By default, any screenshots you take on your Mac end up on the desktop. You can also set them to be saved to any custom folder, such as Downloads. If you're like me, you probably move some screenshots (like those of specifics apps) to your project folders.
- Mac Screenshot Location
- Change Where Screenshots Are Saved Mac
- Changing Where Screenshots Are Saved Mac
Save Screenshot in Clipboard on Mac. There is a dedicated ‘Print Screen' button in Windows Keyboard that saves the screenshot in the clipboard. You can simply paste that captured screenshot in a different program like in Paint, Photoshop or any other program for editing. You can change the default location from the screenshot tool, so open it up by hitting Command+Shift+5. In the screenshot tool, click the 'Options' button. At the top of the Options menu, under the Save To section, you'll see the following built-in options: Desktop: The default option, which will save all your screenshots to a separate stack.
You likely take tons of screenshots, and who could blame you? Screenshotting is an easy way to save bits of information or capture a shareable memory. Across iOS and macOS, screenshots are simple to take – but where do screenshots go on Mac?
Taking a screenshot is only the first step. You then have to find it, and save it to your desired folder, iCloud, or share it with someone. We'll tell you where your screenshots go, how to change the Mac screenshot location once they're captured, and tell you about a few great apps that make the process easier.
Make sense of your screenshots
Install Setapp to get access to the best screenshot apps. Save all your screen captures without cluttering storage on Mac.
Where are Screenshots saved on a Mac
When you take a screenshot on your Mac, it will be saved to your Mac's Desktop folder by default. This is done to make screenshots easy to find once you snap them. To locate your screenshots, either view your desktop to find thumbnails of your screenshots or locate the 'Desktop' section in the Finder app.
How to change where Mac screenshots are saved?
To change screenshot location Mac computers provide a few options. First, the Shift-Command-5 keyboard shortcut allows you to record or capture a portion of the screen, with an options menu that allows you to save the screenshot to a few different locations. This is a quick way to have a screenshot saved to your Documents folder – but what if you want a unique Mac save screenshots to folder function?
For that, you need Terminal. Here's how to change where screenshots are saved Mac Terminal style:
On your Mac, create a folder called 'Screenshots' (or anything else you like)
Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Terminal
Type this command: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location
Drag the 'Screenshots' folder you've just created onto the Terminal window. You'll see its path displayed after the command.
Hit Return
Quit Terminal
Remember this is a ‘forever' option and changes your screenshot location Mac folder for good. To change this again, you'll have to go through the same process in Terminal.
There are a few issues with Apple's default screenshot tooling. First, there are several shortcuts for taking screenshots, and only the Shift-Command-5 option brings up a unique save menu. Terminal is root level on your Mac, and you can really mess things up if you're not careful.
For capturing, editing, and saving screenshots, we prefer CleanShot X. This Mac app has an incredible amount of features for capturing, editing, marking up, and saving screenshots, videos, and even GIFs of your Mac screen! We especially like it for capturing conversations; CleanShot X has a unique ‘scrolling' capture feature, which is like a panorama mode for screenshotting conversations.
CleanShot X also has its own cloud feature if you want a dedicated home for screenshots to live, or you can customize it to save screenshots anywhere you like in the app's settings. After a capture, CleanShot X pins a small thumbnail to your screen where you can edit, save, or share your new screenshot, GIF, or scrolling capture. It's amazing.
Save screenshots to iCloud
By default, your Mac syncs your Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud, which are also available on your iPhone or iPad via the Files app. Taking and saving screenshots to either of those locations from your Mac will automatically surface them across your device.
Get 10 GB storage for screenshots
Steam catalina mac.
Save all your screenshots to a favorite cloud provider with Dropshare. Get the app via Setapp and enjoy 10 GB of free storage.
We don't all want that – many of us have other cloud services we prefer, like Dropbox, Google Drive, or others. This is especially true if you use your Mac for both personal and business. Instead of wondering where are screenshots saved Mac computers can share your captured content to cloud providers using Dropshare.
Most of us will simply snap screenshots, let them pile up on our Desktop, then curate them later on. This is fine, but the workflow can get messy, and if you would rather save your screenshots to a cloud service provider that isn't iCloud, Dropshare makes it really easy. You can even record keyboard shortcuts for Dropshare to capture and send your screenshots to any cloud service provider you like. Here's how:
Get and install Dropshare
Type in your email address and password to create your account
Click on the Dropshare icon in the menu bar, choose the cog, and select Preferences
Choose the Screenshots tab
Next to Capture & Upload Screen, choose Record Shortcut
Press the keys you want to use for the shortcut
Repeat step 6 for Capture & Upload Selection as well as Capture & Annotate, if you want to use those features
Optionally, change the default file format to JPG by choosing it from the menu next to 'Capture all screenshots in'
Close the Preferences window
If automation doesn't suit you, Dropshare doesn't require it. You can drag and drop screenshots onto the Dropshare icon in your Mac menu bar, and select where they should be shared. Again, a great option for those who use their Mac for business and personal uses, and have cloud storage lockers for each use-case.
