When you save a picture in Snapchat, where does it actually go? This is a common question for Snapchat users who want to keep certain pictures without having them automatically deleted after viewing.
The short answer is: saved Snapchat pictures go to your device’s local storage. However, the specifics depend on what kind of device you’re using and your app settings.
In this detailed guide, we’ll walk through exactly where Snapchat saves photos on both iOS and Android devices. We’ll also look at how saving options differ between Snapchat’s two interfaces – the classic Snapchat app vs the redesigned Snapchat application.
Understanding where your Snaps are stored can help you find and manage old photos you want to keep. Let’s dive in!
Where Saved Snapchat Pictures Go on iOS Devices
When using Snapchat on an iPhone or iPad, your saved photos and videos are stored in the app’s local document folder. They won’t show up in your main Photos app with other camera pictures.
More specifically, Snapchat photos are saved to:
On iPhone/iPad:
Settings > Snapchat > Documents & Data
This takes you to the Snapchat data folder containing all your saved Snaps. If you connect your iPhone to a computer, these Snapchat photos will be in a /Snapchat/ folder.
Inside the Snapchat document folder, photos are organized into sub-folders labeled as a string of numbers and letters. Each folder represents a different conversation where you’ve saved a Snap.
It can take some digging to find a particular saved Snap if you don’t remember which conversation it was from. One tip is to sort the Snapchat folders by date modified to see your most recent saved Snaps first.
Saving Snapchat Photos in iOS
In the iOS Snapchat app, there are a couple ways to save a photo or video:
– When viewing a snap, tap the download arrow icon in the bottom left. This saves the snap to your Snapchat document folder.
– Alternately, you can save a snap by pressing and holding on the snap to bring up options, then tapping the download icon.
– To save your own snap before sending, tap the download icon on the preview screen.
The snap will now be saved to your device’s storage. To access it again later, log in to Snapchat and tap your profile icon > My Eyes Only > Saved Photos.
Where Saved Snapchat Pictures Go on Android
For Android users, the location where Snapchat saves photos and videos depends on your specific device and Android version. But saved snaps are typically stored in one of these folders:
/SD card/Snapchat/Received_Image_Files
/SD card/Android/data/com.snapchat.android/cache
/Internal storage/Snapchat/Media/Received
To find your saved Snapchat pictures manually, open your Android’s Files app or file explorer. Then browse to one of the folders above.
As with iOS, photos will be inside numbered sub-folders representing different conversations. Browse the folders until you find the specific snap you’re looking for.
Saving Snaps in Android Snapchat
To save a photo or video on Android, open the snap and tap the download button in the bottom left corner. This saves the file to your device storage.
To view saved snaps later, open Snapchat and tap your profile > My Eyes Only > Saved Photos. You can also save your own snaps before sending by tapping the download icon on the preview screen.
Where Saved Photos Go in New Snapchat (iOS & Android)
In late 2022, Snapchat began rolling out a major app redesign with new features and a fresh interface. This included changes to Snapchat’s save function.
On the latest versions of Snapchat for iOS and Android, saving a snap now automatically adds it to your device’s native Memories or Gallery app.
So when you save a photo in the new Snapchat app, here is where it goes:
On iPhone: Your saved Snapchat photos get added to the main Photos app, in the Memories tab. You’ll see them mixed in with your regular camera photos.
On Android: Saved snaps appear in your device’s Gallery or Photos app. They’re no longer isolated within Snapchat’s folders.
This makes Snapchat snaps much easier to browse alongside your other photos. However, it also means they’re not private to the Snapchat app anymore.
To view your saved Snapchat photos within Snapchat itself, open your profile and tap the new Snaps icon. This shows all your saved snaps from the Memories/Gallery in one place.
Finding Old Saved Snapchat Photos
Over time, you may accumulate hundreds or thousands of saved Snapchat pictures and videos. Here are some tips for tracking down an old Snap you want to rediscover:
– Use Snapchat’s My Eyes Only section to find saved snaps, as mentioned above.
– Check your Snapchat folders directly on your device storage using Files or a file explorer.
– If snaps are now saving to your Memories/Gallery, browse there and use search to find what you’re looking for.
– Sort your Snapchat folders or Memories by date modified to see newest saves first.
– If you remember roughly when the snap was taken, search by date captured.
– For really old saves, scroll back through your Snapchat conversations – if you sent or opened the snap in a certain chat, you may have saved it.
– For deleted Snapchat photos, try using data recovery software to scan your device storage and restore lost media files.
With a combination of these methods, you should be able to recover most saved Snapchat pictures even from years ago. Saving the snaps stops them from disappearing forever!
Backing Up Saved Snapchats
To make sure you never lose your saved Snapchat memories and photos, it’s a good idea to back them up. Here are some backup options to consider for Snapchat:
– Use your device’s built-in backup features like iCloud Backup or Google Drive backup to preserve your Snapchat media files along with all your other data.
– Alternatively, copy your Snapchat folders from device storage to a computer hard drive or external drive manually.
– You can use a third-party app like iExplorer or iMyFone D-Back to extract and export Snapchat photos from your iPhone or iPad to your computer.
– For Android, apps like dr.fone and EaseUS MobiSaver can find and backup your Snapchat files.
– Print out physical copies of your favorite saved Snapchat pictures so you’ll always have a hard copy.
– Screenshot snaps on your device before saving to get a copied version in your main photo gallery.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide clarified exactly where Snapchat saves your photos and videos on both iPhone and Android devices. While the location varies between operating systems, the key is that saving a Snapchat picture stores it locally so you can access it even after it disappears from the app.
Knowing how to find your stored Snapchat memories comes in handy for reminiscing over old photos. And backing them up means your favorite snaps will remain safe and accessible even years later.
So go forth and save those spontaneous, funny, sentimental, or silly Snapchat moments you want to keep! With the right tools and knowledge, your Snapchat memories can last a lifetime.
| Platform | Snapchat App Version | Saved Snapchat Photo Location |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone/iPad | Classic | Snapchat app’s Documents & Data folder |
| iPhone/iPad | Redesigned | Native Photos app Memories |
| Android | Classic | Snapchat/Received_Image_Files folder |
| Android | Redesigned | Device Gallery/Photos app |