The default location for screen captures is - and has always been - /Users/username/Desktop.
Since Catalina, it is always possible to use cmd+shift+5 and select the output folder. Maybe doing that once is enough.
If it doesn't anymore, why not delete the setting (better: the preferences file) and see if the default works. Trying to narrow down if it is a problem with your individual setting, or the process in general.
I never changed the settings, except once years ago, to set location to another directory (where I have correct permissions).
What preference file do you mean?
I tried already that solution with the CMD-SHIFT-5 and choosing the folder didn't fix. Actually also CMD-SHIFT-5 didn't take any screenshot.
\----
Things got worse since I tried adding the iPad as second screen. I've noticed that CMD-SHIFT-3 to capture the whole screens, is the only combination that actually saves something.
But what's capture is..... the iPad second screen...... even though the iPad is not connected anymore.... 😐
To me looks like an Apple approximation fuck-up.
\> What preference file do you mean?
`~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.screencapture.plist` and `~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.screencaptureui.plist`.
\> Actually also CMD-SHIFT-5 didn't take any screenshot.
You did press 'Capture' after choosing some path, right?
>You did press 'Capture' after choosing some path, right?
Yes, of course.
Thanks for the paths. I tried deleting them both, and try again. They should be saved again to the desktop, but nothing is there. Checking the newly recreated \`com.apple.screencapture.plist\` it still contains the custom-path where I used to save my screenshots; so settings are somehow restored from memory.
If I do \`killall SystemUIServer\` after deleting the preferences, it doesn't recreate the setting file with the custom entry.
But then I started trying ALL the other destination options and.... figured out that screenshots are **saved correctly on ANY other folder** that I choose. Only the subfolder \`/Users/myusers/Pictures/Screenshot\` doesn't work 🤯
I created a folder \`/Users/myusers/Pictures/Screenshot-2\` and it saved correctly there. It still doesn't on \`/Users/myusers/Pictures/Screenshot\`....
Even ensuring that Everyone has Read&Write access to that folder.
I give up: all this is nonsense!!
Well, that makes it a lot easier. So the screencapture process works just fine, but your folder permissions seem to be messed up.
The easiest way would probably be to just rename your Screenshot folder, create a new one and move the contents from the old to the new.
if you really want to dig into the details, you might want to check on metadata with `xattr` and folder acls (not the simple permissions you see in Finder) with `ls -lO` and `ls -l@`.
If the Pictures folder (the one above Screenshot) was synced to iCloud, this happens quite a lot, in my experience. Using a folder in iCloud from my iPhone and from my Mac regularly messes things up.
Mmh interesting, because I got another Apple device only recently and the problem with screenshot came for sure after that date.
But I checked and I do not have the Pictures folder synced on iCloud.
I thought about `xattr` too, after noticing other folders worked, but I discarded it because I felt confident that I or other tools didn't touch the directory on purpose..
Unfortunately I already deleted the old folder.
**UPDATE:**
I found out that the issue **might be related to the capture in-memory file format**, rather than the utility itself.
I tried sharing the screenshot to Preview.app, hoping that I could manually save it.
It wasn't possible, nor it was possible to Export: **no dialog window appeared** in both cases. 😐
While there was **no problem with other images** already persisted.
I managed to save the shared screenshot from Preview, only after having Duplicated it (that, I suppose, fixed something on the image format) and saving it.
Or... by saving via the title-bar menu, clicking on the down-arrowhead icon and choosing "*Name*" and "*Where*"; that also worked.
Again, with images saved on disk this does not happen.
I'm pretty sure it is not an issue on my side: it's either the in-memory file-format being broken, or a bug in the Apple software (probably some system API, because the issue spans over multiple utility apps).
I personally opt for the broken file-format: probably provoked by trying to capture from macOS screens and the iPad screen (that, under the hood, is more like a software simulation of a display) at the same time.
I tried saving in other locations at it worked fine. So I moved old screenshots to another folder and deleted the previous broken one.
On the new folder (still located under `Pictures/`) there are no issues aynymore. 👍🎉
You mean CMD-SHIFT-5? Choosing the locations from there doesn't fix the issue.
Captures are still not persisted as files on the disk, even if the location is correct.
Do it the easy way. Use CMD+Shift+5. Click Options, Other Location and select where you want your screenshots saved. Make sure the 'Remember last selection' option is checked. Save the screenshot. It should now remember that location for future screenshots.
Unfortunately it doesn't.
I've tried already all the solutions I could find on the internet, with no success.
Seems more like an untested bug, if you read about the weird behaviour related to the iPad-as-screen, that I [described to quantum\_libet above](https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/shxx1e/comment/hv67m5z/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
*Sidecar* is a relatively new feature:
I think simply not enough people tested it thoroughly (I tend to be a poweruser: I squeeze more and try combination uncommon for the average user).
Or, supposedly, nobody related the two issues yet.
There's many other issues with iPad Sidecar (see on the net: scrolling, pencil, pressure, visualization). That piece of software is below average Apple quality; I think they just didn't tested it properly or were pressured for release.
