Separate screenshots from actual photos first, since they serve completely different purposes, then organise each group using the method that suits it — photos by date or event, and screenshots by what they were saved for (a recipe, a receipt, a reminder).
What you need
- The mixed folder of photos and screenshots you want to sort
- A photo app or file browser that can filter or sort by image type or dimensions
- Two separate destinations: one for photos, one for screenshots
Check for a built-in screenshots filter
Most phone photo apps can filter screenshots into their own view automatically, since screenshots are tagged differently from camera photos — check your app’s filter or search options before manually sorting, as this can save a lot of time. If you are working from a computer folder instead, screenshots are usually easy to spot by their filename pattern (like ‘Screenshot_2026…’) or unusual dimensions matching a phone or computer screen.
How to separate photos from screenshots
- Check whether your phone’s photo app has a built-in ‘Screenshots’ album or filter, and use it to separate most screenshots automatically.
- For any remaining mixed content, sort visually: screenshots usually show app interfaces, text messages or web pages, while photos show real-world scenes.
- Move genuine photos into your normal photo organisation system (albums, folders, by date or event).
- For screenshots, decide what they were actually saved for — sort them into categories like ‘Recipes’, ‘Receipts’, ‘Reminders’ or ‘To Delete’, rather than keeping them as one large undifferentiated group.
- Delete screenshots that served a temporary purpose and are no longer needed, like a one-off address or a confirmation code.
- Keep genuinely useful screenshots (like an important document photo or a saved recipe) in their own clearly labelled folder or album, separate from your photo memories.
Check the split looks right
Check your main photo library or album no longer contains screenshots mixed in with genuine photos, and that your screenshots folder contains only screenshots, sorted into categories that make sense to you. Scroll through a sample of each to confirm nothing important was accidentally deleted or misplaced.
If some screenshots slip through
If your phone doesn’t automatically separate screenshots, most photo apps let you search by keywords like ‘screenshot’ or filter by aspect ratio, which can help narrow things down faster than scrolling manually. If you’re not sure whether to keep a screenshot, ask whether you would ever look for it again — if not, it’s usually safe to delete.
Next step
With screenshots separated out, your genuine photo collection becomes much easier to sort by event or timeline, since you are no longer working through phone-interface clutter mixed in with actual memories.
Sources and date checked
Researched from Google Photos’ and Apple Photos’ own published filtering and album documentation, not a hands-on test performed for this article. Date checked: 22 September 2026.