How to Change the Default Location for Saving Screenshots on Your Mac (and Why You Need It)
It’s pretty easy to take screenshots with your Mac, but pretty soon you’ll end up with a desktop full of them. This is because the default location for saving Mac screenshots is the desktop. But if you’re like me, you like keeping your desktop clean and you have three options for that: stop taking screenshots on your Mac, keep moving or deleting old screenshots, or change where screenshots are saved. Today we’re focusing on the third choice as we’re going to learn how to change where your Mac saves them.
How to avoid cluttered screenshots on Mac
The easiest way to avoid cluttering screenshots on Mac is to save screenshots to the clipboard and paste them into other applications. In fact, the screenshot will not be saved on your Mac, which will help you avoid all this clutter. If you take screenshots of random conversations and send them to your friends, or if you are looking for a quick way to send screenshots to a photo editing app, this is definitely the best way for you.
On a Mac, use the keyboard shortcut Command + Control + Shift + 3 to take a screenshot of the entire screen and save it to the clipboard. Then you can use Command + V in other applications to paste the screenshot wherever you want. Likewise, Command + Control + Shift + 4 allows you to take a screenshot of a portion of the screen. After clicking the shortcut, click and slide your finger across the part of the screen that you want to snap. When you’re done, paste the screenshot wherever you want.
How to change where screenshots are saved on Mac
If you like saving screenshots, you can easily change the save location using the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 5 and clicking Options in the floating screenshots menu. Now check the ” Save in ” section at the top and select any folder you like. If your preferred folder isn’t listed, tap Other Location and save it anywhere.
The next time you take a screenshot using Command + Shift + 3 or Command + Shift + 4 on your Mac, it will be saved in the new location you just selected.