To delete screenshots on a Mac, first find them all: by default, every screenshot and screen recording is saved to the Desktop, with a name that starts with "Screenshot" or "Screen Recording" followed by the date and time. Search Finder for those names, review what you find, select what you don't need, and choose File › Move to Trash.
Screenshots themselves are small; screen recordings are not. On one Mac, measured in October 2026, the 258 screenshots Spotlight could find had a median size of about 340 KB, and the largest was 5.2 MB. A recording is a video, and it grows with every second you record.
To stop the pile coming back, change where captures go. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and choose a folder or the Clipboard under Save to. Screenshots from an iPhone are a separate pile: with iCloud Photos, they're in the Photos app, in the Screenshots collection.
Two things to know before you delete in bulk. If your Desktop syncs to iCloud Drive, deleting a screenshot on the Mac deletes it on your other devices too. And deleted files keep their space until you empty the Trash; until then, Put Back returns any of them.
Where screenshots and screen recordings go
The answer is the same on macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe: the Desktop, until you change it.
Where are screenshots saved by default?
Apple's guide says screenshots taken with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the Desktop, and its support article says screen recordings are too. Both go there unless you've chosen another place in the Screenshot app's options.
The keyboard shortcuts are Shift-Command-3 for the whole screen, Shift-Command-4 for a part of it, and Shift-Command-4 then the Space bar for a window or the menu bar. Shift-Command-5 opens the Screenshot app, with tools for screenshots and screen recordings and the Options menu.
What are screenshot files called?
Apple says screenshots are saved as .png files and screen recordings as .mov files, with names that begin with "Screenshot" or "Screen Recording" and include the date and time. Apple's support article uses the spelling "Screen Shot" instead, which is how older captures are often named, so search for both.
With HDR capture on a supported Mac running macOS 26 Tahoe or later, Apple says screenshots use the HEIF image format instead of PNG, and recordings use HEVC video instead of H.264.
| Capture | File type | Name begins with | Saved to by default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screenshot, SDR | .png | Screenshot | The Desktop |
| Screenshot, HDR | HEIF | Screenshot | The Desktop |
| Screen recording, SDR | .mov, H.264 | Screen Recording | The Desktop |
| Screen recording, HDR | .mov, HEVC | Screen Recording | The Desktop |
| Copied with Control held down | No file | None | The Clipboard |
How do you change where screenshots are saved?
- Press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot app.
- Click Options.
- Under Save to, choose one of the preset places, or Other Location to pick any folder.
Apple's support article calls this the default save location, and it's been in the Screenshot app since macOS Mojave. Macworld lists the presets as Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages and Preview. The choice stays until you change it again.
Which Save to choice is best?
It depends on what you do with screenshots. Many are used once, then never again, so a place that keeps them out of the way, and is easy to clear, works best.
| Save to | What happens | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | A file on the Desktop | Seeing every capture at once, if you clear them often |
| Documents | A file in Documents | Rarely the best choice: it buries them among your files |
| A folder of your own | A file in that folder | Keeping captures in one place you can clear in one go |
| Clipboard | No file, ready to paste | Screenshots you paste into a message or document straight away |
| Mail, Messages or Preview | The app opens with the capture | Sending or marking up a capture at once |
A folder of your own, with Other Location, is the tidy option. Make a folder called Screenshots in your home folder or in Pictures, choose it once, and every capture goes there.
Where did my screenshot go?
If it isn't on the Desktop, check four things. Open Options in the Screenshot app and see what Save to says; a folder chosen months ago is easy to forget. If it says Clipboard, no file was made.
With Desktop Stacks on, the file may be inside a stack. And if your Desktop syncs to iCloud Drive, it's in the Desktop folder under iCloud in the Finder sidebar.
A capture app from another developer may also have taken over the shortcut and saved it in its own folder.
Why does an app open after some screenshots?
Because of the Save to choice. Apple notes that, depending on where you chose to save the screenshot or recording, an app may open: Mail or Messages with the capture attached, or Preview with it ready to mark up. Once you send it, Mail and Messages keep that copy as an attachment, where it takes space like any other.
Should you capture in HDR or SDR?
On a supported Mac, Options › Capture Format offers both. Apple says HDR captures more brightness and color but needs an HDR display to see the difference, and an HDR screenshot shown on an ordinary display looks like SDR. SDR, which Apple labels Most Compatible, is the standard for most displays and phones.
