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Where Are Screenshots Saved on Mac? Learn to Find and Change the Location

Can’t find your Mac screenshots? Where to locate the captured screenshots on a Mac?

macOS offers a simple way to quickly take screenshots of the current screen content. However, after pressing Cmd + Shift + 3 and hearing the familiar camera shutter sound, nothing happens. You cannot find your screen captures in the Desktop, the Downloads folder, or other locations. This frustration is quite common, especially if you have just switched from Windows. This post will guide you to figure out where screenshots are saved on a Mac.

Where Are Screenshots Saved On Mac

Part 1: What Is the Default Path for Mac Screenshots

Whether you have just switched from Windows or are a long-time Mac user, you may face the situation where you fail to find your screenshots. Maybe you forgot you have changed the location, or don’t know the exact folder.

Understanding how macOS handles screen captures is necessary. The first section will talk about the default path for your Mac screenshots.

Depending on the specific macOS version you are using and the settings, your default save location might be in one of two places.

The default location or folder for Mac screenshots is the Desktop. Generally, when you use standard screenshot keyboard shortcuts, like Command + Shift + 3/4, the captured screen image will be automatically saved to your Desktop.

If “Desktop Sync” is enabled, Mac screenshots will be uploaded to the cloud. Go to your iCloud settings and check if the Desktop & Documents Folders synchronization feature is enabled. In that case, you can still locate your screenshots on the Desktop. At the same time, they are routed to your iCloud Drive.

Sync This Mac Desktop And Documents Folders

Part 2: How to Change the Screenshot Save Location on a Mac

If you want to change your Mac screenshots’ save location to a desired folder, follow the two methods below.

Method 1. Using the Screenshot App

For most macOS users, the built-in Screenshot app is the easiest way to change the save location. If your Mac runs macOS Mojave 10.14 or later, you can open the app to change the location for your Mac screenshots. This is the most straightforward way.

Step 1.
Press Cmd + Shift + 5 at the same time to open the Screenshot app. You will see a toolbar appear on the screen. Click the Options button in the toolbar.
Step 2.
Under the Save to section, you can select your preferred location to save your captured screen pictures. Choose one from the several preset locations, such as Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, or Preview. If you need to choose a custom folder, click Other Location and then navigate to your desired folder.
Change Mac Screenshot Save Location Using Screenshot App
Step 3.
Click the Choose button to confirm your selection. Your operation will take effect immediately. You don’t need to restart the app.

Method 2. Change Mac Screenshot Save Location via Terminal Commands

Besides the standard solution above, you can use the Terminal to set a custom path where you want to save your Mac screenshots.

Step 1.
Open Terminal (found in App > Terminal or via Spotlight search with Cmd + Space) on your Mac.
Open Terminal On Mac Through App
Step 2.
Before changing the screenshot save location, you’d better create your destination folder first. For instance, you can create a new “Screenshots” folder inside your Pictures directory. You can type: “mkdir -p ~/Pictures/Screenshots” and press Return to proceed.
Step 3.
To change the default location for your Mac screenshots, type or copy the command line: replacing ~/Pictures/Screenshots with your desired path:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots

Step 4.
Press Return to confirm. To eliminate any risk of typos, you can drag and drop the folder you created in Step 2 from Finder directly into the Terminal window. Terminal will automatically fill in the correct file path.

Part 3: How to Manage Your Mac Screenshots Better

With the two methods above, you can handily change the save location for your Mac screen captures. However, changing the location is just the first step. To better manage or take control of your screenshots, you should consider using a more powerful tool like Aiseesoft Screen Recorder. It is a powerful, all-in-one software designed to capture, edit, and manage your screen activity. Besides screen capture on Mac, it offers video recording, audio capture, and other advanced functions.

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Steps to Take Screenshots on Mac Using Aiseesoft

Step 1.
Download this Mac screenshot tool and install it on your Mac. Open the program and choose the dedicated Screen Capture tool. For the first usage, you should allow the software to record your Mac screen and record internal audio.
Mac Screen Recorder Screen Capture
Step 2.
Click and drag your mouse to select the capture area. A toolbar will appear, allowing you to add shapes, text, or arrows, and do other edits. As mentioned, you can directly edit the screenshot with multiple tools. After that, click the Save icon on the toolbar. Your captured picture will be instantly saved to your desired destination.
Edit Mac Screenshot Save

Part 4: FAQs of Where Are Screenshots Saved on Mac

Question 1. How can I copy a Mac screenshot directly to my clipboard instead of saving it as a file?

When you use the hotkeys like Command + Shift + 3/4 to take screenshots on your Mac, you can simply hold down the Control key to copy a screenshot straight to your clipboard. In that case, you can paste it into a document or message rather than saving it on the Desktop.

Question 2. How can I change the default image format of my Mac screenshots?

By default, your Mac will save screenshots as PNG files. If you want to change this to HEIC, you need to open the Screenshot app by pressing Command + Shift + 5, go to Options, choose Capture Format, and then switch from SDR to HDR. If you need to capture JPG screenshots, use Aiseesoft Screen Recorder or another screen capture tool instead.

Question 3. Can I directly edit my Mac screenshot?

Yes, you can directly edit your Mac screenshots without needing to download any third-party image editor software. Whenever you take a screenshot using Cmd + Shift + 3 or Cmd + Shift + 4, you can tap the small floating thumbnail in the bottom-right corner to open the picture. This quick-edit window contains a Markup toolbar. After capturing your Mac screen, you can also edit screenshots using the Preview app.

Conclusion

Where are screenshots saved on a Mac? It can be confusing to lose track of your Mac screen captures. By default, macOS saves them to the Desktop. If you cannot find them there or another possible folder, follow the guide above to locate and manage your Mac screenshots with ease.

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