{"id":42284,"date":"2015-01-14T15:25:25","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T09:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=42284"},"modified":"2026-10-23T17:13:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T11:43:31","slug":"dropbox-screenshots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/","title":{"rendered":"Fastest Way to Save Screenshots to Dropbox Automatically (Windows and Mac)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the fastest way to save screenshots to Dropbox? I used to do it the long way: press Print Screen, paste into my image editor, IrfanView, then save the file into a Dropbox folder so I could use it in WordPress articles later. Then I found a Dropbox setting that saves Dropbox screenshots automatically the moment you press the key, with no pasting, naming or choosing folders. Here&#8217;s how to turn it on in 2026 on Windows and Mac.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac), click your profile picture and choose <strong>Preferences<\/strong>. Open the <strong>Backups<\/strong> tab (called <strong>Import<\/strong> in older versions) and tick <strong>Share screenshots using Dropbox<\/strong>. Now every screenshot is saved to the <strong>Screenshots<\/strong> folder in your Dropbox and synced to all your devices.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae34cb0a5467\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6ae34cb0a5467\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#How_to_save_Dropbox_screenshots_automatically\" >How to save Dropbox screenshots automatically<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Which_keys_take_Dropbox_screenshots\" >Which keys take Dropbox screenshots?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Why_I_love_this\" >Why I love this<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Alternatives_to_Dropbox_screenshots\" >Alternatives to Dropbox screenshots<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Where_does_Dropbox_save_screenshots\" >Where does Dropbox save screenshots?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#How_do_I_stop_screenshots_going_to_Dropbox\" >How do I stop screenshots going to Dropbox?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Does_Dropbox_copy_the_screenshot_link_to_my_clipboard\" >Does Dropbox copy the screenshot link to my clipboard?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2015\/01\/dropbox-screenshots\/#Do_Dropbox_screenshots_use_my_storage\" >Do Dropbox screenshots use my storage?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_save_Dropbox_screenshots_automatically\"><\/span>How to save Dropbox screenshots automatically<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Click the <strong>Dropbox icon<\/strong> at the bottom right of your Windows taskbar, or at the top of your Mac&#8217;s menu bar.<\/li>\n<li>Click your <strong>profile picture<\/strong> (or initials) and choose <strong>Preferences<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50343\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-settings.png\" alt=\"Dropbox Preferences for screenshots\" width=\"420\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-settings.png 420w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-settings-277x300.png 277w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-settings-138x150.png 138w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" \/><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li>Go to the <strong>Backups<\/strong> tab. In older Dropbox versions this option was in the <strong>Import<\/strong> tab, as in our screenshot below.<\/li>\n<li>Tick <strong>Share screenshots using Dropbox<\/strong> and close the window.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-50345\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-screenshots.png\" alt=\"Share screenshots using Dropbox setting\" width=\"541\" height=\"681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-screenshots.png 541w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-screenshots-238x300.png 238w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dropbox-screenshots-119x150.png 119w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 541px) 100vw, 541px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now take a screenshot. Dropbox shows a notification that it was saved, and the file appears in the Screenshots folder in your Dropbox, named with the date and time. Dropbox&#8217;s help page on <a href=\"https:\/\/help.dropbox.com\/create-upload\/screenshots\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">saving screenshots to Dropbox<\/a> has the latest details.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_keys_take_Dropbox_screenshots\"><\/span>Which keys take Dropbox screenshots?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Windows:<\/strong> <strong>PrtScn<\/strong> captures the whole screen; <strong>Alt + PrtScn<\/strong> captures the active window.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac:<\/strong> <strong>Shift + Command + 3<\/strong> captures the whole screen; <strong>Shift + Command + 4<\/strong> lets you select an area.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Windows 11 tip:<\/strong> on newer Windows 11 PCs, the PrtScn key opens the Snipping Tool by default, which can stop Dropbox catching the key. To use Dropbox instead, go to <strong>Settings &gt; Accessibility &gt; Keyboard<\/strong> and turn off <strong>Use the Print screen key to open screen capture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_I_love_this\"><\/span>Why I love this<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>I take lots of screenshots to plan articles and share with readers. Before, I often forgot where I&#8217;d saved a screenshot and what I&#8217;d named it. Now every screenshot goes to one place in one keypress, with no decisions about crop size, folder or file name, and I can find it on any of my computers or my phone because Dropbox syncs everything.<\/p>\n<p>When I need to edit one, I still open it in IrfanView. (If its Save for Web plugin is missing, here&#8217;s how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2022\/12\/restore-riot-plugin-irfanview\/\">fix the IrfanView RIOT plugin<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alternatives_to_Dropbox_screenshots\"><\/span>Alternatives to Dropbox screenshots<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Snipping Tool (Windows 11):<\/strong> saves screenshots automatically to <strong>Pictures &gt; Screenshots<\/strong>. If OneDrive backs up your Pictures folder, they sync to the cloud too.<\/li>\n<li><strong>OneDrive:<\/strong> has its own setting to save screenshots to OneDrive automatically.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac screenshot folder:<\/strong> press <strong>Shift + Command + 5<\/strong>, click <strong>Options<\/strong>, and choose <strong>Other Location<\/strong> to save screenshots straight into your Dropbox folder.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google Drive:<\/strong> see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/12\/save-images-screenshots-to-google-drive\/\">save images and screenshots from websites to Google Drive<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_does_Dropbox_save_screenshots\"><\/span>Where does Dropbox save screenshots?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In a folder called <strong>Screenshots<\/strong> in your Dropbox. Each file is named with the date and time it was taken. If you want a video of your screen rather than a picture, see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/screen-record-windows-11\/\">screen record on Windows 11 for free<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2026\/10\/how-to-screen-record-on-mac\/\">screen record on a Mac with sound<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_I_stop_screenshots_going_to_Dropbox\"><\/span>How do I stop screenshots going to Dropbox?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Open <strong>Preferences &gt; Backups<\/strong> in the Dropbox desktop app and untick <strong>Share screenshots using Dropbox<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Dropbox_copy_the_screenshot_link_to_my_clipboard\"><\/span>Does Dropbox copy the screenshot link to my clipboard?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It can. With screenshot sharing on, Dropbox may copy a share link to the clipboard so you can paste it straight into a chat or email. Be careful not to share sensitive screenshots by accident.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Dropbox_screenshots_use_my_storage\"><\/span>Do Dropbox screenshots use my storage?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. They count towards your Dropbox storage, so delete ones you no longer need, especially on the free 2 GB Basic plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s the fastest way to save screenshots to Dropbox? I used to do it the long way: press Print Screen,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":50343,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[49],"class_list":["post-42284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42284"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67986,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42284\/revisions\/67986"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}