How to Fix Screenshots Not Automatically Saving to Desktop on Catalina

When I upgraded to Catalina in 2020, my Mac didn't automatically save my screenshot to the desktop. Now it opens in Preview, and I must choose between saving and deleting it. Can I avoid this extra step and get back to my screenshots saving directly to my desktop again?

If your screenshots are not automatically saved to the desktop after upgrading to Catalina, you can change the screenshot location on your Mac. The steps below apply to macOS Mojave, Big Sur, and Monterey, of course Catalina included.

Step 1. Press Shift and Command, and 5.

Step 2. Choose 'Options' in your screen's floating panel in the lower right corner.

Step 3. From the listed folder, choose 'Desktop'. Or you can go for 'Other Location' to save your screenshots to the existing file folder or the folder you just created.

However, there is one more thing I want to warn you is that before you upgrade your Mac to a newer version of the operating system, you should back up all your photos, files, and any other data in a safe place in case everything is deleted after updating macOS.

If you are still looking for the screenshots you previously saved, you may accidentally delete them, or they were deleted while upgrading your Mac. Therefore, you can resort to EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to help you recover the lost screenshots. EaseUS software is professional and trustworthy, and it can recover deleted photos due to accident deletion or system crashes.

The step-by-step instruction is as follows:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS software and select the drive where your screenshot is stored.

Step 2. Use the filter to locate the only type of file. You can choose 'Photos' to filter and narrow down the scanning results.

Step 3. Preview the screenshots to check if the photos are the desired ones. And then click 'Recover' to save them to the desktop if you want.

Read More: (2023 Fixed) Can't Find Screenshots on Mac | Mac Screenshots Recovery