How to Change the Default Screenshot Save Location on a Mac

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is incredibly easy, but Apple’s default settings can quickly become a massive headache for heavy users. By default, every time you press Cmd + Shift + 3 or Cmd + Shift + 4, macOS saves the resulting image file directly to your desktop. If you take multiple screenshots a day, your beautiful desktop wallpaper will soon be completely obscured by a chaotic mess of image icons.

To keep your workspace clean and organised, you need to learn how to change the default screenshot save location on a Mac. Fortunately, Apple built a native tool to handle this, allowing you to silently redirect all future screenshots into a dedicated folder of your choosing.

Step 1: Create a Dedicated Screenshot Folder

Before you can change the save location, you need a destination to send the files to. The best approach is to create a specific folder explicitly for your screenshots.

1. Open the Finder application.
2. Navigate to your Documents folder or your Pictures folder (whichever you prefer).
3. Right-click in an empty space (or hold Control and click) and select New Folder.
4. Name the folder something obvious, like Screenshots or Mac Screenshots.

Step 2: Access the Screenshot Toolbar

macOS Mojave (released in 2018) introduced a unified Screenshot app that controls all of your screen capturing and recording settings. You must use this toolbar to change the default save path.

To open the toolbar, press the following three keys on your keyboard simultaneously:

Command (⌘) + Shift + 5

A small, floating toolbar will appear at the bottom of your screen, presenting you with various icons for capturing the entire screen, a specific window, or recording a video.

Step 3: Change the Save Destination

With the floating toolbar visible on your screen, look for the button labelled Options.

1. Click on Options to reveal a drop-down menu.
2. The top section of this menu is labelled Save to. You will notice that “Desktop” is currently checked.
3. Apple provides a few quick alternatives (like Documents or Clipboard), but you want to select the custom folder you created earlier. Click on Other Location… at the bottom of the “Save to” list.
4. A standard Finder window will appear. Navigate to the Screenshots folder you created in Step 1.
5. Click the Choose button in the bottom right corner.

Verifying the Change

Your new setting is saved immediately. To exit the toolbar without taking a screenshot, simply press the Esc key on your keyboard, or click the small “x” button on the floating menu.

To test if the new setting is working, press Cmd + Shift + 3 to capture your entire screen. Look closely at your desktop—the new file will not appear there. Instead, open your newly created Screenshots folder in Finder, and you will find your freshly captured image waiting for you.

This setting is persistent, meaning macOS will remember it forever, even after you restart your computer.