Apple doesn't compare their file sizes. For screenshots of documents, settings and web pages, SDR is the safe default; HDR suits captures of HDR photos or video you want to show as they are.
Can you change the screenshot shortcuts?
Yes. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Keyboard, click Keyboard Shortcuts, then click Screenshots in the sidebar. You can turn shortcuts off or give them new keys, which helps if another capture app uses the same ones.
Why screen recordings take so much more space
A screenshot is one picture. A screen recording is many pictures a second, plus sound, for as long as you record. That's the whole difference, and it's why a few forgotten recordings can outweigh hundreds of screenshots.
How big is a screenshot?
It depends on how much of the screen you capture and what's on it. A small selection of a text window is far smaller than the whole of a large display full of photos. PNG keeps every pixel exactly, so busy, colorful screens make larger files than plain text.
On the Mac we measured in October 2026, Spotlight found 258 screenshots in all. Their median size was about 340 KB, the largest was 5.2 MB, and together they took 356 MB. That's one Mac, not a rule, but it gives a sense of scale.
What makes a recording large?
Apple doesn't publish typical sizes for screen recordings, and they vary too much for one figure. What decides the size:
- Length. Ten minutes is roughly ten times one minute.
- Area. The entire screen captures far more than a window or a selected portion.
- Movement. Video scrolling, games and animations change more of the picture each second than a still document does.
- Format. Apple says HDR recordings use HEVC and SDR recordings use H.264. QuickTime Player's own export calls HEVC the smaller file size.
- Sound. A microphone, and system audio on macOS 27, add an audio track.
Does trimming from the thumbnail help?
Yes, and it's the easiest moment to do it. Apple says clicking the floating thumbnail opens a window where you can trim the recording before it's saved. Cutting a long lead-in or the minute spent finding the Stop button means a shorter file from the start, and nothing to clean up later.
How do you check a recording's size?
Select it in Finder and choose File › Get Info, or open its folder in list view, where the Size column shows every file. Sort by Size to bring the largest recordings to the top. The post on finding large files on a Mac shows how to search the whole Mac by size.
Can you make a recording smaller?
Yes, in two ways, both in QuickTime Player. To cut the parts you don't need, open the recording, choose Edit › Trim, drag the yellow handles around the part to keep, and click Trim. Then save it.
To make a smaller copy of the whole thing, choose File › Export As and pick a resolution: 1080p, 720p or 480p. For 4K and 1080p, Apple says Smaller File Size exports in HEVC. Check the copy plays well, then move the original to the Trash.
For still screenshots, compressing them into an archive is rarely worth the trouble. The post on when compressing files on a Mac is worth it explains when it pays off.
A worked example: one Mac's screenshots
Here's the Mac measured above, in more detail. Spotlight found 258 screenshots, taking 356 MB in all. Of those, 156 were under 1 MB each and 102 were 1 MB or more.
The largest 50 took 214 MB, about 60 percent of the total. So sorting by size and clearing the top of the list recovers most of the space, without opening the small ones at all. There were no screen recordings on that Mac.
The lesson for a full disk: hundreds of screenshots may come to a few hundred megabytes, which rarely solves a space problem by itself. A handful of forgotten screen recordings can matter more, so look for those first.
How to find all your screenshots
Before you delete, gather them. Finder can find every capture on the Mac in a few seconds, wherever it was saved.
Search by name in Finder
- Open a Finder window and press Command-F.
- Click This Mac next to Search, so the search covers the whole Mac.
- Type Screenshot in the search field, and choose the suggestion that matches names.
- To narrow it, click the add button next to Save and set Kind to Image.
Search again for Screen Recording, with Kind set to Movie, to find recordings. If your Mac has been upgraded for years, search for Screen Shot as well, for older captures.
How do you save the search for next time?
Click Save at the top right of the search, give it a name such as All screenshots, and select Add To Sidebar if you want it there. Finder then keeps it as a Smart Folder that updates by itself: open it whenever you want to clear captures, and everything that matches is already there.
What about screenshots you've renamed?
A name search misses them. macOS also marks screenshots in their Spotlight information, and several guides report that typing kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1 into Finder's search field finds files marked that way, even renamed ones. It's Spotlight's own name for the attribute; Finder's list of search attributes doesn't show it under a friendlier name.
