Screenshots not saving (or cannot be found)

Question

Screenshots not saving (or cannot be found)

Anonymous

Hi,

I use Microsoft Surface Go laptop with Windows 11. I have been able to save and look at my screenshots in Gallery. I've moved all my photos (including screenshots) onto an external drive. Since then, I cannot find the screenshots that I take. Gallery is empty. The "Pictures" folder is on my One Drive (seems like it got automatically moved there). The folders there are empty as well.

Please let me know how I can find the screenshots or ensure that they get saved and I can find them.

I cut and pasted the pictures folder (with Screenshot) folder inside it to the local C drive/user/[my user name] but the screen shot still does not save there.

Thank you!

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

3 answers

Answer 1

Hello Sg,

Greetings from Microsoft Community,

I can totally understand your concern. Please follow the steps to troubleshoot the issue.

Check Where Screenshots Are Being Saved

Press Win + PrtScn to take a screenshot.
Open File Explorer → Go to C:\Users\YourUsername\Pictures\Screenshots.
If the folder is empty, check OneDrive → Pictures → Screenshots.

Restore Default Screenshot Save Location

Open File Explorer → Right-click Pictures folder → Properties.
Go to the Location tab → Click Restore Default → Apply.
Restart your PC and try taking a screenshot again.

Disable OneDrive Auto-Save for Screenshots

Open OneDrive → Click Settings → Backup.
Uncheck Automatically save screenshots to OneDrive.
Try taking a screenshot again and check the local Pictures folder.

Check Clipboard Settings

Open Settings → System → Clipboard.
Ensure Clipboard history is enabled.
Try pressing Win + V after taking a screenshot to see if it was copied instead of saved.

Manually Create a Screenshots Folder

Open File Explorer → Navigate to C:\Users\YourUsername\Pictures.
Create a new folder named Screenshots.
Try taking a screenshot again and check if it saves.

For more help you can check - Save screenshots to OneDrive automatically - Microsoft Support or Manage your Recall snapshots and disk space - Microsoft Support.

If the issue still persists. You can directly reach out to Microsoft live support on - Contact Us - Microsoft Support or get help app.

Please let us know if it works for you.

Kind regards

Zack | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

Answer 2

Thank you for your response!

Re: #1: it is in neither of these places.

Re: #2, I no longer have Pictures folder with the blue icon on my C drive, only in the One Drive, so I went and cut and pasted Pictures folder from One Drive and put it in my user folder. When I go to properties, there is no "Locations" tab. I went back to One Drive and there is again folder named Pictures. I go to Restore Default and it says it cannot do it ("Can't move the folder becaue there is a folder in the same location that can't be redirected. Access is denied"). What can I do?

Re: #3. How do I go to One Drive that has "settings"? I logged in to it on a browser but there is no backup setting under setting.

Re: #4: Clipboard history was not enabled so I enabled it. I opened Word and I was able to paste the screen shot.

Re: #5: Not sure where it's supposed to be saved at this point.

Where can I go from here?

Answer 3

Deleted

This answer has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The answer was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.

Comments have been turned off. Learn more

Share via

Screenshots not saving (or cannot be found)

3 answers