What you can change about iPhone screenshots
You cannot change the actual screenshot image itself once you take it — iOS captures what is on your screen at that moment and saves it as a photo file. What you can change is where screenshots go, how they look in your library, and what happens when ready after you take one.
The main settings are: turning off the floating thumbnail that appears after you screenshot, changing where screenshots save (your photo library or a specific folder), and adjusting what happens when you tap the thumbnail. You can also delete screenshots in bulk or move them to a separate album so they do not clutter your main photo grid.
These changes are made in Settings, not in the Camera app or Photos app. The steps differ slightly depending on whether you use an iPhone with Face ID (iPhone X and newer) or Touch ID (iPhone 8 and earlier).
Key Takeaways
- The floating thumbnail that appears after you screenshot can be turned off in Settings > Notifications, under the Screenshots section.
- Screenshots save to your Photos library by default, but you can create a separate album and move them there to keep them organized.
- You can set screenshots to automatically save to a specific folder by using the Shortcuts app to create an automation.
- Tapping the thumbnail when ready after taking a screenshot lets you mark it up, crop it, or delete it before it saves permanently.
- Deleting old screenshots in bulk is faster through the Photos app's search function than deleting them one at a time.
Turn off the floating thumbnail after taking a screenshot
When you take a screenshot, a small preview appears in the bottom left corner of your screen for a few seconds. Tapping it opens the markup tools; ignoring it saves the screenshot as-is. If you find this thumbnail distracting, you can disable it.
Open Settings, then tap Notifications. Scroll down and look for Screenshots. Toggle off "Show Floating Thumbnail." The thumbnail will no longer appear after you screenshot, though your screenshots will still save to your Photos library automatically.
This setting applies to all screenshots you take going forward. If you change your mind, return to the same menu and toggle it back on.
Create a separate album for screenshots
Screenshots mixed into your main photo library can make it harder to find actual photos. The simplest way to separate them is to create a dedicated album and move screenshots there manually or in batches.
Open the Photos app and tap Albums at the bottom. Tap the plus sign in the top left, then tap "New Album." Name it "Screenshots" or whatever you prefer. Once created, open your Photos library, search for screenshots (tap Search, then type "screenshot"), select multiple ones by tapping Edit and then each photo, and tap Add to Album. Choose your new Screenshots album.
Going forward, you can move new screenshots to this album the same way, or leave them in your main library and move them later in batches. The album acts as a filter — the original files still exist in your library, but the album shows only what you put there.
Use the Shortcuts app to save screenshots to a specific folder
If you want screenshots to automatically go to a particular folder without manual sorting, you can use the Shortcuts app to create an automation. This requires a few steps but works reliably once set up.
Open the Shortcuts app. Tap Automation at the bottom, then tap Create Personal Automation. Choose "Screenshot" from the list. Set it to trigger "When Screenshot is Saved." Tap Next, then add an action: search for "Save to Files" and select it. Choose the folder where you want screenshots to land (for example, iCloud Drive > Screenshots). Tap Next, toggle off "Ask Before Running," and tap Done.
From now on, every screenshot you take will automatically save to that folder in addition to your Photos library. You can then delete them from Photos if you prefer to keep them only in Files.
Mark up or delete a screenshot when ready after taking it
The floating thumbnail that appears after you screenshot is useful for quick edits. Tapping it opens the markup tools, where you can draw, add text, magnify, or crop before the screenshot saves.
If you tap the thumbnail, you can make changes and tap Save to keep the edited version, or tap Done to discard your edits and save the original. If you do not tap the thumbnail at all, the unedited screenshot saves automatically after a few seconds.
You can also swipe left on the thumbnail to delete the screenshot entirely without saving it. This is faster than taking a screenshot, saving it, and then deleting it from Photos later.
Delete screenshots in bulk from your Photos library
If you have accumulated many screenshots and want to clear them out, deleting one at a time is slow. The Photos app lets you search for all screenshots and delete them together.
Open Photos, tap Search, and type "screenshot." All screenshots in your library will appear. Tap Select in the top right, then tap each screenshot you want to delete, or tap "Select All" to choose every one. Tap Delete in the bottom right, then confirm. The screenshots will move to your Recently Deleted album, where they stay for 30 days before permanent deletion.
If you change your mind within 30 days, open the Recently Deleted album, tap Select, choose the screenshots you want to restore, and tap Recover.
Change what happens when you tap the floating thumbnail
By default, tapping the floating thumbnail opens the markup editor. You can change this behavior so that tapping it does something else, or you can disable the thumbnail entirely (as described above).
Go to Settings > Notifications > Screenshots. Under "Thumbnail," you will see options for what tapping the thumbnail does. You can set it to save and close, open the editor, or do nothing. Choose whichever fits your workflow best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the file format of screenshots from PNG to JPG?
No. iOS always saves screenshots as PNG files, which preserve quality and transparency. You cannot change this format in settings. If you need JPG files, you can convert them using a third-party app or your computer, but iOS does not offer a built-in option.
Why are my screenshots blurry or low quality?
Screenshots capture your screen at its native resolution, so quality depends on your iPhone model and what is on screen. Text should be sharp; if it is not, the app or website you are screenshotting may be rendering poorly. Restarting the app sometimes helps. Screenshots are never compressed by iOS itself.
Can I take a screenshot of my entire screen if it is longer than one page?
Yes, but only in Safari and some apps. After taking a screenshot, tap the thumbnail and select "Full Page" at the top. iOS will capture the entire scrollable page. This does not work in all apps — only those that support it. For other apps, you have to take multiple screenshots and stitch them together manually.
Where do screenshots go if I use iCloud Photos?
Screenshots save to your Photos library and sync to iCloud like any other photo. They count toward your iCloud storage limit. If you want to keep screenshots off iCloud, create a separate album on your device and do not sync it, or use the Shortcuts automation to save them to Files instead of Photos.
Can I change the keyboard shortcut for taking a screenshot?
No. The shortcut for taking a screenshot is fixed: Power + Volume Up on Face ID iPhones, or Home + Power on Touch ID iPhones. You cannot remap these buttons or create a custom shortcut. The Shortcuts app cannot override the system-level screenshot command.