Where Do Screen Recordings Go on Mac?

A screen recording on Mac saves to the Desktop by default — but that changes the moment you pick a different location, use a third-party app, or accidentally select the clipboard instead of a folder. Here's exactly where each method saves recordings, how to change it, and how to track down a file you can't find.

The short answer#

For most Mac users, the Desktop is where recordings end up. If yours isn't there, the sections below explain why and how to find it.

QuickTime Player recordings#

QuickTime saves recordings to the Desktop by default. When you stop a recording (click the stop button in the menu bar, or press Cmd+Ctrl+Esc), a floating thumbnail appears in the corner of your screen — similar to how screenshots behave. If you dismiss that thumbnail without saving, the file is still written to the Desktop automatically.

The file name follows this format:

Screen Recording 2026-03-12 at 14.35.22.mov

To save somewhere other than the Desktop: After stopping the recording, either right-click the thumbnail and select "Show in Finder" to see where it landed, or wait for it to save and then move it. There's no per-session save dialog in newer macOS versions — the file goes to the Desktop unless you've changed the default.

If you see a save dialog: On some macOS versions, stopping a QuickTime recording opens a standard save panel where you can choose any folder. Name the file and pick a destination there.

Screenshot toolbar (Cmd+Shift+5)#

The Screenshot toolbar — opened with Cmd+Shift+5 — handles both screenshots and screen recordings. By default, recordings save to the Desktop.

To change the save location before recording:

1. Press Cmd+Shift+5 to open the toolbar
2. Click Options
3. Under "Save to", choose an existing folder or click Other Location… to pick a custom one

The toolbar remembers your choice between sessions, so if you've changed it before, your recordings won't be going to the Desktop anymore — they'll be going wherever you last set it.

The "Clipboard" trap: One of the Options is "Save to Clipboard". If this is selected, your recording is copied to the clipboard instead of saved as a file. That means nothing shows up in Finder. If you're expecting a file but can't find one, check whether "Save to Clipboard" is selected in Options.

After a recording finishes, a thumbnail appears in the corner of your screen for a few seconds. Click it to annotate, move, or share the recording. If you don't click it, it automatically saves to whatever location you have set.

Third-party screen recorders#

Rekort#

Rekort asks you where to save each recording when you export. After recording and reviewing your footage in the preview player, you click Export and choose a destination. There's no fixed default folder — you pick the location when you're done.

The output is an .mp4 file (or .gif if you choose GIF export). Rekort doesn't save temporary working files to the Desktop; recordings only land on disk when you explicitly export them.

Screen Studio#

Screen Studio saves recordings to the Desktop by default as .mov files. You can change this in Screen Studio's preferences under Output settings.

OBS Studio#

OBS is the exception on this list. It saves to a specific folder that you configure in Settings > Output > Recording Path. The default is typically the home directory or a Videos folder, and the default format is .mkv (not .mov or .mp4). If you can't find an OBS recording, check Settings > Output to see where it's configured to save.

How to find a recording you can't locate#

If you recorded something and can't find it, try these in order:

1. Check the Desktop first. Most recordings end up here. If your Desktop is cluttered, use Finder's Desktop folder view rather than looking at the actual Desktop.

2. Use Spotlight. Press Cmd+Space and type "Screen Recording". Spotlight indexes filenames and will surface recent files matching that name pattern.

3. Search in Finder. Open Finder, press Cmd+F, and set the search to "This Mac". Filter by:

• Kind: Movie
• Date modified: Today (or this week)

Sort by date modified to surface the newest files.

4. Check the Screenshot toolbar Options. Press Cmd+Shift+5 and look under Options > Save to. If it says a specific folder, navigate there in Finder.

5. Look for recent screen recordings in the CLI. If you're comfortable with Terminal:

find ~ -name "Screen Recording*" -newer ~/Desktop -type f 2>/dev/null

This finds any file with "Screen Recording" in the name that was modified more recently than the Desktop itself.

6. Check if it's still in the clipboard. If you used "Save to Clipboard" in the Screenshot toolbar, open Preview and go to File > New from Clipboard to access the recording.

How to change the default save location permanently#

For the macOS Screenshot toolbar (the most common recording method):

1. Press Cmd+Shift+5
2. Click Options
3. Under "Save to", select Other Location…
4. Choose a folder — for example, a dedicated "Screen Recordings" folder in Documents

From that point forward, all recordings from Cmd+Shift+5 will save to that folder. This persists across restarts.

For QuickTime, there's no persistent save location setting — it varies based on the save dialog at the end of each recording. If you want recordings in a consistent place, create a folder and always navigate to it in the save dialog.

Organizing screen recordings#

If you record regularly, Desktop clutter builds up fast. A few patterns that work well:

Dedicated folder in Documents. Create ~/Documents/Screen Recordings/ and set the Screenshot toolbar to save there. Recordings won't land on your Desktop and are easy to find.

Subfolder per project. If you record for multiple products or clients, organize recordings by project: ~/Documents/Screen Recordings/Project Name/. This is especially useful for product demos — see our product demo recording guide for more on organizing demo assets.

Naming convention. QuickTime's default "Screen Recording [date] at [time].mov" format is timestamp-based but not descriptive. After recording, rename the file while the Finder thumbnail is still visible — right-click the thumbnail and rename it there.

Archive after export. If you use Rekort or Screen Studio, you'll export a final MP4. Keep the exported file; delete the working files if you don't need them. Recordings accumulate quickly and each one can be hundreds of megabytes.

Quick reference#

• Default location: Desktop (QuickTime and Screenshot toolbar)
• Change it: Cmd+Shift+5 > Options > Save to
• Can't find it: Spotlight (Cmd+Space), then "Screen Recording"
• Saved to clipboard accidentally: File > New from Clipboard in Preview
• OBS: Check Settings > Output > Recording Path
• Rekort: You choose the destination at export time

For more on recording workflows and getting the most out of macOS screen capture, see our Mac screen recording with audio guide and the full tips and workflows collection.