Change your Mac's default screenshot directory using Terminal
If you don't want to turn on Desktop and Documents in iCloud, you can use Terminal to change the default location for screenshots:
- Follow steps 1–3 above to activate iCloud Drive
- Click on the iCloud Drive icon in the Finder window
- Create a folder called 'Screenshots' (or anything else you like)
- Keep iCloud Drive open in the Finder so you can see the folder
- Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Terminal
- Type: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location
- Drag the 'Screenshots' folder you've just created in iCloud Drive onto the Terminal window. You'll see its path displayed after the command.
- Hit Return
- Quit Terminal
From now on, every time you take a screenshot, it will be saved in that folder in iCloud Drive.
Mac Screenshot Location
If you are not sure about using Terminal, there are a few other options for saving screenshots in iCloud or any other cloud storage service where you have an account.
Send your screenshots to the Paste clipboard
Paste is a clipboard manager for Mac that allows you to copy multiple items to its inboard, categorize them, and recall them from the clipboard whenever you need. It's like Mac's own clipboard but turbo-charged. Paste syncs with iCloud, allowing you to access your pinboards on another Mac or iOS devices on which you have Paste installed and connected to your iCloud account.
To use your pinboards to save screenshots to iCloud:
- Take a screenshot using the normal keyboard shortcut or using a Touch Bar
- Go to the Finder, click the screenshot on the Desktop, and press Cmd + C to copy it
The screenshot will be copied to a pinboard in Paste and synced using iCloud.
How to change the default file format of a screenshot
As we mentioned earlier, screenshots are saved as PNG files by default. That means that when you save a window, for example, transparency is preserved and the drop shadow appears on the background of any image you place your screenshot on top of — it's handy from compositing screenshots on top of a desktop background in an image you're creating. However, if you want to save screenshots as JPG files, you can use Dropshare or Terminal.
We've described how to change the file format to JPG in Dropshare above, so here's how to do it in Terminal:
- Launch Terminal from Applications > Utilities
- Type: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
- Hit Return
And that's it. All screenshots you take now on your Mac will be saved as JPG files. You can revert back to PNG files by using the same Terminal command, but replace jpg with png.
If you want to change the file format of screenshots you've already taken, you can use an image converter like Permute. Just drag your screenshots onto the app's window and select JPG as the file format Permute will convert them and save them back to the folder they came from originally.
Finally, if you have lots of screenshots and need to organize them, rename them, tag them, or just view them in a beautiful browser, try Inboard, which will make sorting them a breeze and display them in the Pinterest-like way.
What if I can't find my screenshots?
Okay, you've taken screenshots, and you're pretty sure they're saving to the right location – but you still can't find them! What's going on?
Now is a good time to check your keyboard settings to make sure your Mac is acting as you expect it should with regard to screenshots. Here's how: Raspberry pi mac.
From your Mac menu bar, select the Apple logo on left
Select 'System Preferences'
Select 'Keyboard'
Tap on the 'Shortcuts' menu tab
Select 'Screenshots'
Make sure all five boxes are checked
Again, your screenshots should be saving to the desktop by default. If you still have trouble finding them, it's entirely possible another app is causing issues, which is really difficult to diagnose. This is a reason we prefer Inboard for managing screenshots.
The Inboard app is a much more visual and intuitive way of managing your screenshots and saved photos. It bills itself as a 'private Pinterest' for your Mac, and that's not wrong. Pinnacle systems 510usb driver for mac. We love Inboard because it displays your screenshots in a vibrant collage format, and allows you to tag or categorize your screenshots however you like.
Change Where Screenshots Are Saved Mac
You can use Inboard the same as you would Pinterest and save screenshots for projects – again, great for those with Macs used for business and personal use. There are even Chrome and Safari extensions to capture and save full-screen shots directly to Inboard, making capture and management a snap.
Conclusion
Taking screenshots is as much a part of using your iPhone, iPad, and Mac as typing is. Whether you're saving information, sharing something funny with friends or family, or using screenshots to save as notes for a later time, we all utilize the feature.
Because screenshots are so ingrained in our routines, finding, sharing, and storing them is critical. That's why we enjoy Dropshare, Inboard, and CleanShot. We touched on all three apps here, and each has a ton of options for streamlining your workflow. No matter what your needs are, these apps deliver.
All three are available for free as part of a seven day trial of Setapp, a sensational suite of productivity apps for your Mac. During your week-long trial, you'll have access to these three apps as well as nearly 200 other great Mac apps in Setapp's catalog, all free to test and try at your leisure. When the free trial is over, Setapp is only $9.99 per month.
