Change the default location for screenshots

Aug 24, '05 10:33:00AM

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:

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

  2. Open a Terminal window and type this:
    defaults write com.apple.screencapture location /Full/Path/To/Folder
  3. 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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Mac OS X Hints
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20050824073301844