Where do screenshots go on a Mac?
By Vishva Variya · Updated · 4 min read
Short answer
Screenshots save to the Desktop by default, named “Screenshot” followed by the date and time. To change the folder, press ⇧⌘5, click Options and pick a location under Save to. Add Control to any screenshot shortcut (for example ⌃⇧⌘4) to copy it to the clipboard instead of saving a file.
Why can’t I find my screenshots on the Desktop?
- The save location was changed: press ⇧⌘5 › Options to see where Save to points.
- Desktop & Documents Folders is on in iCloud Drive, so the Desktop lives in iCloud and files may be stored only online.
- The screenshot went to the clipboard because Control was held, or Clipboard is the Save to choice.
- You clicked the floating thumbnail and closed the editor without saving.
How do I change where screenshots are saved?
- 1Press ⇧⌘5 to open the Screenshot toolbar.
- 2Click Options.
- 3Under Save to, choose Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, Mail, Messages or Preview, or Other Location to pick any folder.
Your choice applies to ⇧⌘3 and ⇧⌘4 too.
What are the Mac screenshot shortcuts?
- ⇧⌘3: the whole screen.
- ⇧⌘4: drag to select an area. Press Space to capture one window.
- ⇧⌘5: the toolbar, with screen recording and options.
- Add ⌃ to any of them to copy to the clipboard instead of saving.
How do I find every screenshot on my Mac?
macOS marks screenshots in their metadata, so you can list all of them wherever they are:
mdfind "kMDItemIsScreenCapture == 1"In Finder, search for “Screenshot” and choose Name matches to narrow it to the default names.
Screenshots in Peekaboo
Peekaboo has a Screenshots shelf in the sidebar that gathers every screenshot on your Mac, wherever it was saved. It also reads the text inside them on your Mac with Apple Vision, so you can search for a word you remember seeing and copy text from many screenshots at once. Clean Up’s Old Screenshots card collects the ones you’ve stopped needing, and every cleanup can be put back.
- 1Click Screenshots in the sidebar to see them all, newest first.
- 2Search the words inside them, or copy their text.⇧⌘C
- 3Clear out old ones from Clean Up.⇧⌘K
Questions
Where do screen recordings go on a Mac?
- The same place as screenshots: the Desktop unless you changed Save to in ⇧⌘5 › Options.
Can I change the screenshot file format?
- Yes, with Terminal: defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg, then log out and back in. PNG is the default.
How do I stop the floating thumbnail?
- Press ⇧⌘5, click Options and turn off Show Floating Thumbnail. Screenshots then save instantly.