How to Change the Location of the Default Screenshot Folder in Windows 11?

Windows 11 comes pretty useful redesigned screenshot feature called Snipping Tool. You may no longer need to run any third-party screenshot tool, such as Greenshot or ShareX. Using a built-in Snipping Tool, one can easily capture everything on the screen.

By default, the screenshots taken by the built-in screenshot tool are saved in the C:\Users\<user name>\Pictures\Screenshots directory. However, you can move the default location to a different folder for easy access or any other requirements if you wish.

This gearupwindows article will guide you to change the default screenshot folder and restore it to its default location.

How to Change the Location of the Default Screenshot Folder in Windows 11?

Follow these steps to change the Location of the Default Screenshot Folder in Windows 11:-

Step 1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the C:\Users\<user name>\Pictures directory.

Note: Replace your user name with <user name>.

Step 2. While you’re in the Pictures directory, right-click the Screenshots folder and select Properties from the popup menu.

Step 3. On the Screenshots Properties dialog, navigate to the Location tab and then click the Move button.

Step 4. In the File Explorer window, select the destination folder you wish to use as your default Screenshots folder and click Select Folder.

Step 5. When you have selected a new destination directory, click the Apply button.

Step 6. Then, the Move Folder dialog box will appear, asking if you want to move all the files from the old location to the new location. Click Yes.

Step 7. Finally, click OK.

After completing the above steps, those programs, including Snipping Tool, used the Screenshots folder to save the images by default and will now use the newly selected destination directory.

How to Restore Default Screenshots Folder Location in Windows 11?

To restore the default screenshots folder location on Windows 11, do the following:-

Step 1. Right-click the custom Screenshots folder you changed, and select Properties from the popup menu.

For my example, we had assigned the E:\Pictures folder as a custom Screenshots Folder. So, we need to right-click this folder.

Step 2. Select the Location tab in the Properties window and then click the Restore Default button.

Step 3. Click Apply.

Step 4. In the “Create Folder” dialog, select Yes.

Step 5. Again, press Yes on the Move Folder dialog.

Step 6. Finally, click OK to restore the default Screenshots folder.

How to Divert the Screenshot Location in Windows 11?

Screenshots will be saved in different locations in this method, but you can still access the Screenshot folder from its original location.

To redirect the Screenshot location in Windows 11, use these steps:-

Step 1. First, make a new folder in your desired location where you want to save screenshots.

Step 2. Then, open the “C:\Users\<user name>\Pictures” folder and delete the Screenshots folder.

Step 3. Now, open the Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 4. Then, type the following and hit Enter on the keyboard to redirect the original screenshot’s location to a new area.

mklink /J "%USERPROFILE%\Pictures\Screenshots" "your_new_folder_location"

The above command will make a special folder called “Screenshots” in the default location (C:\Users\<user name>\Pictures). This will redirect screenshots to the new location of your choice.

The next time you take a screenshot using Windows + PrntScr, the screenshot will be saved in the new location, but you can still access them from the original location.

If you want to cancel the folder redirection, just delete the “Screenshots” folder in the default location.

That’s it.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Windows 11 comes with a powerful built-in screenshot tool called Snipping Tool. With this tool, users can easily capture everything on the screen without the need to install any third-party software. By default, the screenshots taken using the Snipping Tool are saved in the C:\Users<user name>\Pictures\Screenshots directory, but users can change the default location to any other folder. This article provided a step-by-step guide to changing the location of the default screenshot folder and restoring it to its default location. Additionally, the article explained how to divert the screenshot location to a new folder while still being able to access the screenshots from the original location. These tips will help Windows 11 users manage their screenshots effectively and efficiently.

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