Where apps hide your files

Finding the Snagit library folder

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

Snagit does not save captures where you took them. It files them in its own library folder, which you can look up in Snagit's settings, open in Finder, move or copy to a new Mac.

The default location

For Snagit 2022 or newer, TechSmith's support article on moving a library to another Mac names this folder:

~/Pictures/Snagit

Older versions (Snagit 2021 and earlier) used an Autosaved Captures folder, in either ~/Pictures/Snagit/Autosaved Captures or ~/Documents/Snagit/Autosaved Captures. If you upgraded from an old version, your captures may still sit in one of those.

In Finder, Go > Go to Folder (⇧⌘G) takes you there once you paste the path. In Terminal:

open ~/Pictures/Snagit

Check where your copy really saves

The default is only a default. You can change it, and under an Enterprise Site License your IT administrator can disable the option to choose a location. Snagit shows the current value itself: TechSmith's library tutorial says to choose Snagit > Settings (Preferences on macOS 12 or earlier) and open the Advanced tab, where the library location is shown with a Choose button. One recent TechSmith article puts the same information on a Library tab instead, so if your version has one, look there.

Whatever path that tab shows is the answer for your Mac. Copy it, and use Go to Folder as above.

What is inside the library

Image captures are saved as .snagx files, and video captures as .mp4 files, which TechSmith notes other apps can already play. A .snagx is Snagit's own format: it keeps the original capture together with your annotations and metadata, so you can reopen and keep editing it. Other apps cannot open it as a picture.

What you want	Where it is
A capture to edit again	The .snagx file in the library folder
A flattened image to send	Export from Snagit, since the library holds the editable format
A screen recording	The .mp4 file in the library folder

To get a normal image out, open the capture in Snagit's editor and save or share it as PNG or JPEG. For many captures at once, TechSmith points to Snagit's batch convert feature. Copying the .snagx file by hand gives you the editable original, not a picture.

Moving the library

Snagit moves it for you. TechSmith's library location tutorial says that when you choose a new location (Choose, then Browse other to pick a folder, then Save), Snagit moves all the existing files in the library to the new location. Snagit is unavailable during the move, and it closes the captures in the Recent Captures Tray. That makes it the right way to put the library on an external drive or a bigger volume. Do not drag the folder in Finder and hope Snagit follows: it keeps looking at the old path.

TechSmith supports some cloud folders only when the sync app is installed and set to keep files on the Mac. For iCloud, it says to turn off Optimize Mac Storage.

Moving to a new Mac

TechSmith's steps for another Apple computer are short:

1. Close Snagit.
2. On the new Mac, go to the current location of the library folder (for Snagit 2022 or newer the default is ~/Pictures/Snagit).
3. Copy the contents of the library folder from the old Mac into it.
4. Restart Snagit.

For Snagit 2022 or newer, native .snagx captures keep their metadata on transfer. For Snagit 2021 and earlier, TechSmith says tags and application icons do not transfer. Copy the contents of the folder, not the folder's parent, so the files land directly inside the new library.

A recording that vanished after a crash

If Snagit quit during a video recording, reopen it first: TechSmith's recovery article says Snagit may prompt you, and you can choose Recover. If not, it points to two places:

~/Library/Group Containers/7TQL462TU8.com.techsmith.snagit/Snagit 2024/Temporary

Replace Snagit 2024 with the folder named for your version, and look in the Temporary folder inside it. TechSmith also suggests checking Documents/Snagit/Autosaved Captures, and says that if neither place holds the file, it is most likely not recoverable. To list the group container's version folders without opening anything:

ls ~/Library/Group\ Containers/7TQL462TU8.com.techsmith.snagit

The Temporary folder holds recordings in progress, so treat it as a rescue spot and copy anything you find somewhere safe straight away.

Space and cleaning up

Video captures are what fill a library. To see how big yours is:

du -sh ~/Pictures/Snagit

Delete captures from inside Snagit's library view when you can, so Snagit's own view stays in step. If you remove files in Finder instead, quit Snagit first. Never delete the library folder wholesale while Snagit is open.

Why Finder search does not find them

If you are searching for a capture you cannot remember naming, the usual tools are poor at it. Snagit names captures automatically from the capture time (its release notes mention a fix to the time used when naming captures), so searching for the subject of the screenshot returns nothing. Spotlight and Finder searches also leave out the Group Containers folder where recovery files sit.

Finding captures by name

Typing snagx into Everywhere lists every editable Snagit capture on the Mac, wherever the library has moved, and Autosaved Captures finds a library left behind by Snagit 2021 or earlier. Pictures, Documents and ~/Library/Group Containers are protected, so Everywhere covers them once it has Full Disk Access. It searches file names only, not what is drawn in an image. Press ⌘↵ to reveal a match in Finder.

Common questions

Where does Snagit save screenshots on a Mac?

For Snagit 2022 or newer, the default library is ~/Pictures/Snagit, according to TechSmith. Your own setting is shown under Snagit > Settings > Advanced.

How do I change the Snagit library location?

Choose Snagit > Settings, open the Advanced tab, click Choose, then Browse other to pick a folder, and click Save. TechSmith says Snagit then moves the existing files to the new location.

What is a .snagx file?

It is Snagit's own capture format, holding the image with its annotations and metadata so you can edit it again. Export a PNG or JPEG from Snagit when you need a normal image.

How do I recover a Snagit recording after a crash?

Reopen Snagit and choose Recover if it prompts you. TechSmith also suggests the Temporary folder inside the Snagit group container and the Documents/Snagit/Autosaved Captures folder.