The picture is saved directly to your desktop whenever you capture a screenshot on your Mac. This normally doesn’t bother me since it gives me instant access to my screenshots, which I can then utilize in my web browser to publish to a website or drag into an email. But sometimes, the sheer volume of these images might become a little overwhelming. For this reason, you may want to think about relocating your screenshots.

With the introduction of MacOS Mojave, you no longer need to use Terminal to modify the save location of your screenshots, unlike previous MacOS versions. All you need to do now is modify it in your app’s settings. We’ll go over the two methods for altering the location of your MacOS screenshots in the narrative below.

How to modify the location of your screenshots in macOS Mojave or later

The two most recent MacOS versions, Mojave and Monterrey, eliminate the need for Terminal to modify the place where screenshots are saved. Alternatively, you may just do the following:

1. Press Command + Shift + 5 on your keyboard.

2. From the screenshot menu at the bottom of the screen, choose Options.

You should notice a checkbox next to Desktop under Save to. Other alternatives are available to you, such as Documents, Downloads, Clipboard, and more. Click Other Location and go to the folder you want your screenshots saved to in Finder if you would want to choose a different location that isn’t shown.

screen capture 2022-03-01 at 11-30-21 a.m.
Command + Shift + 5 may be used to launch the screenshot app and modify the save location in the settings on MacOS Mojave and later.
Aguilar Nelson/CNET

How to modify the location of your MacOS High Sierra or older screenshots

Changing the location of your screenshots will need you to utilize the Terminal program if you’re using MacOS High Sierra or earlier. Keep in mind that you should only use Terminal if you are experienced. With Terminal, you may unintentionally create a lot of problems.

Launch Terminal and enter the following to get started:

By default, write the location of com.apple.screencapture.

You must put “location,” followed by a space, and then the path to the folder you want your screenshots to reside in going forward. Locating the folder in Finder and dragging it into Terminal is the simplest method. For instance, you would see Users/yourname/Downloads as your folder path if you dragged the Downloads folder into Terminal. Your screenshots will now be saved to that new folder if you type the command correctly and press Enter.

You may manually enter the path if you are unable to drag a folder into Terminal. Go to the folder, right-click on it, and choose Get Info if you are unsure of the location. The route, which begins at /Users, will be seen next to Where. Additionally, enter ~/Desktop as the location in the script above if you want to go back and save your screenshots to your desktop.