Families can take advantage of Setapp's $19.99 per month family plan, which grants unlimited access to the entire Setapp catalog of apps on up to four unique Macs. What are you waiting for? Give Setapp a try today!
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
Read onSign Up
There are any number of reasons why you might want to take screenshots on a Mac, from saving evidence of an online purchase, to grabbing an image of an error message when something goes wrong.
Whatever the reason, most of us use the same method to take a screenshot: press Command + Shift+3, which gives the screenshot a name and saves it in the default location. However, you can change the name and the location, as well as several other options when taking screenshots.
Where do Mac screenshots go?
By default, when you take a screenshot, it's given the name 'Screenshot' followed by the date and time it was taken. And it's saved on the Desktop. So to find it, you just have to look on your Desktop or open a Finder window, choose Desktop in the sidebar and look for it there.
Check your Desktop
- To go to your desktop, press Fn + F11 (on a Mac with a touchbar)
- For all other Macs, just press F11
- Alternatively, open Finder and select Desktop tab in the sidebar
If you are running a recent version of macOS and have Stacks turned on in the View menu of the Finder, all the screenshots you take will be kept together in a Stack called 'Screenshots.' To see them all, just click on the Stack.
Along with screenshots (that may grow astronomically if left unchecked), your Mac is storing broken downloads, unused .DMG archives, and all sorts of digital debris. You can uncover these files with the free version of CleanMyMac X by MacPaw. This is an Apple-notarized software. CleanMyMac X can help you find them and get rid of the ones you don't want, along with other large and old files by using a utility that's designed for exactly that purpose.
- Download the free version of CleanMyMac X.
- Install CleanMyMac by following the instructions, then launch it from your Applications folder.
- Choose Large & Old files in the sidebar.
- Press Scan.
- Right-click on any file to view its location in the Finder, preview it, or select it for removal. Once you've selected all the files you want to get rid of, press Remove.
How to change the default location for screenshots
There are a number of ways of changing the default location for screenshots. If you're running macOS Mojave or later, you can use the Screenshots app.
- Go to Applications > Utilities > and double-click Screenshots to launch it, or press Command-Shift-5.
- At the bottom of the screen, you'll see a toolbar. Click on Options.
- The top section of the menu allows you to choose where to save screenshots. Choose an option or click Other Location and choose a folder.
- Press Escape to avoid taking a screenshot.
If you're not running macOS Mojave or later, there are a couple of options. You can use a third-party tool like MacPilot, which allows you to change parameters that are not normally accessible via the Mac's graphical user interface. Or, you can use a Terminal command.
How to change the default screenshot location using Terminal
- Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click on Terminal.
- Type the following command: com.apple.screencapture location [there needs to be a space after ‘location'].
- Drag the folder you want to save screenshots in onto the Terminal window.
- Press Enter.
- To make sure it works, type: killall SystemUIServer
- Press Enter.
Screenshots will now be saved by default in the folder you chose. To revert back to saving them on the Desktop, use the following commands.
- Type: com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop
- Press Enter.
- Type: killall SystemUIServer
- Press Enter.
How to take a screenshot of a window on Mac
You don't have to take a screenshot of the whole screen, you can grab a window or a section of the screen.
- Press Command-Shift-4.
- To grab a section of the screen, drag the crosshairs over that section and let go.
- To grab a window, press the spacebar, drag the camera icon over the window you want to grab and press the mouse button.
- In both cases, the screenshot will be saved in the default location.
In macOS Mojave or later, you can also use the Screenshot application to grab a window or section of the screen by pressing Command-Shift-5 and selecting the option you want from the toolbar.
How to record videos of your screen on Mac
As well as taking screenshot images of your Mac's screen, you can record videos using the Screenshot app or QuickTime Player.
- Press Command-Shift-5 to launch the Screenshot app.
- Use the Options menu to choose where to save the video, and whether to use a timer or record audio on your Mac's microphone.
- Press the Record button for either the whole screen or a section of the screen. If you choose the latter, drag the crosshairs over the section you want to record.
- Press ‘Record'
- To end the recording, press the record button in the Finder menu bar.
Changing Where Screenshots Are Saved Mac
The recording will be saved with the default name 'Screen Recording' followed by the date and time. If you didn't specify a location, it will be saved in the same location as screenshots.
Record the screen in QuickTime Player
- Go to Applications > Utilities and launch QuickTime Player.
- Go to the File menu and choose New Screen Recording.
- Follow steps 2-5 above.
You should now know the answer to ‘where are Mac screenshots saved.' When you take a screenshot or screen recording on your Mac, it is stored on the Desktop by default and given a name that includes the date and time it was taken to help you identify it. However, you can easily change the default location and take different types of screenshots. How to make a zip file smaller mac. If you need to track down screenshots or recordings, or other large files, use CleanMyMac X's Large & Old files tool. BTW, this app includes a few more useful Mac utilities — here's a link to the free edition, so check it out.
