How to delete screenshots on mac
Mac computers offer a convenient and efficient way to take screenshots. Whether you need to capture a specific window, a selected portion of the screen, or the entire screen, the built-in screenshot tool on Mac can assist you with that. However, as you take more and more screenshots, they can pile up and occupy valuable storage space on your Mac. Fortunately, deleting screenshots on Mac is a simple and straightforward process.
In this article, we will guide you on how to delete screenshots on a Mac.
The first step in deleting screenshots on your Mac is to locate the screenshots folder. By default, all screenshots taken on Mac are saved to the desktop. If you haven’t changed the default settings, you can easily find the Screenshots folder on your desktop. The folder is called “Screenshots” and it contains all the screenshots you have taken.
To delete a screenshot, simply drag and drop it into the trash bin located in the Dock, or right-click on the screenshot and select “Move to Trash”. Once in the trash bin, you can either right-click on the bin and select “Empty Trash” to permanently delete the screenshot, or you can leave it in the bin for a while before emptying to ensure you don’t accidentally delete any important files.
How to Remove Screenshots on Mac: Step-by-Step Guide
Deleting screenshots on your Mac is an easy process that can help free up space on your device and declutter your desktop. Follow these simple steps to remove screenshots from your Mac:
- Open a Finder window by clicking on the Finder icon in your dock.
- In the left sidebar, click on “Pictures” to open the Pictures folder.
- Look for a subfolder called “Screenshots” and double-click on it to open it.
- Here, you will find all the screenshots you have taken on your Mac.
- Select the screenshots you want to delete by holding down the “Command” key and clicking on them.
- Once you have selected the screenshots, right-click and choose “Move to Trash” from the drop-down menu.
- Alternatively, you can also press the “Command” key and the “Delete” key at the same time to send the selected screenshots to the Trash folder.
- After moving the screenshots to the Trash, you can either right-click on the Trash icon and select “Empty Trash” to permanently delete the screenshots or leave them in the Trash temporarily if you want to review them before deleting.
- If you choose to empty the Trash, confirm the action by clicking on “Empty Trash” in the dialog box that appears.
That’s it! You have successfully removed the screenshots from your Mac.
Remember to regularly delete unnecessary screenshots to keep your device organized and make sure you have enough storage space for important files. Happy cleaning!
Locating the Screenshots Folder on Mac
When you take a screenshot on your Mac, it is automatically saved to a designated folder. However, finding this folder may not be immediately obvious to all users. In this guide, we will show you how to locate the screenshots folder on your Mac.
Method 1: Using the Finder
To begin, you can use the Finder to locate the screenshots folder. Follow these steps:
- Click on the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window.
- In the menu bar, click on Go, and then select Go to Folder.
- Type ~/Desktop in the text box and press Enter.
By following these steps, you will be taken directly to the Desktop folder, where your screenshots are stored by default.
Method 2: Using Spotlight Search
If you prefer a quicker way to find the screenshots folder, you can use Spotlight Search. Here’s how:
- Click on the Spotlight icon in the menu bar or press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight.
- Type Screenshots in the search bar.
- From the search results, click on Show All in Finder under Documents.
Spotlight will then open a Finder window showing the Screenshots folder, and you can easily access your screenshots from there.
Now that you know how to locate the screenshots folder on your Mac, you can easily manage and delete any unnecessary screenshots to free up space on your computer.
Deleting Screenshots Using Shortcuts
If you frequently take screenshots on your Mac, it’s important to know how to delete them quickly and efficiently. One way to delete screenshots is by using keyboard shortcuts.
- To begin, locate the screenshot that you want to delete. You can find them on your desktop or within the “Pictures” folder, depending on your settings.
- With the screenshot selected, press the “Command” and “Delete” keys simultaneously. This will send the screenshot to the Trash.
- If you want to permanently delete the screenshot, open the Trash by clicking on its icon in the dock. Then, right-click on the screenshot and select “Empty Trash” from the context menu.
- Alternatively, you can press the “Command”, “Shift”, and “Delete” keys simultaneously to empty the Trash without having to open it first.
By using these keyboard shortcuts, you can easily delete screenshots from your Mac without having to navigate through multiple folders or menus. This can help you save time and keep your screen clutter-free.
Remember to double-check the screenshots you want to delete to avoid accidentally deleting important files. It’s always a good idea to make sure you have a backup of any important screenshots before deleting them.
Now that you know how to delete screenshots on your Mac using keyboard shortcuts, you can easily manage your screen captures and keep your device organized.
Deleting Individual Screenshots
If you only want to delete specific screenshots on your Mac instead of all of them, follow these steps:
- Open Finder: Click on the Finder icon in the Dock or press Command + Space and type “Finder”. Press Enter to open it.
- Navigate to your Screenshots folder: In the left sidebar of Finder, click on “Pictures” and then open the “Screenshots” folder. This is where all your screenshots are saved.