Use Stacks to tidy the Desktop
If your screenshots are on the Desktop, Stacks gather them out of the way. Click the Desktop and choose View › Use Stacks, or press Control-Command-0. Apple says each file you save to the Desktop is then added to the right stack automatically.
Choose View › Group Stacks By to group by kind, such as images or PDFs, or by date. Click a stack to open it, and double-click an item to open that file.
| Method | Finds | Misses |
|---|---|---|
| Search names for Screenshot | Every capture with its original name | Renamed files |
| Search names for Screen Recording | Recordings with their original name | Renamed recordings |
| A Smart Folder of the search | The same, updated automatically | The same as the search |
| Desktop Stacks | Everything on the Desktop, grouped | Captures saved anywhere else |
| Photos' Screenshots collection | Screenshots in your Photos library | Files in Finder |
How to delete screenshots on a Mac in bulk
Once Finder has them in one window, deleting is quick. The care goes into the minute before.
Step by step
- Run your search, or open your Smart Folder.
- Choose View › as List, and click a date or Size column heading to sort. Control-click a heading to add Date Created or Size if it isn't shown.
- Press the Space bar on any you're not sure about, and use the arrow keys to move through them in Quick Look.
- Select the ones to remove: Shift-click a range, Command-click single files, or press Command-A for everything.
- Choose File › Move to Trash, or press Command-Delete.
The files are in the Trash, not gone. Open the Trash, select any file and choose File › Put Back to return it where it was.
Is it safe to delete screenshots?
Yes. They're your own files, and nothing in macOS depends on them. The only risk is losing one you needed, which is why the Trash comes first. A screenshot can be the only record of a receipt, a booking or an error message, so look before you select everything.
Keep the useful ones first
Some screenshots are worth keeping: a receipt, a confirmation number, a setting you'll need again. Move those to a folder of their own before you select everything, or tag them. A screenshot of a document you'll need is often better saved as a PDF of the document itself.
If you share a Mac, each account has its own Desktop, so these steps cover only your captures.
Why didn't the space come back?
Because the files are still in the Trash. Choose Finder › Empty Trash once you're sure; that's the step that frees the space, and it can't be undone. The post on deleted files that don't free space covers the other reasons free space can lag behind.
What about screenshots in Time Machine backups?
If you back up with Time Machine, your backups still hold the screenshots you delete, until Time Machine removes older backups to make room. That's a useful safety net: a screenshot you deleted by mistake can be restored from a backup. It doesn't use space on your Mac's own disk once the Trash is emptied.
Where do screenshots count in Storage settings?
Screenshots and recordings in your home folder count under Documents in System Settings › General › Storage, or under iCloud Drive if your Desktop syncs there. The post on every category in Mac Storage settings explains what else that category holds, and how its window lists large files.
Screenshots from your iPhone in Photos
Screenshots you take on an iPhone or iPad don't arrive as files. With iCloud Photos on, they're photos in your library, and they appear in the Photos app on your Mac.
Where do you find them in Photos?
Click Screenshots below Media Types in the Photos sidebar. If you don't see the media types, hold the pointer over Media Types and click the arrow that appears. Apple notes each media type collection appears only if your library has that kind of item.
How do you delete screenshots in Photos?
Open the Screenshots collection, select the ones you don't need, press the Delete key, and click Delete. They move to Recently Deleted for 30 days. Deleting from a media type collection removes the item from your library, not just from the collection; Apple gives Videos as an example of a collection that works this way.
With iCloud Photos, they're deleted on your iPhone and every other device using the same library. That's usually what you want for old screenshots. The post on deleting photos on a Mac but not in iCloud explains why there's no way to delete on one device only.
What about iPhone screen recordings?
They go to the photo library too. Apple's iPhone guide says screen recordings are saved there automatically and listed in a Screen Recordings collection below Media Types. With iCloud Photos they reach the Mac's Photos library like any video, and they're usually far larger than screenshots.
On the Mac, look below Media Types for the same collection, or click Videos and look for recordings by their length. Delete them the same way, knowing it deletes them on your iPhone too.
Are screenshots counted as duplicates?
Sometimes. Photos' Duplicates collection groups items that look the same, and screenshots of the same screen can look identical. The post on merging duplicate photos in Photos explains how to check each set before you merge.
Do Mac screenshots go into Photos?
