Where Do Screen Recordings Go on Mac?

Mac screen recordings save to the Desktop by default. If the file is not there, press Shift-Command-5 → Options → Save to: the Screenshot app remembers the last location you selected.

On current macOS, QuickTime Player's File → New Screen Recording opens the same Screenshot controls, so QuickTime and Shift-Command-5 normally use the same saved location. Apple's current documentation says screen recordings are .mov files whose names begin with “Screen Recording” and include the date and time.

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Save-location quick reference#

The default is only a starting point. Screenshot remembers a custom folder across sessions, Rekort asks where to write each export, and OBS uses its configured recording path.

QuickTime Player recordings#

On current macOS, choose File → New Screen Recording in QuickTime Player and macOS opens Screenshot. Before recording, open Options and read Save to. If you have never changed it, that location is normally Desktop.

Apple documents the filename pattern as beginning with “Screen Recording” and including the date and time, for example:

Screen Recording 2026-03-12 at 14.35.22.mov

To save somewhere else, choose the folder under Options → Save to before recording. The floating thumbnail can be dragged into a Finder window or document, clicked to trim/share, or swiped right to save immediately. See Apple's current QuickTime screen-recording instructions and Screenshot save-location guide.

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.

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 opens a standard macOS save panel when you export. After recording and reviewing the project, choose MP4 or GIF, select export settings, and pick the destination.

Rekort can also save a .rekort project package when you explicitly choose Save Project. That project is separate from the final .mp4 or .gif export.

OBS Studio#

OBS saves to the folder shown under Settings → Output → Recording Path. Its output format is also configurable. Check those two fields instead of assuming the recording is a .mov on the Desktop.

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. Search metadata from Terminal. If you are comfortable with Terminal, Spotlight's command-line search can find indexed screen-recording names without crawling every private folder:

mdfind 'kMDItemFSName == "Screen Recording*"c'

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 current QuickTime screen recordings, use the same Screenshot Options → Save to control. QuickTime opens Screenshot rather than maintaining a separate screen-recording destination.

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"
• OBS: Check Settings > Output > Recording Path
• Rekort: Choose an export destination in the macOS save panel; project files are separate

For the capture step itself, use the QuickTime screen-recording guide. For local product demos with auto-zoom, webcam, audio, editing, and MP4/GIF export, see Rekort's recording features and current pricing.