Mac screenshot settings: location, format, and file names

Most Screenshot settings live in the built-in Screenshot toolbar. Start there before changing a system preference from Terminal.

Change the save location

1. Press Shift-Command-5.
2. Click Options.
3. Under Save to, choose one of the locations offered by your Mac, or choose Other Location.
4. Select the folder where new captures should go.

The default shortcut destination is the Desktop. If a screenshot seems to disappear, check this menu before searching the disk.

The floating thumbnail is a separate part of the workflow. When it is enabled, you can drag the thumbnail into a Finder window or document. You can also turn it off in Options when you want captures to go straight to the configured destination.

Choose the current capture format

On supported Macs using macOS Tahoe 26 or later, Apple’s current Screenshot documentation exposes Capture Format:

• SDR (Most Compatible) saves a standard-dynamic-range capture in PNG.
• HDR saves a high-dynamic-range capture in HEIF.

The available choice depends on the Mac and display. Do not describe every screenshot as PNG, and do not promise that changing an old defaults preference will override the current Screenshot app. Check the extension of a new file after choosing the format.

For a one-off command-line capture, the macOS screencapture manual documents a format flag:

screencapture -t jpg "$HOME/Desktop/capture.jpg"

That is a per-command choice. It is different from the Screenshot toolbar’s current HDR/SDR setting.

This command was not executed in this review; the local macOS manual was used as a syntax reference only.

What about the file name?

Apple’s current support page describes the default name as “Screen Shot [date] at [time].” The exact punctuation and date rendering can vary by system language and release.

If you need a project-specific name, rename the file in Finder after capture. The current Apple Screenshot support page does not promise a custom default prefix through the graphical options, so do not present an undocumented defaults key as a guaranteed setting.

Window shadows

For one window capture, press Shift-Command-4, press Space, then hold Option while clicking the window to exclude its shadow. This is the supported per-capture control.

Settings checklist

When a capture is not where expected:

• Open Shift-Command-5 > Options and check Save to.
• Check whether Control was held during capture; that sends the image to the Clipboard.
• Check whether the floating thumbnail was dragged into another folder or document.
• Check Capture Format if the file extension changed.
• Search Finder for “Screen Shot” or the project name.

Related guides: Where do screenshots go on Mac? · Mac screencapture commands: a safe starting guide.

Source note: Apple Support: Take a screenshot on Mac, Apple User Guide: Take screenshots or screen recordings on Mac, and the local macOS screencapture manual, retrieved September 20, 2026.