How to be able to change the default image save directory for Zorin OS's native Screenshot app?

General Help
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Hello. Nice to meet you all!

I am a new person here on this forum and have been recently aquatinted with the Linux distro Zorin OS for a few months. This would be the latest at the time of Zorins OS, which is 17.1 Pro. I am slowly learning, but I am a newbie not just Zorin, but Linux as a whole! I have a question to ask you. I have been slowly setting up Zorin OS and one of the things that I am having a difficult time with is trying to change the directory to where the native Zorin OS’s Screenshot saves files to. I see by default they are saved to: /home/user/Pictures/Screenshots folder. I would like to change that. I see there is no user settings option available with this app to change to the user’s desired directory. I tried through Zorin’s Software repository two popular Linux screenshot apps Shutter and Flameshot which offer the user the option to change the default directory only to find that both allow the directory change; but with Shutter, it still saves them in the /home/user/Pictures/Screenshots folder when it shows another desired directory. Flameshot does not even allow the photo to be taken and freezes at the time the photo is taken with the directory is not the Screenshots folder in the user’s Pictures folder.

I need someone to help me in some capacity to be able to change Zorin’s Screenshot directory. An easier accessible means to change the directory saved location on the fly (with a few quick clicks and enter or better browse to the directory location) is what I am seeking and some not cumbersome settings and configurations are necessary to accomplish this directory change to save screensaver images each time. I need this modification applicable and native to Zorin OS itself and not only available as extensions/add-ons to web browsers for screenshots.

Again, I am a newbie and with the complexity of Lunix based on the task, I need you to please explain your resolution in detail with completeness and slowly so I can follow. If code is required in Terminal, please explain it to me and present it concisely so ultimately I can get Zorin’s screenshot app to be able to change the save directory at will and work well.

Please reply at your earliest convenience. Thank you very much for your help!

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Zorin OS 17 brought about a change in the newer Gnome Desktop Environment. However, Gnome integrated the former gnome-screenshot tool into the Gnome shell, so it is no longer a modular application.

A simple solution for you might be to install the original modular Gnome Screenshot tool.
However... part of the reason Gnome integrated the tool into the shell is because many users have conflicts and difficulties with Gnome-screenshot and Wayland.

Wayland is a display protocol and... a bit controversial.
The standard is X11 (Xorg) which is reliable and stable. Wayland is newer and while it has its benefits, it has a lot of cons, too. Many applications do not work with it.

You can log in on Zorin Desktop on X to install gnome-screenshot tool and test if that setup will work for you.
Click the gear icon on the lower right at the login screen before you login and select Zorin Desktop on X, then log in as normal.
Search Gnome-screenshot in the Software store, Synaptic or just launch a terminal and run

sudo apt install gnome-screenshot

Many users have reported the shell-inclusive screenshot tools troubles with the saved directory and the Gnome Developers have pledged to provide a fix for it at some point in the future.

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Alternatively you could try a different snapshot tool such as the KDE app, Spectacle. By default it just saves your screenshot to the Pictures folder should you decide to click on Save. I don't use Zorin as my daily go to but I do have it as a VM on KDE neon and I have Spectacle installed on the VM (Vitual Machine). Forgot that I made a video about comparing Spectacle on Gnome with KDE Plasma.

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Yes, my fingers went on autopilot. Thanks for catching that. :grin:

I edited the post above in order to prevent creating mounds of confusion.

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