How to Change the Location and File Format for Mac Screenshots GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Apple 129 129 people found this article helpful

How to Change the Location and File Format for Mac Screenshots

Store screenshots as JPG, TIFF, GIF, PNG, or PDF files

By Tom Nelson Tom Nelson Writer Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on February 5, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Apple Macs iPad

What to Know

Change the file format: In Terminal, enter defaults write com.apple.screencapture type [preferred file type] and press Enter.Change destination: Create a folder. In Terminal, enter defaults write com.apple.screencapture location, drag the folder in, and press Enter.Changes don't take effect until you restart your computer. MacOS captures screenshots using PNG as the default image format, which provides lossless compression and preserves image quality while creating relatively small files. But you may want to save your screenshots in another file format or save them to a different location. We show you how using any Mac computer.

How to Change a Screenshot Format to Different File Types

You can use Terminal, an application included in macOS, to change the default graphics format. Here's how: Launch Terminal. To open Terminal, enter "terminal" into Spotlight, or use a Finder window and navigate to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Enter one of the following commands into the Terminal window, depending on the file type you would prefer (jpg, tiff, gif, or pdf). defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tiff defaults write com.apple.screencapture type gif defaults write com.apple.screencapture type pdf Press the Return or Enter key on your keyboard. Screenshots you take will now save as the file format you entered in Terminal. This change will not take effect until you restart the computer.

How to Set the Destination for Saved Screenshots

Now that you know how to set the format for your screenshots, you can also use Terminal to change the destination for screenshots you take instead of sending them all to the desktop. Here's how: Create a new folder in whatever location you'd prefer screenshots to be saved. Type the following command into Terminal, but do not press Enter yet: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location Drag the folder you created into Terminal, and it will automatically add the path information to the end of the command. Press Enter on your keyboard. Now, screenshots will save to this folder instead of your desktop. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Turn off Mouse Acceleration on Mac How to Show or Hide Hidden Files and Folders on Mac How to Delete a File in Terminal on Your Mac How to Make a Bootable Flash Installer of OS X or macOS How to Use Mac Terminal Commands DIRECTORY File (What It Is & How to Open One) How to Change the Default Download Location in Windows 10 5 Best Free File Converters for Occasionally Used Formats 9 Best Free Image Converter Software Programs PCD File (How to Open or Convert One) TGA File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Use the Snipping Tool in Windows 11 4 Best Free Document Converter Software Programs ICNS File (What It Is and How to Open One) PCT File (What It Is & How to Open One) What Is a CR2 File? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies