Where do screenshots go on a Mac?

To the Desktop, unless you chose another folder in the Screenshot app’s Options menu (⇧⌘5). Our guide shows how to change it.

Can I search the text in my screenshots?

Yes. The text is read on your Mac by Apple Vision, so a search finds a screenshot by the words in it. Nothing is uploaded.

Will it delete screenshots automatically?

Only if you set it up. The automatic Old Screenshots rule is off until you turn it on, takes only files macOS marks as screen captures, and everything goes to the Trash where you can put it back.

Does it find CleanShot screenshots?

Yes. Files named the way CleanShot names them are counted as screenshots too.

Peekaboo · Screenshots

Every screenshot in one place, findable by what it says

Screenshots land on the Desktop by the hundred, named by a timestamp nobody remembers. Peekaboo collects them, reads the words in each, and keeps the pile from coming back.

Download free trial14 days free · macOS 14+ · Updated November 7, 2026

What it does

One Screenshots view: Screenshots get their own place in the sidebar, found by what macOS records about them or by a screenshot-style name, CleanShot’s included.
Find it by the words: Every screenshot is read on your Mac by Apple Vision, so “screenshots with tracking number” finds the right one. ⇧⌘C copies the text from as many as you select.
Filed by month: The “File screenshots by month” Routine sorts screenshots on the Desktop into a folder per month every evening. Every run can be put back.
Old ones, cleared: The Old Screenshots card in Clean Up lists screenshots older than 30 days. Review them, move them to the Trash, and undo it if you need one back.

How to use it

1Open Screenshots in the sidebar, or search “screenshots from last week”.⌘F
2Copy the text you need from any of them.⇧⌘C
3Clear old ones from Clean Up, or add the month-by-month Routine.⇧⌘K

When another app fits better

Peekaboo doesn’t take screenshots. To capture, annotate, scroll-capture or record the screen, [CleanShot X](/alternatives/cleanshot-x/) is the tool, and Peekaboo finds its screenshots afterwards. To change where new screenshots are saved, macOS’s Screenshot app (⇧⌘5) has an Options menu for that.

Questions

Where do screenshots go on a Mac?: To the Desktop, unless you chose another folder in the Screenshot app’s Options menu (⇧⌘5). Our guide shows how to change it.
Can I search the text in my screenshots?: Yes. The text is read on your Mac by Apple Vision, so a search finds a screenshot by the words in it. Nothing is uploaded.
Will it delete screenshots automatically?: Only if you set it up. The automatic Old Screenshots rule is off until you turn it on, takes only files macOS marks as screen captures, and everything goes to the Trash where you can put it back.
Does it find CleanShot screenshots?: Yes. Files named the way CleanShot names them are counted as screenshots too.