How to Change Where Screenshots Are Saved on Your Mac

[MacRumors]

When you take a screenshot on your Mac – using the Shift-Command-3 shortcut to capture the whole screen, or Shift-Command-4 to capture a portion of it – the image files are saved straight to your desktop. This can result in this:

If you'd like to change that default save location to somewhere different, simply follow the steps below.

If you're running macOS Mojave or later, you can press Shift-Command-5 to invoke the screen capture panel, click on Options and choose "Other Location" to choose a destination.

For versions of macOS prior to Mojave, you'll have to follow these instructions:

How to Change Where Screenshots Get Saved on Mac (Prior to Mojave)

1. Open a Finder window and press Shift-Command-N to create a new folder where you want your screenshots to be saved, and give the folder a recognizable name.
   
   
   
   Launch the Terminal app (found in Applications/Utilities).
   
   
   
   Type in the following command and then press the spacebar, but don't hit Enter just yet: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location
   
   
   
   Now drag the folder you just created into the Terminal window. The folder's path should appear after the command you typed in. Press Enter.
   
   

Your captured images will now be saved in the designated folder whenever you use the screenshot shortcuts.

Important note: Do not delete this folder until you've changed the save location to somewhere else using the same Terminal command, or you'll run into issues. If you want to switch things back in future so that images are saved on your desktop again, simply input the Terminal command as above, but change the path to ~/Desktop.

Article Link: How to Change Where Screenshots Are Saved on Your Mac

 

[Hieveryone]

Hey now this is a good article. Thanks MR

 

[Darth-Kylie]

In Catalina, Shift-Cmd-5, click Options, choose Other Location. Sticky setting.

 

[JUiCEJamie]

Good article! Been using macOS for years and I didn’t know this! Thanks MR

 

[Ritsuka]

In Catalina, Shift-Cmd-5, click Options, choose Other Location. Sticky setting.

Yup, there is no need to use Terminal…

 

[chucker23n1]

In Catalina, Shift-Cmd-5, click Options, choose Other Location. Sticky setting.

Yup. This is a helpful article, but it's actually unnecessary as of Mojave — there's no more need for the Terminal for this. The cmd-shift-5 changes the same setting. Try this:

~> defaults read com.apple.screencapture target

It'll answer "file".

Now, hit cmd-shift-5, and select Options → Clipboard. And do it again:

~> defaults read com.apple.screencapture target

It'll answer "clipboard".

 

[icerabbit]

Hopefully some day in the not to distant future, Apple will make screenshots respect the 24 clock setting!

Between capturing some idea, and having to document some online stuff via screenshots, every day, without fail, the last screenshots will not be at the bottom of the list of screenshots, because the OS insists on using the AM/PM date notation ... so everything for any given day is always out of order, scrambled between AM & PM ... despite using 24hr clock from the minute I have access to a new system.

 

[Primitivejim.com]

trying OP's method on Sierra 10.12.6 (yes I'm living in the dark ages)
I get the following error in terminal

Rep argument is not a dictionary
Defaults have not been changed.

Edit: All good now I just forgot to add the space after "location"

 

[darkpaw]

Couple of issues with this. If you're writing out steps, they really need to be correct, or you end up confusing the user, someone who may never have used Terminal before.

Step 1: You don't need to click the folder's name, because when you press Shift + Command + N, the folder's name is already highlighted for editing. Also, you can always just press Enter to rename a file.

Step 3: Be sure to tell the user to add a space at the end, or their Terminal command will be "defaults write com.apple.screencapture locationFOLDER". I realise that the text on the article does have the space at the end, but a non-expert won't know that it's meant to be there unless you point it out to them.

 

[Sharewaredemon]

In Catalina, Shift-Cmd-5, click Options, choose Other Location. Sticky setting.

Yes.
Also, even thought I knew about that interface, I only just noticed the setting that allows you to not show a thumbnail of the screenshot at the bottom. 🎉

 

[EugW]

Yup. This is a helpful article, but it's actually unnecessary as of Mojave — there's no more need for the Terminal for this. The cmd-shift-5 changes the same setting.

Also, in Mojave and later, they are collated anyway on the desktop into Stacks.

