Show the Location Path of Current Wallpaper in Mac OS X
Ever set a desktop background picture on the Mac and have no idea where the original wallpaper image is stored in OS X? Maybe you set an image from the web and lost it, or maybe you’ve wondered where that default background image is stored so you can share it with your iOS device or another Mac? Me too, and there’s a way to quickly find the original file location of what is set as the desktop wallpaper on a Mac.
By using a defaults write debug command, you can display the full path to the currently active desktop image, directly printed on the wallpaper itself.
Here’s how to show the file path to the currently active wallpaper in Mac OS X:
- Launch Terminal in /Applications/Utilities/
- Type the following defaults write command:
- Go to the desktop to see the path printed over the wallpaper images
defaults write com.apple.dock desktop-picture-show-debug-text -bool TRUE;killall Dock
After you’ve retrieved the desktop picture (use Command+Shift+G to bring up the Go To Folder window), or done what you have needed to do, you can hide the path text by using the following command:
defaults delete com.apple.dock desktop-picture-show-debug-text;killall Dock
In OS X Yosemite (10.10.x) and newer, you can use the following syntax to hide the path again:
defaults write com.apple.dock desktop-picture-show-debug-text -bool FALSE;killall Dock
Both of these commands automatically kill/refresh the Dock as well. If you’re not fond of the command line, you can find the path information in a hidden debug mode for Desktop System Preferences too.