By default, screenshots taken on a Mac are saved to the Desktop with filenames like "Screen Shot [date] at [time].png" for images or "Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov" for screen recordings

. This applies to macOS Mojave and later versions. On older macOS versions prior to Mojave, screenshots were saved to the Documents folder

. If you don't see your screenshots on the Desktop, they might have been saved to a different location. Since macOS Mojave, you can change the default save location for screenshots using the Screenshot app's Options menu (accessed by pressing Shift + Command + 5), or by using Terminal commands to specify a custom folder

. For example, you can create a dedicated folder for screenshots and set that as the save destination. If you want to find all screenshots stored anywhere on your Mac, you can use Finder's search with the query kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1 to locate all screenshot files regardless of their folder

. Additionally, screenshots saved on the Desktop can be backed up automatically to iCloud if you enable "Desktop & Documents Folders" in iCloud Drive settings

Summary:

• Default location: Desktop (macOS Mojave and later)
• Older macOS: Documents folder
• Can be changed via Screenshot app (Shift + Command + 5) or Terminal
• Use Finder search with kMDItemIsScreenCapture:1 to locate all screenshots
• Optionally saved to iCloud if Desktop & Documents syncing is enabled

This ensures easy access and organization of your screenshots on a Mac