 

[mazz0]

When I use other operations systems changing them to store screenshots on the desktop is one of the first things I do!

 

[chucker23n1]

Hopefully some day in the not to distant future, Apple will make screenshots respect the 24 clock setting!

Between capturing some idea, and having to document some online stuff via screenshots, every day, without fail, the last screenshots will not be at the bottom of the list of screenshots, because the OS insists on using the AM/PM date notation ... so everything for any given day is always out of order, scrambled between AM & PM ... despite using 24hr clock from the minute I have access to a new system.

The screenshots I make are named e.g. "Screenshot 2019-01-07 at 14.11.32.png". So I think that's a setting on your end.
[automerge]1591358481[/automerge]

trying OP's method on Sierra 10.12.6 (yes I'm living in the dark ages)
I get the following error in terminal

Rep argument is not a dictionary
Defaults have not been changed.

My guess is it's not supported in Sierra.

What do you get when running this in Terminal?

defaults read com.apple.screencapture

 

[Primitivejim.com]

Whooooops, yep that was my issue.

Thanks for pointing out my error. Been a long time since I've used terminal.

Couple of issues with this. If you're writing out steps, they really need to be correct, or you end up confusing the user, someone who may never have used Terminal before.

Step 1: You don't need to click the folder's name, because when you press Shift + Command + N, the folder's name is already highlighted for editing. Also, you can always just press Enter to rename a file.

Step 3: Be sure to tell the user to add a space at the end, or their Terminal command will be "defaults write com.apple.screencapture locationFOLDER". I realise that the text on the article does have the space at the end, but a non-expert won't know that it's meant to be there unless you point it out to them.

 

[TJ82]

Awfully convoluted.

Makes us Mac users look like neanderthals.

 

[arn]

article's been updated. Though the real trick is getting a screenshot of the screenshot options.

 

[Primitivejim.com]

The screenshots I make are named e.g. "Screenshot 2019-01-07 at 14.11.32.png". So I think that's a setting on your end.
[automerge]1591358481[/automerge]


My guess is it's not supported in Sierra.

What do you get when running this in Terminal?

defaults read com.apple.screencapture

All good now, I just forgot I needed another space in between "location" and my folder

 

[Tompkinson]

Hopefully some day in the not to distant future, Apple will make screenshots respect the 24 clock setting!

Between capturing some idea, and having to document some online stuff via screenshots, every day, without fail, the last screenshots will not be at the bottom of the list of screenshots, because the OS insists on using the AM/PM date notation ... so everything for any given day is always out of order, scrambled between AM & PM ... despite using 24hr clock from the minute I have access to a new system.

That's odd.
My screenshots are saved in 24hr format.
eg: "Screenshot 2020-06-02 at 15.49.46.jpg"

 

[Sasparilla]

Nice! Immediately changed this and was easy. Thank you MR.

 

[chucker23n1]

That's odd.
My screenshots are saved in 24hr format.
eg: "Screenshot 2020-06-02 at 15.49.46.jpg"

Same.

 

[kguay]

I highly recommend dragging that screenshots folder to your dock to make a stack. Best productivity hack that I've done in a while.

 

[MisterSavage]

Nice! I've been launching Quicktime player and taking screenshots there because I don't like my desktop getting cluttered with junk files.

 

[Shirasaki]

That terminal command is awfully nice for me as cluttering the desktop with screenshots just don’t look nice.

 

[MauiPa]

Hopefully some day in the not to distant future, Apple will make screenshots respect the 24 clock setting!

Between capturing some idea, and having to document some online stuff via screenshots, every day, without fail, the last screenshots will not be at the bottom of the list of screenshots, because the OS insists on using the AM/PM date notation ... so everything for any given day is always out of order, scrambled between AM & PM ... despite using 24hr clock from the minute I have access to a new system.

Why don’t you just organize the folder by date modified or date created? Seems so obvious, I must be missing something

 

[Shirasaki]

article's been updated. Though the real trick is getting a screenshot of the screenshot options.

I would use another screenshot software to screenshot the screenshot options, or try to time the screenshot to get the screenshot of those screenshot options.