# 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.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-screenshot-tray-apps/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

## At a glance

| App | Price | Requirements | Good fit for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/) | $4 once for ten tools, up to 3 Macs, 7 day trial | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon or Intel | A strip under the notch that catches the screenshots you take with macOS and holds the latest 12 for five minutes each. |
| [QuackScreen](https://quackscreen.com/) | Lifetime license shown at 20 euros, 2 Macs. A free version adds a watermark | macOS 26, Apple silicon only | A popover on the notch with its own capture shortcuts, drag out into Slack, Mail or Finder. |
| [Shotty](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shotty/id1250306151) | $9.99 once | macOS 14.6 or later | A menu bar list of recent screenshots and recordings you drag into any app. |
| [Tendedero](https://tendedero.app/) | Free, MIT license | macOS 14, Apple silicon or Intel | A free, open source edge tray under the menu bar. Dragging into an app sends a copy. |
| [ShotPanel](https://martech.zone/shotpanel-keep-screenshots-off-your-mac-desktop/) | Free | macOS 14 or later | A free floating panel, with a Dock folder, that collects the screenshots macOS saves. |
| [ScreenshotTray](https://trulyuseful.pages.dev/screenshottray/) | Free basic tray. Pro $4.99 a month, $19.99 a year or $34.99 lifetime | macOS 15 per its pricing page | A slide in edge tray with its own capture modes and a grid tool for several screenshots. |

Prices and availability were checked on 4 November 2026. Verify the linked product page before buying.

A screenshot tray holds your latest screenshots where you can reach them, so you drag one into a chat, an email or a folder instead of hunting for it on the Desktop. NotchStar's Screenshot Tray sits under the notch, catches the screenshots you take with macOS and keeps the latest 12 for five minutes each. It costs $4 once with nine other tools. Prices as of 4 November 2026.

## What a tray is for

You take a screenshot because someone needs to see something. The next step is the slow one: find the file, rename it if you care, drag it where it goes, then deal with the leftover on your Desktop. A tray shortens that. The screenshot waits where you can see it, you pick it up and you drop it.

The apps below differ in three ways: where the tray lives (notch, menu bar or screen edge), whether the app takes the screenshot itself or catches the ones macOS makes, and how long a screenshot stays.

## How the apps compare

| App | Where it lives | Takes the screenshot itself | Several at once | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NotchStar | Under the notch | No, catches macOS screenshots | Yes, Command click, or Option drag for all | $4 once, ten tools |
| QuackScreen | A popover on the notch | Yes, with its own shortcuts | Not stated | About 20 euros lifetime |
| Shotty | Menu bar | Not stated | Not stated | $9.99 once |
| Tendedero | Edge tray under the menu bar | No, catches macOS screenshots | Yes | Free |
| ShotPanel | Floating panel and a Dock folder | No, catches macOS screenshots | Yes, side by side | Free |
| ScreenshotTray | Slide in edge tray | Yes, and it collects from other places | Yes, in a grid | Free basic, Pro paid |

"Not stated" means the official page does not say. QuackScreen's price is shown in euros on its own site and Product Hunt lists it in dollars, so check the checkout. Two apps are left out on purpose. NotchNook's page describes a file tray and says nothing about screenshots. CleanShot X is a full capture app with a corner overlay, a different kind of tool at $35 once.

## What NotchStar's tray does

Take a screenshot the way you always do. A thumbnail you can read appears in a row under the notch. Drag it into a chat, an email, a folder or the Shelf, and it leaves the tray once you send it. Take a few in a row and they sit side by side. Command click the ones you want and drag any of them to send them together, or hold Option while you drag to send every screenshot in the tray. Hovering, clicking or dragging a screenshot does not open the notch.

An optional setting, Show screenshots instantly, turns off the macOS preview in the corner so the screenshot reaches the tray the moment you take it. It asks once, never changes where your screenshots are saved and puts your setting back when NotchStar quits.

## Its limits

- The tray is not an archive. A screenshot leaves after you use it or after five minutes, and it keeps the latest 12.
- Leaving the tray never touches the file. It stays in the folder where macOS saved it. Dragging a screenshot onto the Trash deletes the file, as it would anywhere on your Mac.
- It does not take screenshots itself, so you still use the macOS shortcuts.
- It needs macOS 14 or later.

If you need an app that captures, annotates and records, QuackScreen or CleanShot X are closer to that job. If you need a free tray, Tendedero and ShotPanel are worth a look. If you want a tray plus a clipboard, a file shelf, timers and a teleprompter for one low price, that is NotchStar.

## How to choose

1. **Do you want the app to take the screenshot?** QuackScreen and ScreenshotTray do. NotchStar, Tendedero and ShotPanel catch the ones macOS makes.
2. **Which macOS are you on?** NotchStar, Tendedero and ShotPanel need macOS 14. QuackScreen needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon.
3. **Is a tray the only thing you need?** If so, a free option may be enough. If you also want the other tools, [see which notch apps bundle them](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-notch-app-clipboard-file-shelf-timers/).

For the full workflow from capture to delivery, read [share screenshots from the Mac notch](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/share-screenshots-from-mac-notch/).

## Sources

- [NotchStar Screenshot Tray](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/), read on 4 November 2026.
- [QuackScreen](https://quackscreen.com/), [Shotty on the Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/shotty/id1250306151) and [Tendedero](https://tendedero.app/), read on 4 November 2026.
- [ShotPanel, described by its author](https://martech.zone/shotpanel-keep-screenshots-off-your-mac-desktop/) and [ScreenshotTray](https://trulyuseful.pages.dev/screenshottray/), read on 4 November 2026.

## Quick answers.

### What is a screenshot tray on a Mac?

A small shelf that holds your recent screenshots so you can drag them into a chat, an email or a folder without going to the Desktop first. Some trays sit in the notch, some in the menu bar and some at a screen edge.

### Does NotchStar's Screenshot Tray delete or move my screenshots?

No. A screenshot leaves the tray after you send it or after five minutes, and the file stays where macOS saved it. Only dragging a screenshot onto the Trash deletes it.

### Which screenshot tray lives in the notch?

NotchStar and QuackScreen both show screenshots under or on the notch. QuackScreen has its own capture shortcuts and needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon. NotchStar catches the screenshots you take with macOS and needs macOS 14.

### Is there a free screenshot tray for Mac?

Yes. Tendedero is free and open source, ShotPanel is free, and ScreenshotTray has a free basic tray.

## Related

- [Share Mac screenshots from the notch without losing the file](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/share-screenshots-from-mac-notch/): 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.
- [The best Mac notch apps in 2026, compared fairly](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/best-mac-notch-apps/): Compare thirteen Mac notch apps from their official pages, with prices, requirements, strengths, limits and who each one suits. Updated 4 November 2026.
- [A file shelf for Mac: stop stacking files on the Desktop](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/airdrop-shelf-for-mac/): A file shelf is a temporary holding area for drag and drop. Learn the workflow, why it beats the Desktop, and how an AirDrop zone speeds up sharing.
- [A Mac notch app with clipboard history, a file shelf and timers in one](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-notch-app-clipboard-file-shelf-timers/): Which Mac notch apps put clipboard history, a file shelf, timers, a teleprompter and a mirror in one app? Compared from official pages, with prices.