain PrtScn never writes a file — it copies the whole screen to the clipboard and stops. The same goes for Alt+PrtScn with the active window. The screenshot exists only until something else replaces it on the clipboard. Press Ctrl+V in Paint, Word, or a chat window to materialize it, or press Win+V to browse clipboard history. If you expected a file, the shortcut you wanted is Win+PrtScn.
One wrinkle on newer Windows 11 builds: there's a setting that makes the PrtScn key open the Snipping Tool instead (Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard). If your PrtScn suddenly opens a capture overlay, that toggle is why.
Where does Win+PrtScn save screenshots?
Win+PrtScn is the only classic shortcut that saves automatically: the screen dims for a moment and a PNG appears in C:\Users\<your name>\Pictures\Screenshots, auto-numbered. It also lands on the clipboard. On laptops, you may need Win+Fn+PrtScn if your PrtScn shares a key with something else.
Where does the Snipping Tool (Win+Shift+S) put snips?
On the clipboard, with a notification — by default, no file is written. Click the notification to open the editor and save manually, or enable the Snipping Tool's automatic-save setting (Windows 11), which writes every snip to Pictures\Screenshots. If snips seem to vanish entirely, notifications are probably suppressed — press Win+V and check the clipboard, and see our Snipping Tool troubleshooting guide for the full fix list.
Why are my screenshots going to OneDrive?
OneDrive has its own screenshot hook: Save screenshots I capture to OneDrive (OneDrive Settings > Sync and backup). When it's on, captures land in OneDrive\Pictures\Screenshots — synced to the cloud, and easy to miss if you're looking in the local Pictures folder. Turn the toggle off to keep captures local. If screenshots you never uploaded are appearing on other devices, this setting is the reason.
What does the Xbox Game Bar do with captures?
Win+Alt+PrtScn (or the camera button in the Win+G overlay) writes PNGs to C:\Users\<your name>\Videos\Captures — a folder people rarely think to check, since screenshots ending up under Videos is nobody's first guess. Game Bar works in most apps, not just games, so a stray press can quietly build a collection there.
How do I change the default screenshot folder?
Move the folder itself: right-click Pictures\Screenshots, choose Properties > Location > Move, and pick a new home — Win+PrtScn and Snipping Tool auto-save follow it. The Game Bar's Videos\Captures folder moves the same way. There's no Settings-app option for this; the folder's Location tab is the mechanism.
Skip the scavenger hunt
The reason this article needs to exist: Windows splits screenshots across the clipboard, two folders, and OneDrive depending on which keys you hit. A dedicated capture tool removes the guesswork. With Maxisnap, every capture — region or full screen — opens in the annotation editor immediately: annotate, blur, then save to any folder you like, copy, or upload to your own server or Maxisnap Cloud for a share link. One consistent pipeline, zero mystery folders. It's free for Windows 10 and 11.
More shortcuts and workflows: our complete screenshot shortcut reference covers every key combination above plus the annotation-editor keys, and the how-to-take-screenshots guide starts from zero.