How much storage do your screenshots really use?

One screenshot usually takes somewhere between a few hundred kilobytes and a few megabytes, so on its own it hardly matters. The problem is the number. A few thousand screenshots, plus the copies that chat apps and edits create, can add up to several gigabytes. The only way to know your real screenshots storage is to check, which takes about a minute.

How to check how much space your screenshots use

Phones show this in different places, so try these in order.

1. Your files app. Open Files or My Files, then look for an Images category or browse to the Screenshots folder. Many files apps show the number of items and the total size.
2. Folder details. In some files apps you can press and hold the Screenshots folder, then choose Details or Info to see its size.
3. Your gallery. Some gallery apps show the number of items in the Screenshots album, though not always the size.
4. Storage settings. On most phones, open Settings and search for "Storage". This shows how much space images use overall, which tells you whether screenshots are worth worrying about.

Note the number of screenshots as well as the size. Both are useful when you decide how much to clean.

Why some screenshots are bigger than others

Screenshot sizes vary more than you might expect. The main reasons are:

• Screen resolution. A phone with a sharper screen produces larger images, because each screenshot has more pixels.
• File format. Many phones save screenshots as PNG, which keeps every detail but can be large. Others use JPEG, which is usually smaller.
• What is on screen. Plain text on a white background compresses very well. A screenshot of a photo, a game or a busy map has far more detail and can be several times larger.
• Length. A scrolling screenshot that captures a whole page can be as big as many normal screenshots put together.

So a phone full of chat and receipt screenshots may use less space than one with a smaller number of game or photo screenshots.

A quick way to estimate

If your files app does not show a total, you can estimate. Open a few typical screenshots, check their file size in the details view, and pick a rough average. Then multiply by the number of screenshots you have.

For example, if your screenshots average about 1 MB and you have 2,000 of them, that is roughly 2 GB. This is only an illustration, and your own numbers could be much higher or lower.

The hidden extra: copies

The Screenshots folder is not the whole story. Your screenshots storage often includes copies you never meant to keep.

• Chat apps can save their own copy of images you send or receive.
• Edited versions are often saved as new files next to the original.
• Saved twice happens when you download the same image from two messages.
• Restored backups can bring back images that were already on the phone.

These copies can sit in different folders, so they are easy to miss. Our guide on how to find and delete duplicate screenshots covers how to track them down.

Do not forget your online storage

If your gallery backs up to an online account, your screenshots probably count against that storage quota as well. Thousands of old screenshots can quietly use space you are paying for, or push you towards the limit of a free plan. Check your backup settings to see whether screenshots are included, and whether you want them to be.

Are screenshots worth worrying about?

It depends on your phone.

• If your phone has plenty of free space, screenshots are more of a tidiness problem than a storage one. Clean them for easier searching, not for space.
• If your phone is nearly full, screenshots are a good place to start because most of them are no longer needed. You can usually delete large batches without losing anything that matters.
• If videos are your biggest category, deal with those first. A few minutes of high-resolution video can easily take more space than hundreds of screenshots.

Quick ways to cut screenshots storage

1. Delete the largest screenshots you do not need, such as long scrolling captures and screenshots of photos.
2. Remove exact duplicates.
3. Keep only the best of similar screenshots.
4. Clear old one-time screenshots month by month.
5. Empty the recycle bin once you are sure, as items there may still use space.

For a full step-by-step clean-up, see how to free up storage by cleaning your screenshots.

How Screenshot Brain helps

Screenshot Brain has a screenshot cleaner that finds duplicates, similar shots, old clutter and large files, so you can see where the space is going. Deleted items stay in its Recycle bin for 30 days before they are gone, which gives you time to undo a mistake.

Frequently asked questions

Why is one screenshot much bigger than another?

Detail and length make the biggest difference. A screenshot of a photo or a game holds much more detail than a screen of plain text, and a scrolling screenshot captures several screens at once.

Do screenshots slow down my phone?

Not by themselves. A phone that is almost completely full can feel slower, so clearing space helps in that case, but a normal number of screenshots has no effect on speed.

Should I convert screenshots to a smaller format?

For most people it is not worth the effort. Deleting the ones you do not need saves far more space with less work.

Do deleted screenshots still use space?

They may, if they are sitting in a recycle bin or trash. The space is usually freed when the bin is emptied or its holding period ends.