Desktop files in Catalina 10.15.5 not showing up in Finder with two screens

Helo papawoody61,

Being able to view your applications on your external display is very important, and the communities is a great place for help to ensure your applications and displays are working as expected. To clarify upon the Desktop images you're asking about are these files, folders, and documents that you have saved to your desktop? If so, are they still showing on your Macs display? If so, this is expected if you have the external display set to as an Extended Desktop. If you're wanting your files, folders, and documents to appear on the external display as well you can mirror your Macs display. This would show the same exact information on both displays, including the apps you have open.

More information about using an external display can be found in the following article.

Use external monitors with your Mac

If you're having an issue where apps that you previously had open aren't showing on the external display please check the dock to make sure the apps aren't minimized. If the apps aren't minimized they may be open in a different desktop using Mission Control. This feature allows you to have multiple Desktops available on one display. While they won't show at the same time, you would be able to scroll through the different Desktops. Information on how to use Missing Control can be found in the following article.

Use Mission Control on your Mac

If you're having a different issue please let us know in more detail about what's going on.

Have a great day.

Hello papwoody61

We apologize for any confusion. These questions were essential to help isolate the issue, and greatly appreciate your patience. We're glad you were able to determine that the screenshots were saving to an alternate folder, and hope you have a great weekend!

Take care!

Hello papawoody61,

Thank you very much for clarifying that the issue is with screenshots not saving to your desktop folder as they should, and not getting the option to screenshot a particular portion of the display.

Taking screenshots is a great feature, and restarting the Mac and the external display are great troubleshooting steps that can help with resolving the issue. If after restarting the Mac you continue to have issues see if the issue persists when taking a full screen screenshot by pressing Command, Shift, and 3 at the same time. Also, when checking the Desktop folder are you doing so by clicking Finder, or only what's visible on the desktop itself?

We'd also recommend confirming that you're updated to the latest macOS version. Updates are great ways to ensure you're benefiting from fixes, and security improvements that are essential to your Mac.

How to update the software on your Mac

Have a great week!