VRChat stores screenshots in a default folder on your computer, but you can move them to a different location

When you take a screenshot in VRChat, the game automatically saves it to a folder buried several layers deep in your user files. Most people never find this folder because VRChat doesn't show you where it went. You can change where VRChat saves screenshots by editing a single text file in your VRChat settings folder — no coding knowledge needed, just a few clicks and a copy-paste.

The default location is C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\VRChat\VRChat\Screenshots on Windows. If you've never looked there, you probably have hundreds of screenshots piling up in a folder you didn't know existed. Moving them to your Pictures folder, Desktop, or an external drive takes about five minutes.

Key Takeaways

  • VRChat screenshots go to a hidden AppData folder by default, which most people never find or clean out.
  • You change the screenshot location by editing the settings file options.txt in your VRChat config folder.
  • The easiest new location is your Pictures folder, which you can navigate to without typing a file path.
  • After you change the setting, new screenshots go to the new folder, but old ones stay in the original location.

Finding your current VRChat screenshots folder

Your screenshots are currently in a hidden folder that Windows doesn't show by default. To see it, open File Explorer and type this path directly into the address bar at the top: %appdata%. Windows will take you to your AppData folder. From there, navigate to LocalLow, then VRChat, then VRChat again, then Screenshots. This is where every screenshot you've taken in VRChat lives.

If you want to see hidden folders the normal way instead of typing paths, you can turn that on. In File Explorer, click the View tab at the top, then check the box next to Hidden items. After that, you'll see the AppData folder appear in your user directory like any other folder.

Opening the settings file you need to edit

The file that controls where VRChat saves screenshots is called options.txt, and it lives in your VRChat config folder. To find it, go to %appdata% again, then navigate to LocalLow > VRChat > VRChat. You'll see a file called options.txt in that folder. Right-click it and choose Open with, then select Notepad. Do not double-click it, because that might try to open it with the wrong program.

The file will open in Notepad and look like a long list of settings with equals signs. Don't be intimidated — you're only looking for one line, and you can use Ctrl+F to find it. Press Ctrl+F to open the search box, then type screenshot_folder. Notepad will jump to the line you need.

Changing the screenshot folder location

When you search for screenshot_folder, you'll find a line that looks like this: screenshot_folder= followed by a file path. The path might be blank, or it might show the default Screenshots folder. This is the line you're changing.

Delete everything after the equals sign and type the new path. The easiest option is your Pictures folder. On Windows, that path is C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Pictures — replace [YourUsername] with your actual Windows username. If you want screenshots to go to your Desktop instead, use C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Desktop. You can also create a new folder anywhere and use that path instead.

After you type the new path, press Ctrl+S to save the file. Close Notepad. The next time you take a screenshot in VRChat, it will go to the new folder you specified.

Finding your Windows username if you're not sure

If you don't know your Windows username, you can find it quickly. Open File Explorer and look at the address bar — it usually shows something like C:\Users\YourName. That "YourName" part is your username. You can also right-click the Start button, click System, and look for "User name" in the settings window.

Once you have your username, you can build the path. For Pictures, it would be C:\Users\YourActualUsername\Pictures. Make sure you type it exactly, with capital letters where they appear and backslashes between each folder name.

What to do with your old screenshots

Changing the setting in options.txt only affects new screenshots. All your old screenshots stay in the original C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\LocalLow\VRChat\VRChat\Screenshots folder. You can leave them there, move them manually, or delete them if you don't need them.

If you want to move them all at once, open File Explorer and go to that original Screenshots folder. Press Ctrl+A to select all files, then Ctrl+X to cut them. Navigate to your new screenshot folder and press Ctrl+V to paste them there. This moves all the old screenshots to the new location in one action.

Troubleshooting if screenshots still go to the wrong place

If you changed the setting but screenshots still appear in the old folder, the most common reason is a typo in the file path. Open options.txt again, find the screenshot_folder line, and check that every letter and backslash matches exactly. Windows file paths are case-sensitive for the folder names, so C:\Users\Marcus\Pictures is different from C:\Users\marcus\Pictures.

Another possibility is that VRChat was running when you edited the file. VRChat rewrites options.txt when it closes, which can overwrite your changes. Close VRChat completely, make your edit, save the file, and then restart VRChat. If you're still having trouble, you can also try using the full path without any shortcuts — for example, type out the entire path instead of using %appdata%.

Using an external drive or cloud folder for screenshots

You can point VRChat to any folder on your computer, including external drives and cloud storage folders. If you use OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox, you can set your screenshot folder to a subfolder inside your cloud storage. This automatically backs up your screenshots as you take them.

To do this, find the path to your cloud folder. For OneDrive, it's usually C:\Users\[YourUsername]\OneDrive\Pictures. For Google Drive on Windows, it's typically C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Google Drive\My Drive. Paste that path into the screenshot_folder line in options.txt, save, and restart VRChat. New screenshots will sync to the cloud automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a folder name with spaces in it?

Yes. If your folder is called "VR Screenshots" or "My VRChat Pics", you can use that path exactly as it appears. Windows handles spaces in folder names without any special formatting needed. Just make sure you type the path correctly, including the spaces.

What if I delete the options.txt file by accident?

VRChat will create a new one the next time you launch the game. Your old screenshots won't be affected — they'll still be in the original folder. You'll just be back to the default screenshot location until you edit the new options.txt file.

Do I need to restart VRChat after changing the screenshot folder?

Yes. VRChat reads the options.txt file when it starts, so you need to close the game completely and reopen it for the change to take effect. If VRChat is running when you edit the file, it may overwrite your changes when it closes.

Can I move screenshots to a network drive or shared folder?

You can try, but it's not recommended. Network drives and shared folders are slower, and VRChat might have trouble writing to them if the connection drops. A local folder on your computer or an external USB drive works much more reliably.

Will changing the screenshot folder affect my VRChat settings or account?

No. The screenshot folder setting only controls where image files are saved. It doesn't touch your account, login information, or any other VRChat settings. You can change it back anytime by editing options.txt again.