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How to Change the Screenshot Location on Mac (3 Ways)

Save Mac screenshots to any folder: the Screenshot app Options menu, the defaults write Terminal command (and how to undo it), or one click in Pizazoo.

6 min read
Muhammed BasilFounder & maker of Pizazoo

To change where screenshots are saved on a Mac, press Shift-Command-5, click Options, then choose Other Location below Save to and pick a folder. From then on, Shift-Command-3, Shift-Command-4 and the Screenshot app all save there. These steps apply to macOS Tahoe 26 and macOS 27 (Golden Gate), and to every version since macOS Mojave 10.14.

There are three ways to do it:

Method Best for How to undo
Screenshot app Options menu Everyone, no Terminal needed Choose Desktop under Save to
Terminal defaults write command Scripts, setting up several Macs, Macs older than Mojave defaults delete the setting
Pizazoo Change Location… Moving the folder while an organizer keeps watching it Change Location… again

How do I change the screenshot save location on Mac?

Apple's built-in route takes well under a minute (Mac User Guide):

  • Create the folder first if it does not exist. In Finder, go where you want it (Documents or Pictures work well), choose File > New Folder or press Shift-Command-N, and name it, for example, Screenshots (Apple).
  • Press Shift-Command-5 to open Screenshot, or open it from the Utilities folder inside Applications.
  • Click Options.
  • Below Save to, choose a preset location (Desktop, Documents, Clipboard, or an app such as Mail, Messages or Preview), or click Other Location and navigate to your folder.
  • Press Esc, then take a test screenshot with Shift-Command-4 to confirm it lands in the new folder.

Apple describes this as changing the default save location (Apple), so you do not need to change anything separately for the keyboard shortcuts.

Which folder should I pick?

  • A dedicated Screenshots folder in Documents or Pictures keeps the Desktop clear and puts every capture in one place.
  • An iCloud Drive folder if you want your Mac screenshots on your iPhone and iPad too (see below).
  • Avoid a folder on an external drive you often unplug, or a folder you might later rename or delete. If the folder is gone when you take a screenshot, open Options again and pick one that exists.

How do I save screenshots to an iCloud Drive folder?

Saving into iCloud Drive makes each new screenshot available in the Files app on iPhone and iPad, without syncing your whole Desktop.

  • Make sure iCloud Drive is on: System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click Drive, then turn on Sync this Mac (Apple).
  • In Finder, click iCloud Drive in the sidebar and create a folder, for example Screenshots.
  • In Screenshot's Options menu, choose Other Location and select that folder.
  • On iPhone or iPad, open Files, tap Browse, tap iCloud Drive, then open the folder.

Two things to know. These files count against your iCloud storage. And if that storage is full, Apple says documents stay on your Mac and upload once space is available (Apple), so a full plan looks like screenshots missing on your iPhone, not on your Mac.

Turning on Desktop & Documents Folders is the other iCloud route, but it moves your entire Desktop into iCloud Drive, not just screenshots (Apple). Our guide to where screenshots go on Mac explains what that changes, and the iPhone and Mac screenshot sync guide covers the other direction.

How do I change the screenshot location with Terminal?

The Options menu is Apple's documented method. The Terminal command writes a long-standing preference of the macOS screenshot tool (com.apple.screencapture) that Apple does not document on its support site, so treat it as the power-user route. Open Terminal from the Utilities folder or with Spotlight (Apple), then run these one at a time:

  • Create the folder: mkdir -p ~/Pictures/Screenshots
  • Set it as the save location: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots
  • Apply the change: killall SystemUIServer (a system process that macOS restarts by itself a moment later)

If the path has spaces, wrap it in quotes, for example defaults write com.apple.screencapture location "$HOME/Documents/Work Screenshots".

To see what is set, run defaults read com.apple.screencapture location. If Terminal reports that the setting does not exist, no folder was set this way, and the Options menu shows the current choice.

How do I undo the Terminal command?

  • Run defaults delete com.apple.screencapture location to remove the custom folder.
  • Run killall SystemUIServer again.
  • Press Shift-Command-5, click Options, and confirm Desktop (or whichever location you want) is checked under Save to. Picking a location there changes the same setting, so it is also the simplest way to undo.

Can I change the screenshot location in macOS 27?

Yes, the same way. The macOS 27 edition of Apple's Mac User Guide still describes the Save to list with preset locations and Other Location (Apple), and Apple's Take a screenshot on Mac article, dated September 2026, still points to the Options menu for changing the default location (Apple). macOS Tahoe 26 added a capture format option on supported Macs (SDR saves PNG, HDR saves HEIF), which changes the file type but not the folder. Macs older than macOS Mojave 10.14 have no Screenshot app, so Terminal is the only built-in method there.

Will my old screenshots move to the new folder?

No. Changing the location only affects new screenshots. To move the ones you already have (Apple):

  • Open your Desktop in a Finder window and sort by name, so every file starting with "Screenshot" sits together.
  • Select them, then drag one of the selected files onto the new folder. All selected items move with it.
  • Or Control-click the selection and choose New Folder with Selection.

For thousands of files, see what to do when your Mac screenshots folder has too many files, and how to find old screenshots on Mac once they are moved.

How do I change the location in Pizazoo?

We make Pizazoo, a screenshot organizer for Mac (macOS 14 Sonoma or later). If you use it, change the folder from inside Pizazoo, so the app keeps watching the right place:

  • Open Pizazoo's Settings > Capture.
  • On the System Screenshots row, choose Change Location… and pick a folder.

Pizazoo writes the same com.apple.screencapture location preference as the Terminal command, restarts SystemUIServer for you, and keeps watching the new folder, so new captures keep importing and stay searchable by the text inside them. If you change the folder in the Screenshot app instead, check that Settings > Capture lists the new folder.

Two related settings sit on the same page. Include images in subfolders covers nested folders. Delete originals after import permanently deletes each original file from the source folder once Pizazoo has imported it, which cannot be undone, but it stops screenshots from piling up wherever macOS saves them. CleanShot X, Shottr and Xnapper users can add those apps' export folders as extra watched folders.

Why are screenshots still saving to the old place?

  • The folder you chose was renamed, moved or deleted, or it is on a drive that is not connected. Pick it again under Options > Save to.
  • A third-party capture app handles your shortcuts and uses its own save folder. Check that app's settings.
  • After a Terminal change, run killall SystemUIServer or restart your Mac from the Apple menu (Apple).

If screenshots are not saving anywhere, work through Mac screenshot not saving: 10 fixes. And if each file shows up a few seconds late, turn off the screenshot preview thumbnail.

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