Can You Still Develop Film at CVS, Walgreens or Walmart?

Yes. CVS's film processing page says it develops 35mm film and disposable cameras and prints them on 4x6 photo paper in 7 to 10 days. APS, black and white, 110 and slide film take approximately 3 weeks. Medium format 120 is not on the list.

CVS tells you to drop the order off at a CVS/pharmacy location, but Pellica points out that not every store takes film and that CVS's store finder shows which pharmacies near you do. The page promises prints on traditional photo paper and says nothing about a CD or about returning your negatives. Shotkit reports that CVS throws the negatives away after printing and scanning.

CVS does not post a film price online. Shotkit's undated chart lists single prints at $10.99 for 12 exposures, $14.42 for 24, $14.99 for 27 and $16.99 for 36, with double prints from $12.99 to $21.99, matching the double-print prices QuerySprout listed in January 2023. First Quarter Finance, in an update dated December 2023, listed CVS disposable camera developing as starting around $13 for one set of prints. Treat these as reported ranges and confirm at the counter.

Yes. A banner on Walgreens' film page lists $15.99 per 24-exposure roll of 35mm film, ready for pickup in 3 to 5 business days, with a free photo CD of the images. The same banner says orders will not include negatives. Walgreens is the only one of the three chains that posts a film price.

Walgreens also says it can process 110 film and APS film, and that film can still be processed past its expiration date. Its page does not list black and white, slide or 120. Shotkit says other formats such as black and white and APS take up to 3 weeks, so ask at the counter before you hand in a black and white roll.

The CD holds low-resolution scans. A Walgreens worker told Tom's Guide in 2018 that the scans could be blown up to 4 x 6 inches, so plan on small prints, not enlargements. According to Shotkit, Walgreens calls or texts you when the order is ready.

Yes, at stores that still have a photo center. Walmart says it processes 35mm film and single-use (disposable) cameras, as well as select older formats like APS film and color negatives, and that 4x6 prints and a CD of digital images are ready for pickup in approximately 6 days. Prints are made on Fujifilm photo paper, in 4x6 or 5x7.

To drop off, see an Entertainment associate. Shotkit describes sealing the roll in the film envelope and dropping it in the film development and print dropbox, and Walmart notifies you when the order is ready. Watch the CD: the main line on Walmart's page mentions prints and a CD, but its FAQ says saving your images to a USB or CD costs a small additional charge.

Walmart posts no film price online. Shotkit's undated chart shows single prints at $7.96 for 12 exposures, $9.96 for 24, $10.96 for 27 and $13.96 for 36, with doubles from $9.96 to $18.96. Shotkit also says the service is not available online or by mail, that the lab does not return the film, and that send-out processing can take up to three weeks.

Some customers have gotten their negatives back by writing the request on the drop-off form, Shotkit reports, but it is not guaranteed. Cultured Kiwi notes that photo centers have been phased out at some Walmart stores, particularly smaller ones, so call before the trip.

Usually not the negatives. Walgreens says its orders will not include negatives. CVS's and Walmart's pages do not say either way, but Shotkit reports that CVS throws the negatives away after printing and scanning and that Walmart's lab does not return the film. The PhotoLounge lab says drugstore orders come back on a DVD and the original negatives are disposed of.

That matters because the negative is your original. Tom's Guide pointed out back in 2018 that because these stores no longer return negatives, rescanning your film at a higher resolution is not an option. The CD scans are low resolution; a Walgreens worker told Tom's Guide they hold up to about 4 x 6 inches.

If you want to rescan, reprint or enlarge later, use a lab that sends negatives back, such as The Darkroom, which says negatives are always returned. With the negatives in hand you can also scan film at home.

120 medium format: none of the three lists it on its film page. Send 120 to a lab that handles it; The Darkroom develops, scans and uploads standard 35mm and 120 in 1 to 3 days after the film arrives.

Black and white: CVS lists it, with a wait of about 3 weeks. Walgreens' page does not list black and white, although Shotkit says formats such as black and white take up to 3 weeks there. Walmart's page names 35mm, single-use cameras and select older formats like APS and color negatives, with no mention of black and white.

APS and 110: CVS lists both (about 3 weeks), Walgreens says it can process 110 and APS, and Walmart lists APS.

Expired film: Walgreens states that film can still be processed past the expiration date; CVS's and Walmart's pages do not address it. If you are shooting old stock on purpose, read up on shooting expired film first.

Because the stores do not develop film on site. Drugstores ship your film to a centralized film processing plant, PhotoLounge explains, and a moderator on The Photo Forum put it plainly: "the drug stores are just sending the film out." Shotkit says CVS sends film to a Fujifilm-run lab in Greenwood.

Walmart works the same way. Shotkit says Walmart offers a one-week turnaround but, with no in-house developing, the process can take up to three weeks. Walmart's own page says most orders are ready in about six days.

Real waits can run past the posted times. In a 2016 thread on The Photo Forum, a customer whose CVS envelope said 7 days came back after a week and was told it takes three weeks. For a full breakdown by lab and format, see how long it takes to develop film.

Target, Costco and Sam's Club have discontinued film developing altogether, according to Lens Lurker in 2023. CNN reported in 2022 that Costco had closed the photo centers at all of its roughly 800 stores.

CVS and Walgreens had far bigger photo footprints: in 2022 CNN counted photo services at around 7,600 CVS stores and more than 8,000 Walgreens stores. Photo services include digital printing, though, and not every one of those counters takes film. For independent labs and other routes, start at our film developing hub.

Often, if you care about negatives, scan quality or formats the chains skip. The Darkroom develops film starting at $14, says negatives are always returned and gives you a free prepaid shipping label at checkout. It develops, scans and uploads standard 35mm and 120 in 1 to 3 days after the film arrives, and mail reaches it in 2 to 5 days from almost anywhere in the US.

Dwayne's Photo processes 35mm color film and disposable cameras starting at $7.50. Add the days in the mail, and a walk-in Walgreens at 3 to 5 business days can still be the quicker trip if you only want prints.

Compare more labs in our best mail-in film labs guide, and see the full cost to develop film table for prices by format.