- Preview the screenshots: To ensure you delete the correct screenshot, you can preview them by clicking on them. The preview will appear on the right side of the Finder window.
- Delete the screenshot: Once you’ve identified the screenshot you want to delete, right-click on it (or hold Control and click) and select “Move to Trash”. Alternatively, you can also drag the screenshot to the Trash folder in the Dock. To permanently delete the screenshot, you will need to empty the Trash.
Note: Deleting individual screenshots will only remove them from your Mac’s storage, not from your iCloud or any other cloud service you have linked to your device.
Removing Screenshots from Trash
After you delete screenshots on your Mac, they are temporarily moved to the Trash folder. However, keep in mind that the screenshots will still take up space on your hard drive until you permanently empty the Trash. To completely remove the screenshots and free up storage space, you need to follow these steps:
Emptying Trash
The first step to remove screenshots from your Mac is to empty the Trash folder. You can do this by right-clicking on the Trash icon located on your dock and selecting “Empty Trash” from the context menu. Alternatively, you can also use the keyboard shortcut “Command + Delete” after highlighting the Trash icon.
Note: Once you empty the Trash, all the screenshots you have deleted will be permanently removed from your computer.
Securely emptying Trash
If you want to ensure that the screenshots are securely deleted and cannot be recovered, you can choose to securely empty the Trash. This method uses a multi-pass algorithm to overwrite the deleted files, making it virtually impossible to recover them. To securely empty the Trash on your Mac:
- Make sure the Trash folder is open by clicking on the Trash icon on your dock.
- Press and hold the “Command” key on your keyboard, then right-click on the Trash icon.
- From the context menu, click on “Secure Empty Trash”.
Note: Securely emptying the Trash may take longer than normal emptying. However, it provides an extra layer of security by preventing anyone from recovering your deleted screenshots.
By following these steps, you can effectively remove screenshots from your Trash and clear up valuable storage space on your Mac.
Automating the Deletion Process
If you find yourself taking a lot of screenshots and constantly having to delete them manually, you may want to consider automating the deletion process. This can save you a lot of time and effort, especially if you take screenshots frequently.
Using Automator
One way to automate the deletion process is by using Automator, a built-in Mac application that allows you to create custom workflows. Here’s how you can set it up:
- Launch Automator by searching for it in Spotlight or by navigating to Applications -> Automator.
- Create a new workflow by selecting “New Document” and choosing the “Workflow” template.
- In the left-hand sidebar, under “Actions”, select “Files & Folders”.
- Under the “Files & Folders” actions, drag and drop the “Find Finder Items” action to the right-hand pane.
- In the “Find Finder Items” action, set the search criteria to match the location and name of your screenshots. For example, you can search for files located in the “Desktop” folder with the name containing “Screen Shot”.
- Next, under the “Actions” sidebar, select “Files & Folders” again.
- Drag and drop the “Move Finder Items” action to the right-hand pane.
- In the “Move Finder Items” action, set the destination folder to the Trash.
- Save the workflow by selecting “File” -> “Save” and providing a name.
- To automate the deletion process, assign a keyboard shortcut to the workflow by going to System Preferences -> Keyboard -> Shortcuts. Select “Services” and locate your workflow under the “General” category, then assign a shortcut.
Using Terminal
Another option for automating the deletion process is by using Terminal, the command-line interface on your Mac. Here’s how you can do it:
- Launch Terminal by searching for it in Spotlight or by navigating to Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal.
- In the Terminal window, type in the following command:
- Press Enter to execute the command.
find ~/Desktop -name "Screen Shot*" -exec mv {} ~/.Trash ;This command will find all the files with names starting with “Screen Shot” on your desktop and move them to the Trash folder.
By using either of these methods, you can automate the deletion process of your screenshots, making it much easier and more efficient.
Clearing the Recently Deleted Album
Your Mac has a feature called the “Recently Deleted” album, where screenshots that you have deleted are stored for a certain period of time before being permanently removed from your device. If you want to clear the Recently Deleted album and delete the screenshots immediately, follow the steps below:
- Open the Photos app on your Mac.
- In the top menu, click on “Albums”.
- Scroll down and find the “Recently Deleted” album.
- Click on the “Recently Deleted” album to open it.
- Review the screenshots in the album and determine if you want to permanently delete them.
- If you want to delete all the screenshots in the album, click on the “Select All” button located at the top right corner of the window.
- After selecting the screenshots, click on the “Delete” button located at the top right corner of the window.
- Confirm the deletion by clicking on the “Delete” button in the pop-up window that appears.
By following these steps, you can easily clear the Recently Deleted album on your Mac and delete the screenshots permanently. This frees up storage space on your device and ensures that your deleted screenshots are completely removed from your device.
Harrison Clayton
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