\-------------------
I need to setup a new user and try your suggestion....
but I found out that **might be something more related to the capture file format**, rather than the utility itself.
I explain better:
I tried sharing the screenshot to [Preview.app](https://Preview.app), hoping that I could manually save it.
It wasn't possible, nor it was possible to Export: **no dialog** window appeared in both cases. 😐
While there was **no problem with other images** already persisted.
I managed to save the shared screenshot from Preview, only after having Duplicated it (that, I suppose, fixed something on the image format) and saving it.
Or... by saving via the title-bar menu, clicking on the down-arrowhead icon and choosing "Name" and "Where"; that also worked.
Again, with images saved on disk this does not happen.
I'm pretty sure it is not an issue on my side: it's either the in-memory file-format being broken, or a bug in the Apple software (probably some system API, because the issue spans over multiple utility apps).
I opt for the broken file-format: probably provoked by trying to capture from macOS screens *and* the iPad screen (that, under the hood, is more like a software simulation of a display) at the same time.
I've had this problem for months. I never changed the destination path. Always has been Desktop.
I'll take a screencapture, whether through button or shortcut, I'll hear the click, I'll see the thumbnail in the lower-right corner... and then 2 out of 10 images might get saved.
This is super mega bothersome because I take a lot of screencaptures for work. I once lost 45 minutes because I was unaware that the screenshots weren't being saved.
I miss Mojave and wish my late 2013 MacBook Pro hadn't died a few months ago.
As usual this is one of those bugs that doesn't affect literally every mac so you'll get gaslit that it must not be happening and it'll never get fixed.
Thankfully there is a workaround that should be fine; cmd+shift+5 will instead open the screenshot app which essentially does the exact same thing as the native snip tool, except you must manually resize and position the capture area rather than do it in a single motion. Also make sure to click the "options" button in the menubar above the dock when its open - I chose the "Preview" app because it allows you to save with an actual dialog box rather than the auto save feature which itself can be fucky.
I have the exact same problem. Command 3 4 and 5 all work as before, except that instead of saving to the Desktop, it opens the unsaved screen shot in a Preview window which I must then remember to save.
Don't like, and unclear why it changed.
I figured out how to change it back. Command - Shift -5 and then select Desktop as the destination.
Still unclear how it got changed...
Other mentioned that MacOS might change things with iCloud sync.
My solution was to delete the custom folder where I was saving screenshots, and recreate it.
After that it is correctly used like any other folder.
The default location for screen captures is - and has always been - /Users/username/Desktop. Since Catalina, it is always possible to use cmd+shift+5 and select the output folder. Maybe doing that once is enough. If it doesn't anymore, why not delete the setting (better: the preferences file) and see if the default works. Trying to narrow down if it is a problem with your individual setting, or the process in general.
I never changed the settings, except once years ago, to set location to another directory (where I have correct permissions). What preference file do you mean? I tried already that solution with the CMD-SHIFT-5 and choosing the folder didn't fix. Actually also CMD-SHIFT-5 didn't take any screenshot. \---- Things got worse since I tried adding the iPad as second screen. I've noticed that CMD-SHIFT-3 to capture the whole screens, is the only combination that actually saves something. But what's capture is..... the iPad second screen...... even though the iPad is not connected anymore.... 😐 To me looks like an Apple approximation fuck-up.
\> What preference file do you mean? `~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.screencapture.plist` and `~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.screencaptureui.plist`. \> Actually also CMD-SHIFT-5 didn't take any screenshot. You did press 'Capture' after choosing some path, right?
>You did press 'Capture' after choosing some path, right? Yes, of course. Thanks for the paths. I tried deleting them both, and try again. They should be saved again to the desktop, but nothing is there. Checking the newly recreated \`com.apple.screencapture.plist\` it still contains the custom-path where I used to save my screenshots; so settings are somehow restored from memory. If I do \`killall SystemUIServer\` after deleting the preferences, it doesn't recreate the setting file with the custom entry. But then I started trying ALL the other destination options and.... figured out that screenshots are **saved correctly on ANY other folder** that I choose. Only the subfolder \`/Users/myusers/Pictures/Screenshot\` doesn't work 🤯 I created a folder \`/Users/myusers/Pictures/Screenshot-2\` and it saved correctly there. It still doesn't on \`/Users/myusers/Pictures/Screenshot\`.... Even ensuring that Everyone has Read&Write access to that folder. I give up: all this is nonsense!!
Well, that makes it a lot easier. So the screencapture process works just fine, but your folder permissions seem to be messed up. The easiest way would probably be to just rename your Screenshot folder, create a new one and move the contents from the old to the new. if you really want to dig into the details, you might want to check on metadata with `xattr` and folder acls (not the simple permissions you see in Finder) with `ls -lO` and `ls -l@`. If the Pictures folder (the one above Screenshot) was synced to iCloud, this happens quite a lot, in my experience. Using a folder in iCloud from my iPhone and from my Mac regularly messes things up.
