Where screenshots are saved on a Mac (macOS 27 and earlier)

These steps describe macOS 27 Golden Gate and earlier versions. Checked on 2026-09-29 against Apple’s macOS User Guide and support pages.

Where your screenshot went

Checked on 2026-09-29. Sources below.

The default location and file names

1. Take a screenshot with ⇧⌘3, ⇧⌘4 or ⇧⌘5.
2. A thumbnail appears in the corner of the screen. Wait, or swipe it to the right to save at once.
3. The file lands on the desktop as a PNG. On macOS 13 Ventura and later its name begins with “Screenshot”; on macOS 12 Monterey and earlier it begins with “Screen Shot”. Both include the date and time.

To put a screenshot somewhere else without saving it to the desktop, drag the thumbnail into a document, an email, a note or a Finder window before it disappears.

Method 1: Change where screenshots are saved

1. Press ⇧⌘5 to open the Screenshot app.
2. Click Options.
3. Under Save to, choose one of the places listed, or click Other Location and pick a folder.
4. Take a screenshot to check. The place you chose becomes the default location for saved screenshots.

Apple’s pages describe this menu as the way to change the save location. Terminal commands that do the same appear in forum posts but not in Apple’s documentation, so they are left out here.

Method 2: Screenshots that go to the clipboard

1. Hold ⌃ together with the usual keys: ⌃⇧⌘3 for the whole screen, ⌃⇧⌘4 for an area.
2. Nothing is saved to disk. Paste the screenshot with ⌘V into a message, a document or an email.
3. If you already took a screenshot and want it on the clipboard instead, ⌃-click the thumbnail in the corner and choose Save to Clipboard.

Method 3: Find a lost screenshot

1. Press ⌘Space to open Spotlight.
2. Type kind:images Screenshot to narrow the results to images that match. On macOS 12 and earlier, type kind:images Screen Shot.
3. Press Space on a result to preview it.
4. Select a result and hold ⌘ to see the folder it is in, which is where new screenshots are going.

The name: keyword also works, for example name:Screenshot.

When Screen2Shot helps

The built-in shortcuts save a file unless you remember to hold ⌃, and markup opens only after you click the thumbnail. Screen2Shot writes nothing until you ask, and you mark up on the screen you captured. It is free for screenshots and needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later on Apple silicon.

1. Press ⇧⌘9 and drag over an area. Mark it up with the toolbar under the selection if you need to.
2. Press ⌘C or Return. The PNG, with your drawings, goes to the clipboard, and a “Copied” capsule confirms it. No file is written.
3. Or press ⌘S. A save panel asks where to put the file, named like Screenshot 2026-09-26 at 16.30.05.png. It opens in Pictures the first time, and after that in the last folder you used. Cancel in the panel returns you to editing.

With PRO, Recent Screenshots in the menu keeps your last 10 copied or saved screenshots on your Mac, so you can copy one of them again after the clipboard has moved on. See pricing for what PRO costs on each channel.

Troubleshooting

• The screenshot is not on the desktop. Open ⇧⌘5 → Options and look at which place is ticked under Save to.
• There is no file at all. You held ⌃, or chose Save to Clipboard on the thumbnail. Paste with ⌘V.
• The file is HEIF, not PNG. Capture Format is set to HDR. Choose SDR in ⇧⌘5 → Options.
• The file appears a few seconds late. The floating thumbnail waits in the corner first. Swipe it to the right to save at once, or turn off Show Floating Thumbnail in Options.
• Spotlight finds nothing. Search for the older name as well: files from macOS 12 or earlier begin with “Screen Shot”.