How to Restore the Default Location of Screenshots Folder

The Screenshots folder is a special folder located in your Pictures folder. Windows lets you relocate the Screenshots folder via the Location tab in the folder’s properties.

If you’ve inadvertently moved your Screenshots folder to another location and can’t restore it to the original location via the “Location” tab, this article is for you.

Screenshots taken using the Win + Print Screen or Win + Shift + S (Snipping Tool) are automatically saved to the Screenshots folder.

If the Screenshots folder location is incorrect, the Win + Print Screen and Snipping Tool will fail to save the snips to the Screenshots folder. For more information, see the article Snipping Tool Error “Can’t find Pictures folder”.

Let’s see how to restore the default location of the Screenshots folder in Windows 10 and 11.

Resolution

To restore the default location for Screenshots, follow the steps below.

Option 1: Using a REG file

Download restore_default_screenshots_location.reg (zipped), unzip it and run the enclosed registry fix. Click Yes to confirm.

Log off and log back in.

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Option 2: Using the Registry Editor

1. Launch the Registry Editor (regedit.exe).
2. Go to the following branch:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

3. In the right pane, right-click {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F} and choose Delete.
   
4. Exit the Registry Editor.
5. Log off and log back in.

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More Information

The GUID {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F} represents the “Screenshots” shell folder (shell:screenshots). This registry value doesn’t exist by default. It’s only created when you move the “Screenshots” folder to a different location via the Location tab.

Deleting the GUID {B7BEDE81-DF94-4682-A7D8-57A52620B86F} from the User Shell Folders key will restore Screenshots to its default location — i.e., Pictures\Screenshots. However, if you’ve enabled OneDrive syncing for the Pictures folder, the Screenshots folder will be under OneDrive\Pictures\Screenshots.