# Where Do Screenshots Go on Mac (and How to Change It)
> Mac screenshots save to your desktop as PNG files named with the date and time. Change the folder with Shift-Command-5 ▸ Options ▸ Save to, or in Terminal.
Published: 2026-10-22
Author: Elisei Nicolae
Source: https://snapix.app/tutorials/where-do-screenshots-go-mac/
---
Screenshots on a Mac go to your desktop by default, as PNG files named "Screenshot" plus the date and time. To send them somewhere else, press ⇧⌘5 (Shift-Command-5), click **Options** and pick a folder under **Save to**.
If you use [Snapix](/), it works a little differently: by default, each shot goes to your clipboard and to **Recent Captures**, and a file shows up in a folder only when you save one.
## How to change where screenshots are saved on a Mac
1. **Press ⇧⌘5.** The Screenshot toolbar opens. You can also open the **Screenshot** app from the Utilities folder in Applications.
2. **Click Options.** The places you can save to are at the top of the menu, under **Save to**.
3. **Pick a place.** Choose **Desktop**, **Documents** or **Clipboard**, send each shot to **Mail**, **Messages** or **Preview**, or click **Other Location…** to choose any folder.
4. **Close the toolbar.** Press Esc. From now on, ⇧⌘3 and ⇧⌘4 save to the place you picked too.
The tick under Save to shows where your screenshots go now.
A folder of their own keeps screenshots off your desktop. To sort them from there with stacks, tags or Smart Folders, see [how to organize screenshots on Mac](/tutorials/organize-screenshots-mac/).
**Note:** Once Snapix is set up, its default shortcuts take over ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4 and ⇧⌘5 while it runs. The first two then follow Snapix's own saving settings (below), and ⇧⌘5 starts Snapix's **Capture Window** instead of opening the toolbar. To reach these options, open the **Screenshot** app from Applications ▸ Utilities.
## Where to find a screenshot you just took
Look on your desktop for a file with a name like "Screenshot 2026-10-13 at 10.15.32 AM.png" (no AM or PM with a 24-hour clock). If it isn't there yet, the thumbnail is probably still in the corner of your screen. The file is saved when it slides away, a few seconds after the shot. Swipe the thumbnail to the right to save it at once.
| What you did | Where the screenshot goes |
| --- | --- |
| Pressed ⇧⌘3 or ⇧⌘4 without Snapix | A PNG on the desktop, or wherever **Save to** points |
| Pressed ⌃⇧⌘3 or ⌃⇧⌘4 | The clipboard only, with no file. Paste it with ⌘V. |
| Took a shot with Snapix (default settings) | The clipboard and **Recent Captures**, which keeps its own encrypted copy on your Mac. No file in your folders until you save it. |
| Took a shot with Snapix, automatic saving on | Also a file in the Snapix folder in Documents, or the folder you chose |
## How to change the screenshot location in Terminal
If you'd rather type it, open Terminal and run two commands. This works on macOS 26 Tahoe and earlier. On macOS 27, it may be ignored.
1. **Make a folder for them.** Run:
```bash
mkdir -p ~/Pictures/Screenshots
```
2. **Point screenshots at it.** Run:
```bash
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots
```
To go back to the desktop, run:
```bash
defaults delete com.apple.screencapture location
```
Older guides also run `killall SystemUIServer`. It does no harm, but it usually isn't needed anymore. If your next screenshot still lands in the old place, use the **Options** menu above instead.
## How to choose where Snapix saves screenshots
Snapix doesn't save a file for every shot unless you ask it to. By default, each capture is copied to your clipboard, floats as a preview in the corner, and stays in **Recent Captures** (⇧⌘S), which keeps your last 50. See [what happens after the shot](/features/#after-the-shot), or [try Snapix free](#get-snapix) if you don't have it yet.
To pick the folder, or save everything automatically:
1. **Open Saving settings.** Click the Snapix icon in the menu bar, choose **Settings…**, then click **Saving**.
2. **Click Choose… next to Save to.** Pick a folder. Out of the box, it's a Snapix folder inside Documents. Click the folder's name to show it in Finder.
3. **Turn on Save every screenshot automatically** if you want a file for every shot. Snapix writes each one to that folder without opening Finder, and the preview's **Save** button reads **Saved**.
Saves from a preview, a pin, the editor's ⌘S and automatic saving all go to the folder next to Save to.
## How to save one screenshot at a time with Snapix
You don't need automatic saving to keep a file. From the floating preview:
- Hover it and click **Save**, or press ⌘S with the pointer on it. Finder opens with the file selected, and a banner says **Saved to** and the folder's name.
- If you haven't picked a folder yet, the first save asks **Where should Snapix save your screenshots?** Choose one and click **Save Here**. It won't ask again.
- Right-click it and choose **Show in Finder** to save it and see the file, while the preview stays on screen.
- Click it to open the editor, then click **Save as…** to choose a folder and a name for just this shot.
By default, Snapix names files the same way, always with a 24-hour time, like "Screenshot 2026-10-13 at 14.05.33.png". You can [rename screenshots](/tutorials/rename-screenshots-mac/) with your own pattern, or [change the format](/tutorials/change-screenshot-format-mac/) to JPEG or HEIC, on the same Saving page.
**Tip:** If you closed a preview before saving it, press ⌃⌥Z to [reopen the closed screenshot](/tutorials/reopen-closed-screenshot-mac/), then click **Save**. Older shots stay in **Recent Captures** (⇧⌘S), your [screenshot history](/tutorials/screenshot-history-mac/): double-click one to open it in the editor and save it from there.
## Frequently asked questions
### Why are my screenshots not saving to the desktop on my Mac?
Check where they're set to go. Open the Screenshot toolbar (**⇧⌘5**, or the Screenshot app in Applications ▸ Utilities if Snapix is running), click **Options** and look under **Save to**. If **Clipboard** is ticked, or you held Control with the shortcut, no file is saved at all. The file also shows up only after the thumbnail slides away. And if Snapix is running with its default shortcuts, **⇧⌘3** and **⇧⌘4** take the shot with Snapix. It copies each shot and keeps it in Recent Captures, and saves a file only when you click **Save** or turn on automatic saving.
### Where do screenshots go when you copy them to the clipboard?
Nowhere on disk. The picture waits on the clipboard until you paste it with **⌘V**, and the next thing you copy replaces it. If you took it with Snapix, it's also in **Recent Captures** (**⇧⌘S**), so a shot that's gone from the clipboard is still there. More in [copy a screenshot to the clipboard](/tutorials/copy-screenshot-to-clipboard-mac/).
### How do I find a screenshot I took yesterday?
macOS keeps no screenshot history, only files. Look on the desktop, or in your **Save to** folder, for a name that starts with "Screenshot" and yesterday's date. In Snapix, press **⇧⌘S** to open **Recent Captures**, which keeps your last 50 shots by default, saved or not. Filter it by **Yesterday**, or search the words inside the picture. See [screenshot history on Mac](/tutorials/screenshot-history-mac/).
### Where does Snapix save screenshots?
In a folder only when you ask it to. By default, each shot is copied and kept in **Recent Captures**, which stores its own encrypted copy on your Mac, but no file lands in your folders. When you click **Save**, or turn on **Settings ▸ Saving ▸ Save every screenshot automatically**, the files go to the Snapix folder in Documents unless you choose another one.
