To choose a destination before recording, open QuickTime Player, select File > New Screen Recording, then click Options in the screen-recording toolbar and choose a location under Save to. The recording is saved there after you stop. If your Mac instead opens QuickTime’s older Screen Recording window, or you need to move an existing recording, use File > Save and select a folder in the save dialog. The controls differ because current macOS can use the Screenshot app for QuickTime screen recording.

Choose a save location before you record

  1. Open QuickTime Player and choose File > New Screen Recording. On supported Macs, the Screenshot toolbar appears. Apple says this is the screen-recording interface QuickTime opens on current systems. You can also open the toolbar with Shift-Command-5. Apple’s QuickTime screen-recording guide

  2. Click Options in the toolbar. Under Save to, select an available destination. Apple says the default is the desktop and that you can choose a different location before recording. If your workflow uses a particular folder, choose it here so new recordings go to that destination without needing to relocate each file afterward. Apple’s Mac screen-recording instructions

  3. Select Record (or one of the screen-capture choices first, if shown). When you’re finished, click the stop control in the menu bar, or use Command-Control-Escape. The recording saves to the chosen destination; depending on the options selected, a thumbnail may appear first. Click it if you want to open or edit the recording immediately, or let it save. Apple’s Mac screen-recording instructions

Pick a destination that suits the recording

Use Desktop when you want to find a one-off recording quickly. For recurring work, choose a folder with a clear name, such as a project folder, so the file is near related materials. This is a practical organization choice rather than a special QuickTime feature: macOS lets you select the save location, but the folder structure and naming are yours to manage.

If you need the file available across devices, Apple’s QuickTime guide documents saving to QuickTime Player — iCloud through the Where menu in the save dialog. This is a separate save option; it does not mean every QuickTime recording automatically syncs. Apple’s save and rename guide

If you see a different recording window

The interface depends on which recording controls your Mac presents. If QuickTime opens the Screenshot toolbar, use Options > Save to before recording. Apple’s current instructions say that when you instead see the older Screen Recording window, the recording is performed by QuickTime Player. In that window, stop the recording and QuickTime opens the video; use File > Save to name it and select its destination. Apple explains both QuickTime screen-recording interfaces

For an existing recording already open in QuickTime Player, choose File > Save. Enter a filename in Export As, then use the location control in the dialog to choose a folder and click Save. Apple also documents saving to iCloud from the Where menu. To change only the name of an open recording, click its name at the top of the window and edit it. Apple’s save and rename guide

If the recording is not where you expected

First check the location selected in Options > Save to before the recording began; in the Screenshot interface, Desktop is the default. If you used the older QuickTime window, find the video that opened after stopping, then use File > Save to choose a known folder. Apple says automatically saved screen recordings use a name like “Screen Recording” followed by the date and time, which can help you locate the file. Apple’s Mac screen-recording instructions

The key distinction is when you choose the location: Save to sets a destination before a Screenshot-toolbar recording; File > Save lets you choose a destination for a recording open in QuickTime. Choose the first for a repeatable capture workflow and the second when you need to place or rename a particular file.

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