# How to change where Mac screenshots are saved > Press Shift, Command and 5, open Options and pick a folder under Save to. How to choose Other Location, what the list means and how to check it worked. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/tips/change-mac-screenshot-save-location/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. To change where a Mac saves screenshots, press `Shift-Command-5`, click **Options** and choose a folder under **Save to**. Pick **Other Location** to use any folder. Apple documents this in its support article and in the Mac User Guide for macOS 13, 14, 15 and 26, checked on 4 November 2026. ## Steps 1. Press `Shift-Command-5`. The Screenshot toolbar appears. 2. Click **Options**. 3. Under **Save to**, click one of the preset locations. To use your own folder, click **Other Location** and choose it. 4. Take a test screenshot and check that the file lands where you expect. A tick next to a preset shows which one is active. The setting stays until you change it. ## Make a folder first If you want a dedicated place, create a folder in Finder before you open Options, for example a "Screenshots" folder in Documents. Then **Other Location** can find it. ## Why test it The Mac User Guide says toolbar captures go to the location set under **Save to** and describes keyboard shortcut captures as going to the desktop. Apple's support article says to use the **Options** menu to choose the location. Because the two pages word it differently, press the shortcut once after you change the folder and see where the file goes. If it still lands on the desktop, use the toolbar for your captures. ## Things that are not in Apple's pages Apple's pages do not describe a setting to change the file type from PNG, or the file name. The Mac User Guide says screenshots are `.png` files. If you need another format, open the image in an app that can export it. Apple's pages for these steps do not cover that, so check your app's File menu. ## Undo it Open **Options** again and choose the Desktop preset, or any other folder. For how to find a screenshot you already took, read [where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/). For the capture shortcuts, read [how to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/). NotchStar's [Screenshot Tray](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/) works with a custom folder and never changes where macOS saves your files. ## Quick answers. ### Can I change the screenshot folder on a Mac? Yes. Press Shift, Command and 5, click Options and pick a folder under Save to, or choose Other Location. ## Keep reading. - [Screenshot Tray: your screenshots wait under the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/): Every screenshot lands in a tray under your Mac notch. Drag it into a chat, an email or a folder, or send several at once. - [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sequoia](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sequoia/): Take screenshots and recordings on macOS Sequoia 15: shortcuts, the Screenshot toolbar, every Options menu item and where the files go. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-tahoe/): Screenshot shortcuts on macOS Tahoe 26 plus what is new: the HDR or SDR Capture Format and recording a selected window. Checked against Apple's guides. ## More in Screenshots. - [How to screenshot on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/how-to-screenshot-on-mac/): Press Shift, Command and 3 for the whole screen, 4 for a selection, 5 for the Screenshot toolbar. Steps checked against Apple's guides for macOS 13 to 26. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sonoma](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sonoma/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Sonoma 14, with the Options menu, the floating thumbnail and how to copy to the clipboard. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Sequoia](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-sequoia/): Take screenshots and recordings on macOS Sequoia 15: shortcuts, the Screenshot toolbar, every Options menu item and where the files go. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Tahoe 26](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-tahoe/): Screenshot shortcuts on macOS Tahoe 26 plus what is new: the HDR or SDR Capture Format and recording a selected window. Checked against Apple's guides. - [How to screenshot on a Mac running macOS Ventura](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/screenshot-on-mac-ventura/): Screenshot shortcuts and the Screenshot toolbar on macOS Ventura 13, with Options, the floating thumbnail, copying to the clipboard and recordings. - [Where Mac screenshots are saved](https://www.notchstar.com/tips/where-mac-screenshots-are-saved/): Mac screenshots made with the keyboard shortcuts are saved to the desktop by default. How the file is named, and how to find one that is not there.