Where apps hide your files

VLC snapshot and recording folders

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

With its folder settings left blank, VLC 3.0 for Mac puts snapshots in Pictures and recordings in Movies. Here is how to confirm that on your Mac, change either folder and find files you made months ago.

The default folders

In VLC 3.0 for Mac, with the folder settings left blank, VLC's own source code saves to these places:

~/Pictures/vlcsnap-2026-10-28-10h15m30s123.png       # snapshots
~/Movies/vlc-record-2026-10-28-10h15m30s-<name>.<ext>  # video recordings

Snapshots are named vlcsnap-, then the date, the time and milliseconds, in PNG unless you changed the format. Recordings start with vlc-record- and the date and time, usually followed by the name of what was playing. The extension depends on the stream's format, so it may be .mp4, .ts, .mkv or another. A recording of something with audio and no video goes to ~/Music instead, and anything else to ~/Downloads.

Guides written for older VLC versions often say snapshots go to the Desktop, so if ~/Pictures has nothing, check the Desktop too. A folder you set yourself always wins, so the next step is to look at VLC's preferences.

Check the snapshot folder

Open VLC > Preferences (⌘,) and click the Video tab. In the Video snapshots section, the Folder field shows where snapshots are saved; empty means the default above. The same section has Prefix, Sequential numbering and Format.

Take a snapshot with Video > Snapshot, shortcut ⌥⌘S.

Check the recording folder

The record folder is an advanced setting. In Preferences, click Show All at the bottom left, then select Input / Codecs and look for Record directory. Empty means the default above.

Start a recording with Playback > Record, choose it again to stop, and the file is written when you stop.

Where VLC's settings live

VLC 3.0 keeps its preferences in a plain text file:

~/Library/Preferences/org.videolan.vlc/vlcrc

You can check the folder settings without opening the whole file. This command prints only the folder lines:

grep -nE "^#?(snapshot-path|input-record-path)=" ~/Library/Preferences/org.videolan.vlc/vlcrc

A line starting with # and nothing after the = means the setting is untouched and VLC uses its default. Once you set a folder in Preferences, the # goes and your path appears. The file holds every other setting too, so do not paste it into a public forum without reading it first.

There is also a media library file at ~/Library/Application Support/org.videolan.vlc/ml.xspf, which holds playlist and library entries, not your snapshots, and a settings file at ~/Library/Preferences/org.videolan.vlc.plist.

Changing the folders

1. Open VLC > Preferences (⌘,) and choose Video.
2. Next to Folder in the Video snapshots section, click Browse... and choose a folder.
3. Change Prefix or Format if you want a different name or JPEG. Sequential numbering swaps the timestamp for a five-digit counter.
4. Click Save.
5. For recordings, click Show All, open Input / Codecs, set Record directory and save again.

Changes apply to new snapshots and recordings only. Existing files stay where they are.

When the snapshot folder goes missing

VLC labels this setting "Video snapshot directory (or filename)", and that matters. In VLC 3.0, if the folder you chose no longer exists, for example because it was on a drive that is now unplugged or you renamed it, VLC treats the setting as a file name. The snapshot either fails, or is written as a single file carrying the old folder's name and replaced by every later snapshot. After moving or renaming a snapshot folder, set it again in Preferences.

Snapshot format and preview

VLC 3.0 offers PNG, JPG and TIFF. PNG is lossless and larger; JPEG is smaller. The preference file stores the choice as snapshot-format. By default VLC also flashes a small preview of each snapshot over the video; that is only a display feature and says nothing about where the file went.

Recording is not the same as converting

Recording writes the stream to a file from the moment you start until you stop or the stream ends. Some network streams cannot be recorded at all. If you want a normal video file from a local movie, File > Convert / Stream... is the supported way, and it asks you for the destination before it starts, so you always know where the output goes.

Space and cleanup

Snapshots are single frames, so even a full HD PNG is only a few megabytes at most. Recordings are the real space cost, since they write the stream as it plays. Move old ones to the Trash in Finder. If you want to reset VLC's preferences, quit VLC first; VLC writes a fresh vlcrc at its next launch.

Moving to a new Mac

Copy the snapshot and recording folders you use, and optionally the org.videolan.vlc folder in ~/Library/Preferences. A custom path in vlcrc is absolute, so if your user name differs on the new Mac, set the folder again in Preferences.

Why search misses them

If the folder is Pictures or Movies, Spotlight finds the files. If you set a folder on an external drive that is unplugged, or the files sit in ~/Library, it will not.

Finding a snapshot you forgot about

VLC drops snapshots in ~/Pictures and recordings in ~/Movies, two folders macOS keeps from other apps, so give Everywhere Full Disk Access when it asks. Then typing vlcsnap lists every snapshot with the default prefix, including on unplugged drives, and typing vlc-record does the same for recordings; ⌘Y previews one. It matches names only, so if you changed the prefix, type that instead.

Common questions

Where does VLC save snapshots on Mac?

In VLC 3.0 with the Folder setting blank, in ~/Pictures, named vlcsnap- plus the date and time. If you set a folder under VLC > Preferences > Video, they go there instead.

How do I change the VLC snapshot folder on a Mac?

Open Preferences with ⌘,, go to the Video tab, click Browse... next to Folder in the Video snapshots section, choose a folder and click Save. It applies to future snapshots.

Where does VLC save recordings?

In the Record directory set under Preferences, Show All, Input / Codecs. If it is empty, VLC 3.0 uses ~/Movies for video, ~/Music for audio only, and ~/Downloads otherwise.

What is the VLC snapshot keyboard shortcut on Mac?

Option-Command-S (⌥⌘S), or Video > Snapshot from the menu bar.