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Remember, the tilde ~ is just shorthand for the current users home directory. You can also use the long path rather than a tilde ~ for that destination, assuming you know the user name of the account, like so:
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That user level screen saver folder location is: The Default User Screen Saver Location in Mac OSĮach individual user account on a Mac will have a unique screen saver directory for that unique user account, contained within their own ~/Library folder. Note the system screen saver folders are different from the user level screen saver folder(s). The /Library/ folder also contains the default desktop pictures on a Mac as well as various other media and components that are used by all user accounts on a particular Mac. That particular directory typically only contains the “Defaults Collection” folder which is a series of visually pleasing images, and unless a user modified the directory it usually does not contain any. This applies to all versions of Mac OS and Mac OS X.īut wait! There’s actually one more default system level folder for screen savers in Mac OS, though on a standard Mac OS installation, it is limited to use by the default collection of screen savers for National Geographic, Aerial, Cosmos, and Nature Patterns, that we’ve pointed to before when discussing uncovering hidden wallpapers in Mac OS X (1) (and 2).
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This is also where the default screen savers are located in Mac OS, for example the Flurry or Floating Message screen savers.Īn easy way to access that folder is with the incredibly useful Command-Shift-G keyboard shortcut in the Mac Finder, which lets you instantly jump to any directory on a Mac if you know the path. The system level screen saver folder is located in the /System/ folder and any screen saver located in the directory will be included on all other user accounts on the Mac. The Default System-Level Screen Saver Location in Mac OS Knowing where the screen saver directories are located can be useful for various reasons, whether for installing a screen saver, removing one, editing one of the files with Quartz Composer, or various other purposes, so we’ll quickly show you where you can find the screen saver folders on a Mac.
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