Change the default location for screenshots

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Wed, Aug 24 2005 at 10:33AM PDT • Contributed by: Raven

To change the default location for screen captures so they get saved in a specific location instead of cluttering the desktop, you need to use the defaults command in the Terminal to change the path. It can be done like this:

Create the folder in which you want the screen captures to be saved in the location of your choice.

Open a Terminal window and type this:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location /Full/Path/To/Folder

Log out and log back in, and the change will have taken effect.

Note: You have to put in the path properly. Using ~ to indicate your home folder will not work. The path must be entered starting from the root of the hard drive. For example, if you wanted to save them to a secondary partition, your path would start with /Volumes/SecondPartition/.

[robg adds: This hint originated in this thread on the forums. It's been mentioned here before, almost in passing in this hint, but I felt it was worth calling out as a standalone hint.]

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Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: macgruder on Wed, Aug 24 2005 at 1:01PM PDT

You may want to try it like this to make sure:

mkdir /Full/Path/To/Folder
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location !$

Even if the folder already exists it will work.

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: macgruder on Wed, Aug 24 2005 at 1:02PM PDT

or better
mkdir -p /Path/

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: donquichote on Wed, Aug 24 2005 at 1:53PM PDT

I can change the location-string in the plist. But no matter which folder I choose, when I save my screenshots, a Popup-window opens, I have to enter the name of the file and to choose the location. And the default location is always "desktop".

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: dirkstoop on Wed, Aug 24 2005 at 3:53PM PDT

This hint applies to using the command shift 3 and 4 keyboard shortcuts for making screenshots. Not for using the 'Grab' application.

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: silicontrip on Thu, Aug 25 2005 at 1:23AM PDT

I like to use the command line 'screencapture' program.


usage: screencapture [-icmwsWx] [file]
  -i      capture screen interactively, by selection or window
            control key - causes screen shot to go to clipboard
            space key   - toggle between mouse selection and
                          window selection modes
            escape key  - cancels interactive screen shot
  -c      force screen capture to go to the clipboard
  -m      only capture the main monitor, undefined if -i is set
  -w      only allow window selection mode
  -s      only allow mouse selection mode
  -W      start interaction in window selection mode
  -x      do not play sounds
  -S      in window capture mode, capture the screen not the window
  file    where to save the screen capture

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: dave1212 on Thu, Aug 25 2005 at 2:43AM PDT

Working well, I have a folder called 'Shots' on the desktop that it's saving to.

However, it now seems to actually write the file a lot slower. For example, if I took 3 successful screenshots without this hint, it made pic 1, 2, and 3 on the desktop.

Now it names all the temp files pic 1 and only produces one file in the destination folder. If I didn't look at the folder to witness this I would assume it's eating my screenshots.

If I wait an extra few seconds between screenshots, there's no problem.

Why is that, do you think?

---
______
http://www.macskill.com/

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: sashka on Thu, Aug 25 2005 at 1:35PM PDT

Strange. Just pressed screeshot keys 20 times and got 20 pdfs in folder I choosed. No problems. But system was unusable for 20-30 seconds. Well, CPU usage was 100% at that time.

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: Tobys Friend on Thu, Aug 25 2005 at 7:34PM PDT

When you control click on an image in Safari you get a menu were you can save the image to the desktop as one of the options. My question is this,
can I use something like this hint to change the default location to say a
folder somewhere else. Rather than mix them up with my pictures in Iphoto.

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: Spartacus on Mon, Nov 14 2005 at 5:12AM PST

I think it defaults to your Downloads folder, set in Safari's preferences. If you hold Option, it changes to Save Image As�

Change the default location for screenshots
Authored by: guardian34 on Sun, Sep 4 2005 at 9:43PM PDT

For those that don't like the command line, I made an AppleScript app. You can get it from ScriptBuilders.net.

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