Give screenshots a home.

Step 1: change where new screenshots go

Press Command-Shift-5 to open the Screenshot toolbar, click Options, and under Save to choose Other Location. Pick or create a folder such as Pictures → Screenshots. New screenshots and screen recordings will save there instead of the Desktop.

This works on macOS Mojave and later and needs no extra software. It does not touch the screenshots you already have.

Step 2: sort existing screenshots with a rule

Screenshots from older sessions are usually spread across the Desktop and Downloads. Mochi’s Screenshots Quick Rule matches the default macOS filenames that contain “Screenshot” or “Screen Shot”.

1. Add Desktop (and Downloads, if needed) as watched folders in Mochi.
2. Open Quick Rules and add Screenshots.
3. Choose the destination, such as your Pictures folder; the rule sorts into a Screenshots subfolder.
4. Review the proposed moves and approve them.

Screen recordings

macOS names screen recordings “Screen Recording” followed by the date. The Videos Quick Rule collects all MOV and MP4 files, or you can create your own rule that matches filenames containing “Screen Recording” to keep them in a separate folder.

Keep the folder from becoming the new mess

A Screenshots folder can grow as fast as the Desktop did. Most screenshots are useful for a few days. Consider a rule that uses the creation date to move screenshots older than a month into an Archive folder, and review the archive occasionally before deleting anything.

If your Mac uses another language

macOS localizes screenshot filenames. If your Mac is not set to English, the Quick Rule keyword may not match. Create a filename rule with the word your Mac uses instead; the review queue will show whether it matches correctly before anything moves.

Next, read how to clean up your whole Desktop or automate the Downloads folder.

Download Mochi for Mac