Screenshots are a convenient way to capture information visually on your Mac. However, by default, Macs save screenshots to the desktop, which can clutter your workspace. If you take several screenshots daily, it can be frustrating to continually search through piles of files to find a specific screenshot. Luckily, it’s possible to change where screenshots are saved on Mac. In this article, we’ll show you how.

1. Determine where you’d like screenshots saved

Before you can change where screenshots are saved on your Mac, you must first determine where you want them to go. Common options include creating a dedicated folder for screenshots or saving them to cloud storage. Whichever option you choose, make sure it’s a location you can easily access.

2. Use Terminal to change the location

Once you have decided on a location, you can change where screenshots are saved on your Mac using Terminal. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open Terminal (You can find it by searching for “Terminal” in Spotlight search or in the Utilities folder in Applications)

2. Copy the following command and paste it into Terminal: `defaults write com.apple.screencapture location /path/to/new/folder`

3. Replace `/path/to/new/folder` with the path to the folder where you’d like screenshots saved. For example, if you want screenshots saved in a folder named “Screenshots” on your desktop, you would enter: `defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Desktop/Screenshots`

4. Hit enter to run the command.

3. Restart your Mac

After running the command, you need to restart your Mac for the changes to take effect. To do this:

1. Click on the Apple icon in the top-left corner of your screen.

2. Select Restart from the drop-down menu.

3. Wait for your Mac to restart.

4. Test that it worked

Now that you’ve changed the default location for screenshots, it’s time to verify that the change took effect. Take a screenshot by pressing Command + Shift + 3, and then open the folder you specified. If the screenshot appears there, you’ve successfully changed where screenshots are saved on your Mac.

Conclusion

Changing where screenshots are saved on Mac can save you time and help keep your desktop tidy. With Terminal, it’s easy to redirect your screenshots to any location on your computer or to cloud storage. Just remember to choose a location that’s easy to access and won’t cause issues down the line.