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RICKY DEFAZIO
RICKY DEFAZIO

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Stop Cluttering Your Desktop: A Smarter Way to Save Screenshots on MacOS

Cluttered Workspace

BEFORE

Screenshots are awesome.

They’re a great way to show proof on pull requests, demonstrate features are complete on JIRA tickets, you name it. But let’s be honest… the default dumping ground isn’t cutting it.

Instead of hunting through a cluttered desktop, why not have your screenshots land neatly in your very own dedicated Screenshots folder?


Step 1: Create Your Screenshots Folder

Open Terminal, run: cd ~

This brings you to your home directory.

Make a new folder, run: mkdir Screenshots

This creates a fresh folder named “Screenshots”.

Open the folder in Finder, run: open .

Now you should see your brand-new Screenshots folder.


Step 2: Place the Folder in Your Dock

Drag your newly created Screenshots folder to the right side of your Dock (the spot reserved for files, folders, and the Trash). It’ll snap in next to your Downloads folder, making it easy to find.


Step 3: Redirect Your Screenshot Saves

Now, let’s make your Mac save screenshots to this folder automatically.

In Terminal, run: defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Screenshots

Refresh the screenshot service, run: killall SystemUIServer

That’s it. From now on, your screenshots will be neatly organized in one place. No more scrambling around your desktop.

This helps me stay organized. I hope it does the same for you!


Organized Workspace

AFTER

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