Make your Mac save screenshots as JPG instead of PNG

Why it happens

Your Mac saves screenshots as PNG because it keeps every pixel sharp, which is good for text but makes big files. JPG files are much smaller and easier to email or upload. The Screenshot toolbar has no file type choice, so the switch lives in a hidden setting that Terminal can change.

How to fix it

1. Open Terminal. Press Command-Space, type Terminal and press Return, or find it in Applications, then Utilities.

   Terminal

2. Copy the command shown in the Terminal box further down this page, paste it into the Terminal window with Command-V and press Return. It doesn't print anything when it works.

3. Take a screenshot with Shift-Command-4, select the new file and press Command-I. Next to Kind it now says JPEG image. Finder hides file extensions unless you've turned them on, so don't go by the name.

4. To go back to PNG later, run the undo command shown in the same box.

Still not fixed?

1. If new screenshots are still PNG, check you copied the whole line, then restart your Mac. The setting is read again at startup.

2. Only need one file as JPG? Open it in Preview, choose File, then Export, and pick JPEG from the Format menu. You can also move the Quality slider to make the file smaller.

   Preview›File›Export…

3. If screenshots look washed out or too dark, that's HDR, not the file type. Press Shift-Command-5, click Options and choose SDR under Capture Format.

4. If screenshots stop saving at all after the change, run the undo command, then restart. If they still don't save, contact Apple Support.