Where are Steam screenshots saved? Learn how to find your Steam screenshots, fix screenshots that do not appear in the Steam app, and recover deleted images if they are lost or deleted with ease.
Steam makes it easy to capture memorable gaming moments. By default, many Steam games allow you to press F12 to take a screenshot, although the screenshot hotkey can be changed in Steam settings. However, after taking several screenshots, you may start wondering: where are Steam screenshots saved?
Perhaps you want to edit an image, share it outside Steam, create a backup, or recover screenshots that seem to have disappeared. The good news is that Steam automatically stores every captured image in a specific directory on your local storage drive, while simultaneously maintaining a cloud storage mirror if enabled. Accessing these files can be accomplished either directly through the Steam client or via your operating system's File Explorer.
Steam generally saves screenshots in two places: within the Steam application and in a local folder on your computer. The exact file location can vary depending on your operating system, Steam installation directory, Steam account, and the game associated with the screenshot.
The easiest way to view your captured images is through the Steam client.
Step 1. Launch Steam > Sign in to your Steam account.
Step 2. Click View from the top menu > Select Screenshots.
Step 3. In the Screenshot Manager window, select the specific game from the top drop-down list.
Step 4. Click the Show on Disk button at the bottom. This will automatically open the exact local folder on your computer containing the original image files.
If you want to access the actual image files, you can navigate to Steam's local storage directory.
On Mac OS: Users/[Your-Mac-Username]/Library/Application Support/Steam/userdata/[Your-Steam-ID]/760/remote/[AppID]/screenshots.
Here is what the folders generally represent:
💡 Note: In the file path, 760 is the fixed internal code Steam uses for the screenshot manager, while [AppID] corresponds to the specific game (for instance, 570 for Dota 2 or 730 for CS: GO).
👉 What If Steam Is Installed on Another Drive?
The path above is only a common default location. For example, if you installed Steam on the D: drive, your screenshots may instead be located somewhere under: D:\Steam\userdata\...
The fastest solution is often to use Steam's Show on Disk option rather than manually searching through the userdata folders.
Occasionally, players open the Steam Screenshot Manager only to discover a blank window or missing images. Understanding the underlying causes helps resolve this issue quickly:
Disabled overlay functionality: If the Steam In-Game Overlay is turned off, pressing F12 will not trigger a screenshot capture, resulting in no saved files.
Cloud syncing delays or conflicts: Interrupted internet connections can prevent local screenshots from syncing proper metadata with the Steam cloud database.
Corrupted local index files: Steam relies on an internal database file to track screenshots. If this file becomes corrupted, the app fails to index existing local pictures.
Manual deletion or moving of files: Moving or deleting photos directly from Windows File Explorer without updating Steam breaks the path link, making them invisible inside the app.
Account switching: Steam separates screenshot directories by user account numbers. Logging into a different account hides screenshots belonging to another profile on the same PC.
Yes, deleted Steam screenshots can generally be recovered, provided the underlying storage sectors on your drive have not been overwritten by new data. When a file is removed from your hard drive, the operating system marks the storage space as "available" rather than instantly wiping the binary data.
To maximize your chances of successful recovery, adhere to the following best practices immediately after noticing missing files:
Stop taking new screenshots or installing new software on the drive where Steam is installed (usually C: drive).
Avoid downloading heavy files or performing disk defragmentation.
Initiate recovery procedures as soon as possible before system operations overwrite the deleted sectors.
Depending on how the screenshots were lost, you can utilize three primary methods to retrieve them.
If you accidentally deleted screenshots through File Explorer, they are usually moved to the system Recycle Bin first. But files deleted from flash drive or external hard drive may not saved in Recycle Bin.
Step 1. Open the Recycle Bin on your desktop.
Step 2. Filter or search for .jpg or .png files, or search by game name/folder.
Step 3. Right-click the desired files and click Restore. The images will return to their original Steam folder.
If File History or System Protection was enabled prior to data loss, you can roll back the screenshot folder to restore permanently deleted photos.
Step 1. Navigate to the parent directory: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata\[Your-ID]\760\remote\.
Step 2. Right-click on the folder of the affected game (AppID) and select Properties.
Step 3. Click the Previous Versions tab. Select a folder version dated prior to the deletion, then click Restore.
If the Recycle Bin was emptied or File History was disabled, specialized recovery software provides the most reliable solution. AOMEI FastRecovery is a professional Windows data recovery utility designed to retrieve lost, formatted, or permanently deleted files from HDDs, SSDs, and external storage drives.
Follow these steps to recover deleted Steam screenshots using AOMEI FastRecovery:
Step 1. Install and open AOMEI FastRecovery on your PC. Choose Deleted Files Recover.
Step 2. Select the disk where Steam is installed (typically Drive C:) and click Scan. The software automatically performs a Quick Scan alongside a Deep Scan to identify lost image formats like JPG and PNG.
Step 3. Use the Filter panel on the top right, select Images, and type .jpg or search by folder name to narrow down the scanned results.
Step 4. Double-click image files to preview them. Select the target screenshots, click Recover, and choose a safe save location on a different drive to prevent overwriting.
If you frequently capture game screenshots, the default Steam directory may not be the most convenient location. You may prefer to save screenshots on a larger secondary drive, an external hard drive, or a dedicated gaming folder. Here is how:
Step 1. Open the Steam client and click Steam in the top-left corner, then select Settings.
Step 2. In the left sidebar, click on the In-Game tab. Locate the In-Game Screenshots section.
Step 3. Check the box for "Save an uncompressed copy" if you want lossless image quality. Click the External Screenshot Folder button.
Step 4. Browse your drive, select or create your preferred folder (e.g., D:\SteamScreenshots), and click Select.
Step 5. Click OK to confirm and apply the settings. All future uncompressed captures will be automatically saved in this easily accessible location.
That's all the info about where are Steam screenshots saved - you can find them through Steam's Screenshot Manager or in a local folder within your Steam installation directory.
If the screenshots do not appear in Steam, check your screenshot settings, make sure you are viewing the correct game, and look directly in the local storage folder. For deleted screenshots, start with the Recycle Bin and any available backups. If those options do not work, AOMEI FastRecovery can work as reliable photo recovery software by scanning the affected storage device for recoverable image files.
Finally, changing your Steam screenshot folder and maintaining regular backups can make your gaming screenshots much easier to manage and protect in the future.