# How to Save an Image from the Clipboard as a File on Mac

Updated: November 12, 2026

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URL: https://sindresorhus.com/guides/save-clipboard-image-as-file-mac

With [Supercharge](https://sindresorhus.com/supercharge), press Command+V in Finder to make a PNG or JPEG file from the image on the clipboard. Without an app, open Preview, choose “File › New from Clipboard”, and save. On macOS 27, Finder can also paste an image, but as a TIFF file.

## With Supercharge

1. Open the settings of [Supercharge](https://sindresorhus.com/supercharge), and click “Tweaks”.
1. In the “Finder” section, turn on “Paste image or plain text as file when using Command+V”. Then choose “PNG” or “JPEG” in “Image format”.
1. Copy an image. To take a screenshot to the clipboard, also hold Control when you press the screenshot keys, like Control+Shift+Command+4.
1. In Finder, open a folder, or click the desktop, and press Command+V. The file is in the folder.

It also makes a text file from plain text that you copied, and “Generate filename for text files using Apple Intelligence” can give that file a name. Only the keyboard shortcut works, not the “Paste” menu item. When the clipboard has files, Finder pastes them as usual.

## Without an app

Preview makes a new image from the clipboard:

1. Copy the image.
1. Open Preview, and choose “File › New from Clipboard”.
1. Choose “File › Save”, and choose the format and the folder.

This is good for one image. On macOS 27, Command+V in Finder also makes a file from a copied image, but the file is a TIFF. Supercharge is for when you do this often and want a PNG or a JPEG, in the folder where you are.