How to organize screenshots on a Mac

Create a Screenshots folder, then press ⇧⌘5, click Options, and choose it under Save to. From now on screenshots land there instead of the Desktop. For the hundreds already on the Desktop, search for names beginning with Screenshot and move them in one go.

1. Give screenshots their own folder

1. In Finder, open Pictures and create a folder named Screenshots (⇧⌘N).
2. Press ⇧⌘5, click Options.
3. Under Save to, choose Other Location… and pick the folder.
4. Drag the folder to the Finder sidebar for one-click access.

Full details and the Terminal command: where do screenshots go on a Mac.

2. Move the old ones

1. Open the Desktop in Finder (⇧⌘D) and press ⌘F.
2. Choose the Desktop scope, then Name > begins with > Screenshot. On older Macs, also try Screen Shot.
3. ⌘A, then drag everything into your Screenshots folder.

3. Sort by month, if there are many

In the Screenshots folder, list view, add the Date Created column and click it. Once a month, select last month’s screenshots and use New Folder with Selection (⌃⌘N) to archive them as 2026-09. Delete the ones you took only to share once: most screenshots are.

4. Keep it automatic

• Shortcuts (macOS 26 Tahoe): a Folder automation on the Desktop that moves new files whose name begins with Screenshot.
• Declutr Pro: a Smart Rule “name contains Screenshot” sends them to a Screenshots folder, and a watched Desktop applies it to each new one.

Screenshots, and everything else

DeclutrDeclutr sorts the Desktop, Downloads or any folder into category folders by file type: screenshots and other pictures to Images, PDFs to Documents, and so on. One Undo button puts every file back. With Pro, a one-time $8.99 purchase in the US, Smart Rules give screenshots a folder of their own and watched folders keep it that way. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Related: how to organize your Mac desktop.

Questions people ask

How do I organize screenshots on my Mac?

Create a Screenshots folder (for example in Pictures), press Shift-Command-5, click Options and choose it under Save to. New screenshots go there. For those already on the Desktop, search Name begins with Screenshot in Finder and move them all at once.

How do I automatically move screenshots to a folder on Mac?

Set the save location once with Shift-Command-5 > Options > Other Location. To also move screenshots that land elsewhere, a Shortcuts Folder automation on macOS 26 Tahoe can move files whose name begins with Screenshot, or Declutr Pro can do it with a Smart Rule on a watched folder.

How do I delete all screenshots on my Mac at once?

In Finder, press Command-F, choose This Mac, set the rule Name begins with Screenshot, select all results with Command-A and press Command-Delete. Check the list first: the search can include screenshots you want to keep.