Useful macOS defaults: Screenshots

2012-01-16 17:00

com.apple.screencapture controls how screenshots work on macOS: where they are saved, what format they use, and whether they include shadows.

After changing any of these, restart the SystemUIServer for the change to take effect:

killall SystemUIServer

Change the save location

By default, screenshots land on your Desktop. To save them somewhere else:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location -string "~/Pictures/Screenshots"

Make sure the folder exists first. You can use any path.

To go back to the Desktop:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location -string "~/Desktop"

Change the file format

The default format is PNG. You can switch to JPG, PDF, TIFF, GIF, or BMP:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type -string "jpg"

PNG gives lossless quality but large files. JPG gives smaller files with slight quality loss. PDF is useful if you plan to print or share the screenshot as a document.

To go back to PNG:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type -string "png"

Remove the window shadow

When you take a screenshot of a single window (Command Shift 4, then Space), macOS adds a drop shadow around it. To turn this off:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true

To bring the shadow back:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool false

Turn off the floating thumbnail

Since macOS Mojave, a small preview thumbnail floats in the corner after you take a screenshot. To skip it:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture show-thumbnail -bool false

Screenshots still save normally. You just do not see the preview.

To bring it back:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture show-thumbnail -bool true

Change the default file name

Screenshots are named "Screenshot" followed by the date and time. To change the prefix:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture name -string "Grab"

This gives you files named "Grab 2024-11-25 at 14.30.00.png" and so on.

Remove the date from the file name

defaults write com.apple.screencapture include-date -bool false

Files will just be called "Screenshot.png", "Screenshot 2.png", and so on.

Enjoyed this post?

Well, you could share the post with others, follow me via Social Media or RSS Feeds and/or send me a comment via email.