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What is a screenshot tray?

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A screenshot tray is a short strip on screen that holds your recent screenshots, so you can drag them into a chat, email or folder without hunting for the file. It is a waiting place, not a gallery.

Why it matters

A macOS screenshot usually lands on the Desktop, or in a corner preview that disappears if you look away. Then you find it, maybe rename it, and drag it out. A tray removes the hunting step.

How NotchStar’s tray works

Screenshots hang in a row under the notch. The tray holds up to 12, and each stays for five minutes unless you use it. Sending or copying a screenshot removes it from the tray. Command click picks several, and holding Option while you drag sends every screenshot in the tray. Hovering or clicking a screenshot does not open the notch.

What it never does

When a screenshot leaves the tray, the file is not touched. It is still in the folder where macOS saved it. Dragging a screenshot to the Trash does delete the file. An optional setting, Show screenshots instantly, turns off the macOS corner preview and puts it back when NotchStar quits.

Other notch apps also show screenshots, so this is not unique to NotchStar. Compare them in Mac screenshot tray apps.

Read how to share screenshots from the Mac notch, the Screenshot Tray feature page, and the neighbouring idea of a file shelf.

Keep reading.

Screenshot Tray: your screenshots wait under the notch
Every screenshot lands in a tray under your Mac notch. Drag it into a chat, an email or a folder, or send several at once.
Share Mac screenshots from the notch without losing the file
Capture a screenshot, find its saved file and send it from the Mac notch. Understand tray expiry, multiple selections and what happens to the original.
Mac screenshot tray apps compared: keep screenshots handy, drag them out
Compare Mac apps that hold screenshots in a tray so you can drag them into chats, email or folders: notch, menu bar and edge trays, checked 4 November 2026.
What is a file shelf?
A file shelf is a temporary place to park files while you work, then drag them out or send them. Learn how it differs from a folder and from AirDrop.

More in Notch and apps.

What is a notch app?
A notch app is a Mac utility that puts a small panel of tools around the MacBook notch. Learn what it does and what it cannot do.
What is the Dynamic Island?
The Dynamic Island is Apple's name for an interactive area at the top of the iPhone screen. Macs have a notch instead. Some notch apps imitate the effect.
What is a live activity?
A live activity is a small readout of something happening right now, such as a timer or a song. Learn the iPhone meaning and how notch apps use the term.
What is a file shelf?
A file shelf is a temporary place to park files while you work, then drag them out or send them. Learn how it differs from a folder and from AirDrop.
What is clipboard history?
Clipboard history is a list of the things you recently copied, so you can paste an older item again. Learn how it works on a Mac and what to watch for.
What is the Pomodoro technique?
The Pomodoro technique splits work into timed focus blocks with short breaks. Learn the basic pattern and how a Mac timer in the notch tracks it.
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