# How to Change the Screenshot File Name on Mac
> Mac screenshots are named "Screenshot [date] at [time]". Change that with one Terminal command, set your own pattern in Snapix, or rename old ones in Finder.
Published: 2026-10-22
Author: Elisei Nicolae
Source: https://snapix.app/tutorials/rename-screenshots-mac/
---
Your Mac names every screenshot the same way: "Screenshot", then the date and time, like **Screenshot 2026-10-13 at 9.41.22 AM.png** (**09.41.22** with no AM or PM on a 24-hour clock). To change it, open Terminal and run `defaults write com.apple.screencapture name "Shot"`, and new screenshots start with "Shot" instead. There's no option for the name in System Settings or the Screenshot toolbar. [Snapix](/) lets you write the whole name in its settings, and Finder renames the screenshots you already have.
## How to change the screenshot name on Mac
1. **Open Terminal.** It's in **Applications ▸ Utilities**, or search for it with Spotlight.
2. **Change the word at the start.** Run this, with your own word between the quotes:
```bash
defaults write com.apple.screencapture name "Shot"
```
3. **Leave out the date and time, if you like.** Run this:
```bash
defaults write com.apple.screencapture include-date -bool false
```
4. **Take a screenshot to check.** Press ⇧⌘4, drag over an area and look at the new file's name. If it hasn't changed, run `killall SystemUIServer` and try again.
**Note:** While Snapix runs with its default shortcuts, ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4 and ⇧⌘5 take Snapix screenshots, and those follow Snapix's own **File name** setting below, not the Terminal one. To check the Terminal setting while Snapix runs, take the screenshot with the **Screenshot** app in **Applications ▸ Utilities**.
Each part of the name has its own Terminal setting, so you can change one and keep the rest.
To go back to the usual name, run:
```bash
defaults delete com.apple.screencapture name
```
To bring back the date and time, run:
```bash
defaults delete com.apple.screencapture include-date
```
The `type` setting changes the format the same way, which is covered in [how to change the screenshot format](/tutorials/change-screenshot-format-mac/).
## How to set your own file name pattern in Snapix
In Snapix you write the whole name: your own words, the date and time in any order, or no date at all.
1. **Open Snapix Settings.** Click the Snapix icon in the menu bar and choose **Settings…** from its menu.
2. **Click Saving.** The **File name** field is in the **File** section. You can also press ⌘F in Settings and type "file name".
3. **Type your pattern.** Words stay as you type them, and the tokens in the table below turn into the date and time. The default, `Screenshot %Y-%m-%d at %H.%M.%S`, reads like the name macOS uses, always with a 24-hour time.
4. **Check the example.** The **Example:** line under the field shows what a screenshot saved now would be called. With the **Auto (PNG / JPEG)** format it shows .png, even though large screenshots are saved as .jpeg. There's nothing to confirm: the next file you save gets the new name.
Here the date comes first and the word Screenshot is gone. The Example line changes as you type.
| Token | Turns into | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `%Y` | Year, 4 digits | 2026 |
| `%m` | Month, 2 digits | 10 |
| `%d` | Day, 2 digits | 13 |
| `%H` | Hour, 24-hour clock | 09 |
| `%M` | Minute | 41 |
| `%S` | Second | 22 |
Capitals matter: `%m` is the month and `%M` the minute. These six are the only tokens. Any other `%`, and the characters `/ : \ ? * | " < >`, become a dash, so separate hours and minutes with dots or dashes. If you clear the field, files are named "Snapix".
## File name patterns that work well
- `%Y-%m-%d %H.%M.%S` gives **2026-10-13 09.41.22.png**. With the date first, sorting by name also sorts by date.
- `%Y%m%d-%H%M%S` gives **20261013-094122.png**, with no spaces, which is handy for uploads and code.
- `Q4 budget %Y-%m-%d` gives **Q4 budget 2026-10-13.png**. Put a project or client name first, and change it when you switch projects.
- `Invoice` gives **Invoice.png**. With no time in the pattern, the next one is **Invoice 2.png**, then **Invoice 3.png**, so a new file never replaces an older one.
## Which files get the new name
By default, Snapix copies each screenshot to the clipboard and saves a file only when you ask. The pattern names these files:
- Screenshots you save with **Save** on the preview or on a pin, with ⌘S in the editor, and every shot when **Save every screenshot automatically** is on. They go to **Documents ▸ Snapix** unless you [change where screenshots are saved](/tutorials/where-do-screenshots-go-mac/).
- A screenshot you drag into another app from the preview, from **Recent Captures** or from the editor's **Drag me**.
- **Save as…** in the editor, which suggests the name and lets you type a different one.
Changing the pattern doesn't rename files you've already saved. You can [try Snapix free](#get-snapix) and set a pattern before your next screenshot.
**Tip:** A clear name pays off in **Recent Captures** (⇧⌘S), whose search looks through the file name a screenshot was saved under. A title you add there with right-click ▸ **Add Title…** (**Rename…** once it has one) is searchable too, but it doesn't rename the file. There's more in [screenshot history](/tutorials/screenshot-history-mac/).
## How to rename screenshots you already have
Finder renames files you've already saved, whichever app took them.
- **One file:** click it, press Return, type the new name and press Return again. A name can't contain a colon or start with a period. If the name ends in **.png**, leave that part as it is so the file opens as before.
- **Many files:** select them, Control-click one and choose **Rename** (with three selected it reads **Rename 3 Items…**). In the pop-up under **Rename Finder Items**, choose **Replace Text** to swap a word (`Screenshot` in **Find**, your word in **Replace with**), **Add Text** to put text before or after each name, or **Format** to give them all one name with a number or the date before or after it. Then click **Rename**. Screenshots from before macOS Ventura start with "Screen Shot", so put that in **Find** for older files.
## Frequently asked questions
### How do I change the name of a screenshot on Mac?
To rename one screenshot, click it in Finder, press **Return**, type the new name and press **Return** again. To change what new screenshots are called, open Terminal and run **defaults write com.apple.screencapture name "Shot"** with your own word in the quotes. In Snapix, type a pattern in **Settings ▸ Saving ▸ File name**.
### How do I remove the date from screenshot names on Mac?
In Terminal, run **defaults write com.apple.screencapture include-date -bool false**. To get the date back, run **defaults delete com.apple.screencapture include-date**. In Snapix, leave the date tokens out of **Settings ▸ Saving ▸ File name**. When a name is already taken, Snapix adds 2, 3 and so on instead of replacing the older file.
### How do I rename multiple screenshots at once on Mac?
Select them in Finder, Control-click one and choose **Rename** (it shows how many items, like **Rename 3 Items…**). Pick **Replace Text** to swap a word, **Add Text** to put something before or after each name, or **Format** to give them one name with a number or the date. Then click **Rename**.
### Can I name a screenshot when I save it?
The built-in shortcuts don't ask for a name, so you rename the file in Finder afterwards. In Snapix, the editor's **Save as…** button opens a save sheet with a name from your pattern already filled in. Type another name if you like, and choose a folder.
