How To Change The Screenshot Destination On Mac
Taking screenshots on your Mac is the simplest possible feature you can think of. With a few simple shortcuts and you cant take as many screenshots as you wish. If you are new to all of this, you should know that any screenshot or screen recording that you take is saved on your desktop by default.
All these files simply get cluttered on your screen and eat up all the storage on your system. Why built up that anxiety every time you open your laptop seeing those screenshots when you can change the destination. Yes, you heard us, you can easily change the screenshot destination on mac by following a few simple steps.
This will only help you organize your files and make it easier for you to find that particular screenshot from the list.
Where are Screenshots Saved by Default on Mac?
Before we can jump over to learn how you can change the screenshot destination on mac, it is important to know where are the screenshots originally saved.
Well, as we said earlier, all your screenshots are saved directly on your Desktop. As soon as you open your Mac, you can see all the screenshots on the screen in front of you. Now, you can simply choose to organize all the files here using stacks. Here is how you can do it.
- Make a right-click on the desktop.
- Click on Use Stacks.

Once done, all your files will be organized under folders named Movies, Screenshots, Images, etc. Furthermore, you can even change the name of the file or create more folders to keep everything organized just like you wish.
How to Change the Screenshot Destination On Mac
The process to change the screenshot destination on Mac works for every MacOS version. Whether you are using Monterey or still on Big Sur, it will work out for you just like it should. Here is what you need to do.
- Open the screen you want to capture and save.
- Now, press Command + Shift + 5 to open the screen capture tool.

- Click on Options
- Choose the Other Location from the list.

- Now, you can select the destination where you want the screenshots to be saved.
- Once done, click on Choose

Try taking screenshots now on your Mac. It will no longer be saved on the desktop, but in the location you chose.
How to Change the Screenshot Destination On MacOS Older Versions
Well, if you have a pretty dated version still running on your system, you might have to try a different method to change the destination folder of the screenshots. Since the screenshot tool might not be available on those versions, here is how you can do it.
- Open Terminal on your Mac using Spotlight Search (Command + Space)
- Type the code given below
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location
Also, make sure to add a space after location.
- Simply drag and drop the folder you have created on your system for screenshots on the terminal. Now, Press Enter.
- Next, type the following command killall SystemUIServer and press Enter.
Once done, you can try taking screenshots and see if it did work.
Conclusion
Here we are with all you need to know on how to change the screenshot destination on mac. These are the simplest methods you can try. However, you can also choose to save your screenshots directly to the clipboard as well rather than on any folder.
These screenshots can then be simply pasted anywhere you like, even on your iPhone. Make sure you have followed the right steps.