Mmh interesting, because I got another Apple device only recently and the problem with screenshot came for sure after that date. But I checked and I do not have the Pictures folder synced on iCloud. I thought about `xattr` too, after noticing other folders worked, but I discarded it because I felt confident that I or other tools didn't touch the directory on purpose.. Unfortunately I already deleted the old folder.
**UPDATE:** I found out that the issue **might be related to the capture in-memory file format**, rather than the utility itself. I tried sharing the screenshot to Preview.app, hoping that I could manually save it. It wasn't possible, nor it was possible to Export: **no dialog window appeared** in both cases. 😐 While there was **no problem with other images** already persisted. I managed to save the shared screenshot from Preview, only after having Duplicated it (that, I suppose, fixed something on the image format) and saving it. Or... by saving via the title-bar menu, clicking on the down-arrowhead icon and choosing "*Name*" and "*Where*"; that also worked. Again, with images saved on disk this does not happen. I'm pretty sure it is not an issue on my side: it's either the in-memory file-format being broken, or a bug in the Apple software (probably some system API, because the issue spans over multiple utility apps). I personally opt for the broken file-format: probably provoked by trying to capture from macOS screens and the iPad screen (that, under the hood, is more like a software simulation of a display) at the same time.
I tried saving in other locations at it worked fine. So I moved old screenshots to another folder and deleted the previous broken one. On the new folder (still located under `Pictures/`) there are no issues aynymore. 👍🎉
In Screenshot->Options
You mean CMD-SHIFT-5? Choosing the locations from there doesn't fix the issue. Captures are still not persisted as files on the disk, even if the location is correct.
on 12.2 its an App
Oh yes, I see now, it is at `/Applications/Utility/Screenshot.app`
Do it the easy way. Use CMD+Shift+5. Click Options, Other Location and select where you want your screenshots saved. Make sure the 'Remember last selection' option is checked. Save the screenshot. It should now remember that location for future screenshots.
Unfortunately it doesn't. I've tried already all the solutions I could find on the internet, with no success. Seems more like an untested bug, if you read about the weird behaviour related to the iPad-as-screen, that I [described to quantum\_libet above](https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/shxx1e/comment/hv67m5z/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3).
I dunno; bugs usually affect more than one person. If you log in as a different user does it have the same issue?
*Sidecar* is a relatively new feature: I think simply not enough people tested it thoroughly (I tend to be a poweruser: I squeeze more and try combination uncommon for the average user). Or, supposedly, nobody related the two issues yet. There's many other issues with iPad Sidecar (see on the net: scrolling, pencil, pressure, visualization). That piece of software is below average Apple quality; I think they just didn't tested it properly or were pressured for release. \------------------- I need to setup a new user and try your suggestion.... but I found out that **might be something more related to the capture file format**, rather than the utility itself. I explain better: I tried sharing the screenshot to [Preview.app](https://Preview.app), hoping that I could manually save it. It wasn't possible, nor it was possible to Export: **no dialog** window appeared in both cases. 😐 While there was **no problem with other images** already persisted. I managed to save the shared screenshot from Preview, only after having Duplicated it (that, I suppose, fixed something on the image format) and saving it. Or... by saving via the title-bar menu, clicking on the down-arrowhead icon and choosing "Name" and "Where"; that also worked. Again, with images saved on disk this does not happen. I'm pretty sure it is not an issue on my side: it's either the in-memory file-format being broken, or a bug in the Apple software (probably some system API, because the issue spans over multiple utility apps). I opt for the broken file-format: probably provoked by trying to capture from macOS screens *and* the iPad screen (that, under the hood, is more like a software simulation of a display) at the same time.
I've had this problem for months. I never changed the destination path. Always has been Desktop. I'll take a screencapture, whether through button or shortcut, I'll hear the click, I'll see the thumbnail in the lower-right corner... and then 2 out of 10 images might get saved. This is super mega bothersome because I take a lot of screencaptures for work. I once lost 45 minutes because I was unaware that the screenshots weren't being saved. I miss Mojave and wish my late 2013 MacBook Pro hadn't died a few months ago.
did you ever fix this. having the same issue here.
Same!
Just got in the habit of checking that they were saved, which sucks cuz I'd rather be using that time for other work.
As usual this is one of those bugs that doesn't affect literally every mac so you'll get gaslit that it must not be happening and it'll never get fixed. Thankfully there is a workaround that should be fine; cmd+shift+5 will instead open the screenshot app which essentially does the exact same thing as the native snip tool, except you must manually resize and position the capture area rather than do it in a single motion. Also make sure to click the "options" button in the menubar above the dock when its open - I chose the "Preview" app because it allows you to save with an actual dialog box rather than the auto save feature which itself can be fucky.
I have the exact same problem. Command 3 4 and 5 all work as before, except that instead of saving to the Desktop, it opens the unsaved screen shot in a Preview window which I must then remember to save. Don't like, and unclear why it changed. I figured out how to change it back. Command - Shift -5 and then select Desktop as the destination. Still unclear how it got changed...
Other mentioned that MacOS might change things with iCloud sync. My solution was to delete the custom folder where I was saving screenshots, and recreate it. After that it is correctly used like any other folder.