Not by themselves. A screenshot taken on the Mac is a file, wherever Save to points, until you import it into Photos. If you do import them, you'll have two copies: one in Photos, one in Finder. The post on what fills a Photos library covers the library side.
Screenshots, the Desktop and iCloud
If your Desktop syncs with iCloud Drive, every screenshot saved there is also in iCloud. That changes both where they count and what deleting them does.
Is your Desktop in iCloud Drive?
Open System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, then Drive. If Desktop & Documents Folders is on, Apple says your Desktop and Documents folders have moved into iCloud Drive, and they appear in the iCloud section of the Finder sidebar and in the Files app on your iPhone or iPad.
What does that mean for screenshots?
Each screenshot saved to the Desktop is uploaded and counts toward your iCloud storage. Apple says all files you add to iCloud Drive count. Apple adds that your Mac can store older documents in iCloud when it needs more space, if you turn that option on in the same settings.
The post on Desktop and Documents in iCloud explains that setting in full, and the one on iCloud Drive taking up space covers keeping downloads in check.
Does deleting on the Mac delete everywhere?
Yes. Apple says files you delete in iCloud Drive move to Recently Deleted on your iPhone, iPad and iCloud.com, and to the Trash on your Mac. They can be recovered for 30 days. Apple notes files in that Recently Deleted folder don't count toward your iCloud storage.
So deleting old screenshots from an iCloud Desktop frees iCloud storage, and space on the Mac once you empty the Trash.
Should screenshots go somewhere outside iCloud?
If you don't need them on other devices, yes. Choose Other Location under Save to and pick a folder outside Desktop and Documents, such as a Screenshots folder in Pictures. They then stay on the Mac and never use iCloud storage.
Keep the Desktop from refilling
Deleting a year of screenshots takes minutes. Keeping them from coming back takes a few settings.
Send them to a folder or the Clipboard
The single most effective change is Save to. A dedicated folder keeps the Desktop clear and makes clearing captures one Command-A. The Clipboard suits people who paste every screenshot straight into a chat or a document and never need the file.
For one-off copies without changing the setting, hold Control as you take the screenshot: Control-Shift-Command-3 copies the whole screen, and Control-Shift-Command-4 copies a selection.
Use the floating thumbnail
With Show Floating Thumbnail selected in Options, a thumbnail appears in the bottom-right corner for a few seconds before the file is saved. Apple says you can drag it into a document, an email, a note or a Finder window, or click it to mark it up or trim a recording, or share it.
Apple's support article adds that you can drag the thumbnail to another place instead of letting it save to the Desktop, and Control-click it to choose Save to Clipboard. Swiping right saves it immediately.
Should you turn the floating thumbnail off?
It depends on how you work. Apple describes the thumbnail as a few seconds to drag, mark up or share a capture before it's saved. If you never use it, turning off Show Floating Thumbnail in Options saves each capture straight away, in the place you chose.
If you often paste screenshots into documents, keep it on and drag the thumbnail where it's needed, then clear the saved copies in your monthly tidy.
Watch where screenshots end up when you share them
Dragging a screenshot into a note or a message puts a copy there, and the file may still be saved too. The post on Notes, Freeform and Voice Memos covers clearing screenshots from notes, where they add up quietly.
A monthly habit
- Open your screenshots Smart Folder or folder.
- Keep anything you still need, by moving it to its proper place.
- Select the rest and move them to the Trash.
- Do the same with Screenshots in Photos, if you use iCloud Photos.
- Empty the Trash when you're sure.
QuickTime Player and other capture apps
The Screenshot app isn't the only way to record the screen, and other apps keep their own rules.
QuickTime Player's screen recordings
In QuickTime Player, File › New Screen Recording, or Control-Command-N, starts a screen recording. Apple says that on current macOS this opens the Screenshot app's tools, so the recording follows the same Save to setting.
If you see QuickTime Player's own Screen Recording window instead, QuickTime opens the recording when you stop. Apple says it gives recordings a placeholder name, such as Untitled, and saves them to a default location; File › Save lets you rename one and choose another place, including iCloud.
Video calls and other recorders
Meeting apps that record calls, and screen recorders from other developers, save to folders set in their own settings, which the Screenshot app's options don't change. Some may keep copies in their own cloud as well. If recordings turn up where you don't expect, check that app's settings first.
