Where your screenshots are
iOS gathers them automatically in one collection. In the Photos app, go to the Collections tab, scroll down to Media Types and tap Screenshots. It's often pinned at the top too, under Pinned. Right next to it is Screen Recordings, which take up far more space.
Delete lots at once
- Open Screenshots and tap Select.
- Slide your finger across the thumbnails without lifting it: everything you touch gets selected, row after row.
- Tap the trash button and confirm.
They go to Recently Deleted for 30 days. If you want the space now, empty it with Delete All. If you use iCloud Photos, the deletion syncs to all your devices.
Before you delete: the ones worth keeping
Among hundreds of useless screenshots there are usually a few that matter: a ticket with a QR code, a payment receipt, an address, a conversation you wanted to keep. Deleting blindly is the most common way to lose something. Two ways to avoid it:
- Scroll the collection from newest to oldest and favorite any screenshot you want to keep before selecting the rest.
- Or review them one by one full screen, which is faster than it sounds if you decide with a gesture.
Stop them piling up
When you take a screenshot, iOS opens it in a full-screen preview. If you only need it for a moment (to show someone or copy a detail), close it from there and choose not to save it, so it never reaches your library.
If you prefer the old small thumbnail, turn off Full-Screen Previews in Settings → General → Screen Capture.
FAQ
Can screenshots be deleted automatically?
The Photos app has no automatic screenshot cleanup. The closest thing is discarding them from the preview without saving, or reviewing them every so often.
How much space do screenshots take?
Each one takes anywhere from a few hundred KB to several MB. That sounds small, but a thousand screenshots can be a GB or two. Screen recordings take far more, so check those first.
Does deleting a screenshot remove it from iCloud too?
Yes, if you use iCloud Photos: deletions sync to all your devices. You have 30 days to recover it from Recently Deleted.