How to change where Mac screenshots are saved
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
- Press
Shift-Command-5. The Screenshot toolbar appears. - Click Options.
- Under Save to, click one of the preset locations. To use your own folder, click Other Location and choose it.
- 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. For the capture shortcuts, read how to screenshot on a Mac.
NotchStar’s Screenshot Tray works with a custom folder and never changes where macOS saves your files.