Third-party screenshot apps
Capture apps such as CleanShot X save to the folder chosen in their own settings; reviews note it can save to a specific folder, in JPG or PNG. Clear those folders the same way, with a Smart Folder or a sort by date.
| Tool | Where captures go | How to change it |
|---|---|---|
| Screenshot app and shortcuts | The Desktop, unless changed | Options › Save to |
| QuickTime Player via Screenshot | The same as the Screenshot app | Options › Save to |
| QuickTime Player's own window | A default location | File › Save |
| Third-party capture apps | Their own folder | That app's settings |
Mistakes to avoid
| Don't | Why | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Select every search result without looking | Receipts and confirmations can be in there | Quick Look first, keep what matters |
| Empty the Trash straight away | It's the only undo you have | Wait a day, then empty it |
| Delete from an iCloud Desktop to tidy one Mac | It deletes on every device | Move the files elsewhere first, if you need them |
| Keep long recordings you'll never watch | One recording can outweigh all your screenshots | Trim or export a smaller copy, or delete it |
| Import Mac screenshots into Photos and keep both | Two copies of each | Keep them in one place only |
Will deleting screenshots make my Mac faster?
No. It frees space, and a tidy Desktop is easier to work with, but screenshots don't slow a Mac down. Free space matters when the disk is nearly full, for updates and for macOS's own working files; that's the real reason to clear them.
How the app does it
Wombit is a native Mac app that shows what's using your storage and explains every item in plain language. It scans the whole disk or any folder, reading only names, sizes and dates. File names and paths never leave your Mac.
The map is the home screen. Select your Desktop, or a screenshots folder, to see its largest files at a glance, with a list and search beside it; search for Screen Recording to find recordings. Quick Look and Reveal in Finder work on any item.
Large recordings you haven't touched in a year are explained by the catalog's Large files not changed in a year entry: files of 500 MB or more in your home folder, unchanged for a year, and not kept in sync by iCloud Drive.
They're Review first: the file may be the only copy, so nothing starts checked, and nothing inside Desktop or Documents is ever checked for you. Ordinary screenshots match no entry, so the app never offers them for removal.
~/
**/ * Large files not changed in a year
Files of 500 MB or more in your home folder that haven't changed for a year, such as old videos, disk images and archives.
Review first · Moves it to the Trash
Without Full Disk Access, the scan skips Desktop, Documents and Downloads, so give it access to see your captures.
Seeing all of this is free. Cleanup and the Apple Data actions for large old files are PRO: one payment of $4.99 with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Where do screenshots go on a Mac?
To the Desktop, unless you've changed it. Screenshots are saved as PNG files whose names start with Screenshot, and screen recordings as .mov files whose names start with Screen Recording, both with the date and time. To change the place, press Shift-Command-5, click Options and choose a location under Save to.
How do I delete all my screenshots at once on a Mac?
In Finder, press Command-F, search for Screenshot, choose to match names, and set the search to This Mac. Sort by date, select the ones you don't need, and choose File › Move to Trash. They stay in the Trash, where Put Back works, until you empty it.
How do I stop screenshots from saving to the Desktop?
Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and choose another place under Save to, such as Documents, Clipboard or a folder of your own with Other Location. To copy a single screenshot without saving a file, hold Control as you take it, for example Control-Shift-Command-3.
Why are screen recordings so large?
Because they're video. Their size grows with the length of the recording, how much of the screen you record and how much changes on it. Apple doesn't publish typical sizes. Trimming in QuickTime Player, or exporting at a lower resolution, makes a smaller copy.
Where are my iPhone screenshots on my Mac?
With iCloud Photos on both devices, iPhone screenshots arrive in the Photos app on the Mac, not in a folder. Click Screenshots below Media Types in the Photos sidebar to see them all. Deleting them there deletes them on your iPhone too.
Do screenshots on my Desktop use iCloud storage?
Only if Desktop & Documents Folders is turned on in iCloud Drive's settings. Then the Desktop is in iCloud Drive, so every screenshot saved there is uploaded and counts toward your iCloud storage. Deleting one on the Mac deletes it from your other devices too.
Can I recover a screenshot I deleted?
Yes, until you empty the Trash. Open the Trash, select the file and choose File › Put Back. If your Desktop is in iCloud Drive, a deleted file can also be recovered from Recently Deleted on iCloud.com for 30 days.