Change the Screenshot Format

The default format for screenshots in OS X is png, which is not a particularly universal format. I prefer jpg because everything accepts it. To change the default to jpg, type the following code:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg

To change to any other format (i.e. gif, tiff, pdf, et cetera), replace “jpg” with the desired extension. To activate the change, log out, then log back in.
Edit: Sorry if there was any confusion, this is all done in Terminal

Submitted on December 28, 2007 at 10:38 am - Change the Screenshot Format was written by Michael Zhao - There have been 3 comments - Categorized in Advanced Tips, Finder Tips, Productivity Tips, Terminal Tips

3 Responses to “Change the Screenshot Format”

Mike

Where is the command typed? You did not tell where the command is typed. December 28th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Omer Zach

Type the command into Terminal.app, which is located in the Utilities folder inside your Applications folder. December 28th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Charlie

Excellent tip. You can also do this in the application OnyX should you have it already. December 30th, 2007 at 8:05 am