How to Delete Screenshots on Mac

Where screenshots are stored on Mac

Screenshots on Mac are saved by default to your desktop and named “Screen Shot [date] at [time].png”. You can change the location via Terminal or Screenshot app settings, or drag the pic from the corner of your screen to another place.

Though it can be a quest to determine where screenshots go on your Mac, especially if you’re pressed for time, we have a clear guide for navigating this issue.

How to remove screenshots on Mac

You can manually remove screenshots on a MacBook:

1. Choose the screenshots you want to get rid of ➙ hit the Command + delete buttons.
2. Move the screenshots to the Trash ➙ empty it to free space.
3. Right-click on the screenshot you want to delete ➙ choose Move to Trash from the drop-down menu.

A note from our experts:

 

No doubt, you remember how to screenshot on a Mac with your eyes closed, as screenshots on MacBooks are a useful and accessible tool for immediately capturing and sharing information. You frequently use them for documentation, creative work, friendly chats, or just remembering something. But there’s a downside—over time, your screenshots take up plenty of storage on your device with duplicate or redundant images. We advise you to use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder to manage your screenshot collections efficiently by identifying and removing unwanted duplicates. As a result, you will benefit from optimized system performance and improved file organization.

 

Here's an instruction on how to use MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder to clear screenshots on your Mac:

1. Download, install, and launch the MacKeeper app.
2. Find and select the Duplicates Finder from the left sidebar.
3. Choose the Start Scan option to find any copies on your Mac.
4. Wait for the results, then click Remove Selected to delete unnecessary duplicates ➙ confirm their removal.

1. Get rid of screenshots using a keyboard shortcut

One of the simplest ways to delete screenshots on your Mac you no longer need is to use a keyboard shortcut.

Choose the most preferable shortcut to get rid of unnecessary screenshots:

1. Click the screenshots ➙ press the Command + Delete combination to delete selected files.
2. Press the Option + Command + Delete combination to remove selected screenshots without opening Trash.

If you want to simultaneously delete several screenshots, press Command and select all files for removal ➙ press the Command + Delete combination to move these files to the Trash.

A few hints from our team:

 

If all unwanted screenshots are in one folder, press the Command + A combination to select them all  ➙ press Command + Delete to get rid of them in one click.

 

Don’t forget to empty your Trash Bin to free up space. You can also do this quickly using the keyboard shortcut: press the Shift + Command + Delete combination ➙ click Empty Trash in the pop-down menu.

2. Delete screenshots via Trash Bin

One more method to free up space from excessive screenshots on your Mac is to move them to your Trash. Go up to the How to remove screenshots on Mac section to go through these step-by-step instructions.

Besides, there’s always an alternative to manually drag the screenshots to the Trash. It’s a handy method if there are just a few of them stored on your device’s desktop.

3. Remove screenshots using Control-Click

By default, your screenshots are stored on your Desktop, or you can change the save location for the Screenshots folder or elsewhere. If you accidentally missed this step, don’t panic; just learn how to search on Mac.

When you find the screenshots on your Apple laptop, you can also delete them using the built-in command Control-Click and only the Mac pad. This means you don’t have to open any additional windows.

Do the following to eliminate unnecessary screenshots via Control-Click:

1. Mark the screenshots with your cursor, or select them by holding the command key.
2. Control-click the images using the Mac pad.
3. Select the Move to Trash option from the context menu.

What if you can't delete screenshots on your Mac

When Finder doesn’t let you delete screenshots, with the notification “The item screenshot can’t be moved to the Trash because it can’t be deleted”, System Integrity Protection (SIP) can be the reason why. You can resolve this issue by disabling SIP in macOS Recovery and then rebooting it normally to eliminate screenshots.

If your Mac screenshot is not working, and you feel puzzled, then read our guide with the list of handy fixes to resolve things quickly.

Conclusion

Deleting screenshots on your Mac provides lots of benefits, like freeing up so precious storage space, to keep your files organized and improve your system’s performance. However, over time your screenshots pile up, cluttering your folders, which makes it harder to quickly find the files you actually need and slows down your working process. Obviously, you need to get rid of unnecessary screenshots from time to time. It’s quite easy to do this manually if you have enough free time and patience for such monotonous activity.

Another issue is the risk of accidentally deleting something important. To prevent this, MacKeeper’s Duplicates Finder is especially useful. This tool identifies duplicates and redundant screenshots and eliminates them easily, keeping all your essential files safe.