where are screenshots saved on mac

On most modern Macs, screenshots are saved to your Desktop by default as PNG files named like “Screenshot 2026-02-19 at 17.43.10”.

Quick Scoop

Default save location

• On macOS Mojave and later, screenshots taken with Shift + Command + 3 / 4 / 5 go to the Desktop automatically.

• On older macOS versions (like Sierra and earlier), they often go into the Documents folder instead.

How to check or change where they go

1. Press Shift + Command + 5 to open the Screenshot toolbar. (Mojave or later.)

2. Click Options.

3. Under “Save to”, you’ll see the current location (Desktop, Documents, etc.) and can pick a new folder.

4. Choose “Other Location…” if you want a custom folder like Downloads or a dedicated “Screenshots” directory.

If you still can’t find them

• Open Finder, press Command + F, then search for this exact query: kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1 to show all screenshots on your Mac.

• If nothing appears, it’s possible the capture didn’t succeed or files were deleted; in that case, re‑try taking a screenshot and watch for the thumbnail in the bottom‑right corner.

Extra nerdy option (Terminal)

• You can permanently change the screenshot folder using Terminal with defaults write com.apple.screencapture location <folder-path> and then killall SystemUIServer.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.