1. Know where they're saved
Win + Print Screen and the Snipping Tool (Win + Shift + S) both save to Pictures\Screenshots. If OneDrive asks to save your screenshots, they end up in OneDrive\Pictures\Screenshots instead, and Game Bar captures go to Videos\Captures. Pick one place: turn off the OneDrive option in OneDrive's settings under Backup if you don't want two Screenshots folders.
2. Clear out the backlog
Most old screenshots were only needed for a minute:
- 1Open Pictures\Screenshots and choose View → Large icons so you can see them.
- 2Sort by Date modified, oldest first.
- 3Delete what you don't need and drag the keepers into month folders such as 2026\03.
3. File new screenshots automatically
A TidyFile rule picks up every file whose name starts with “Screenshot” and moves it into a year and month folder the moment it's saved, so the Screenshots folder only ever holds this month's. The same idea works for any file you want sorted by date.
The TidyFile rule
Screenshots by month
- When a file
- in Pictures\Screenshots · name starts with Screenshot
- Then
- move to Pictures\Screenshots\{year}\{month}
Set it up once and TidyFile applies it in the background, to new files the moment they arrive. Preview what it'll do to the files already there, and undo anything from the activity log.
Questions
Where are screenshots saved in Windows 11?+
In Pictures\Screenshots (C:\Users\your-name\Pictures\Screenshots). Win + Print Screen saves there as Screenshot (1).png, Screenshot (2).png and so on, and the Snipping Tool saves there too when automatic saving is on. If OneDrive backs up your screenshots, look in OneDrive\Pictures\Screenshots instead.
Why can't I find a screenshot I just took?+
Print Screen on its own only copies the screen to the clipboard; nothing is saved. Use Win + Print Screen to save a file, or Win + Shift + S for the Snipping Tool. Game Bar captures (Win + Alt + Print Screen) go to Videos\Captures.
Will sorting screenshots break anything?+
No. Windows just keeps saving new ones to the Screenshots folder, and the rule files each one into its month folder as it arrives.