By default, screenshots on a Mac are saved to the Desktop with filenames like “Screen Shot [date] at [time].png” for images or “Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov” for screen recordings
How to find your screenshots
- Look on your Desktop for files named starting with "Screen Shot" or "Screen Recording"
- You can also open the Desktop folder in Finder to locate them
How to change the default save location for screenshots
If you want screenshots saved somewhere other than the Desktop, you can change the location: For macOS Mojave and later:
- Press Command + Shift + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
- Click "Options".
- Under "Save to," select a new folder such as Documents, Clipboard, or choose "Other Location" to pick a custom folder
Using Terminal (works on most macOS versions):
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Create a folder where you want screenshots saved (e.g., a folder named "Screenshots").
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Open Terminal (Command + Space, type "Terminal", press Return).
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Enter the command:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location -
Drag the new folder into the Terminal window to insert its path.
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Press Return.
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Then run:
killall SystemUIServer -
From now on, screenshots will save to that folder instead of the Desktop
This method helps keep your Desktop organized if you take many screenshots.
Summary
- Default location: Desktop
- Change location via Screenshot app (Command + Shift + 5 → Options)
- Or change location via Terminal commands for more control
This covers where Mac screenshots are saved and how to customize their save location.
