How to delete screenshots on Mac
To delete all screenshots on a Mac, open Finder, press Command-F, choose This Mac and search for kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1. Select the results, press Command-Delete to move them to the Trash, then empty the Trash. Screenshots save to your desktop by default, so a few months of them can bury it. Here's how to clear them and keep them from coming back.
This is the Mac part of how to delete screenshots.
Where screenshots go on a Mac
By default, macOS saves screenshots to your desktop as PNG files, named with the word "Screenshot" plus the date and time. Older versions of macOS used "Screen Shot" as two words, and on a Mac set to another language the word is translated.
If you've changed the save location, press Shift-Command-5 to open the Screenshot app and click Options. The "Save to" section shows where they're going.
Delete screenshots one at a time
- Find the screenshot on your desktop or in Finder.
- Drag it to the Trash, or select it and press Command-Delete.
- Empty the Trash when you're done (see below).
Delete all screenshots at once
This search finds screenshots anywhere on your Mac, including ones you've moved or renamed, because macOS tags each screenshot it saves. This tag isn't documented by Apple; it has worked for years and is widely used.
- Open a Finder window and press Command-F.
- Next to "Search:", click This Mac.
- Type
kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1in the search field (exactly as written) and press Return. - Look through the results. A whole-Mac search can turn up screenshots saved inside other apps' folders. Select one to see where it lives in the path bar at the bottom, and leave anything inside another app's data alone.
- Press Command-A to select all, then Command-Delete to move them to the Trash.
Prefer a simpler search? Search Finder for Screenshot, choose the "Name matches" suggestion, then click + and set Kind to Image so screen recordings are left out. This misses screenshots you've renamed.
Only delete old ones: in the same search window, click +, choose Created date, set it to before, and enter a date.
Empty the Trash, or nothing is freed
Files in the Trash still take up space. Click the Trash in the Dock, then click Empty, or choose Finder > Empty Trash. Emptying is permanent, so look before you empty. Anything you're unsure about can stay in the Trash for now and be restored with File > Put Back.
To have this happen automatically, open Finder > Settings > Advanced and turn on Remove items from the Trash after 30 days. Items deleted from iCloud Drive are emptied from the Trash after 30 days regardless of this setting.
Save the search as a "Screenshots" folder
After running the kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1 search, click Save in the top-right corner of the window, name it "All Screenshots" and keep Add to Sidebar ticked. You now have a Smart Folder in the sidebar that always shows every screenshot on your Mac. Deleting from it moves the real files to the Trash. The Smart Folder itself is just a saved search.
Stop screenshots cluttering your desktop
Make a folder, for example Screenshots inside Documents or Pictures. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and under Save to choose Other Location, then pick your new folder. New screenshots go there instead of the desktop.
You can also skip the file entirely: hold Control as well when taking a screenshot (for example Control-Shift-Command-4) to copy it to the clipboard instead of saving it.
What about the screenshots on your phone?
If your iPhone or Android phone is the bigger mess, see how to delete screenshots on iPhone or on Android. ScreenStash is a screenshot organizer app for iPhone and Android. It moves phone screenshots into their own searchable library and then offers to clear them out of your camera roll. Free includes unlimited screenshots, with your own boards, search and cleanup. Pro is $19.99 once, not a subscription. It doesn't have a Mac app.
Common questions
How do I delete all screenshots on my Mac at once?
In Finder, press Command-F, choose This Mac, search for kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1, select all with Command-A, press Command-Delete, then empty the Trash.
Where are screenshots saved on a Mac?
On the desktop by default. Check or change the location with Shift-Command-5, then Options.
Why isn't my disk space going up after deleting screenshots?
They're still in the Trash. Empty it to free the space.
Can I make my Mac delete old screenshots automatically?
macOS has no setting that deletes screenshots by age. You can save them to a dedicated folder and clear it with a date search, and turn on "Remove items from the Trash after 30 days" in Finder's Advanced settings. Items deleted from iCloud Drive are emptied from the Trash after 30 days regardless of this setting.