

By default, Mac computers will automatically save the screenshots you take on your computer as a .png
file. Many websites and software applications prefer to have images as .jpg
, however.
Previously, you would have to open the screenshot in “Preview” and export it as a JPEG file. This is time consuming and messy.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to make .jpg files the default screenshot file type for your Mac.


In either “Finder” or the Mac search bar, search for “terminal” to easily access your Mac’s terminal.
Double-click to open “Terminal.”


Simply copy and paste the text below into your terminal, and press “enter” on your keyboard.
Save as JPG (JPEG)
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg
You can also change the default to other file types as well:
Save as PNG
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type png
Save as TIFF
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type tiff
Save as GIF
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type gif
Save as PDF
defaults write com.apple.screencapture type pdf
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