If you take a lot of screenshots on macOS, it's worth changing the default save location. By default, screenshots land on the Desktop, which gets messy fast. Follow this article to learn how to set a custom location for every screenshot taken on macOS.
I personally keep mine in:
/Users/slick/Documents/Screenshotsand because I sync Desktop and Documents with iCloud, the screenshots are automatically available on all my Apple devices.
Solution
Open Terminal and run:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location "/Users/slick/Documents/Screenshots"
killall SystemUIServerObviously change the location to match both your needs and your username.
What the
killall SystemUIServerdoes?
The killall SystemUIServer command on macOS force-restarts the SystemUIServer process, which controls parts of the system interface like the menu bar, Control Center, and various visual overlays. When you run the command, macOS immediately launches the process again automatically.
It is commonly used after changing hidden macOS settings with defaults write, because some changes do not apply instantly. Restarting SystemUIServer refreshes those settings without requiring a full reboot or logout.
Bonus Commands
With the following commands you can tweak screenshot settings even more:
# Disable window shadows
defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true
# Add a custom filename prefix
defaults write com.apple.screencapture name "screenshot"
# Save as PNG
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png
killall SystemUIServerPossible Screenshot Formats
It is possible to take screenshots in the following formats on macOS:
- png
- jpg
- jpeg
- tiff
- gif
- heic
Helpful Shortcuts
As a bonus, macOS has built-in screenshot shortcuts:
⇧ + ⌘ + 3(Shift + Command) to capture the entire screen⇧ + ⌘ + 4(Shift + Command) to capture a selected area⇧ + ⌘ + 5(Shift + Command) to open the screenshot and screen recording toolbar
Simple, fast, and no extra apps needed.
