# Does the NotchStar Screenshot Tray need permissions

> The Screenshot Tray needs no Screen Recording, Camera or Accessibility permission. macOS may ask once for access to the folder your screenshots are saved in.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/does-the-screenshot-tray-need-permissions/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

The Screenshot Tray does not need Screen Recording permission, because NotchStar never captures your screen. The tray only reads image files that macOS has already saved. The one prompt you may see is macOS asking whether NotchStar can access the folder where your screenshots are saved, such as Desktop.

## What the tray asks for

- **Screen Recording:** no. NotchStar contains no screen capture code.
- **Camera:** not for the tray. Only the Mirror tool uses the camera.
- **Calendars and Reminders:** not for the tray. Only the Calendar tab uses them.
- **Automation:** not for the tray. It is for controlling Music or Spotify.
- **Folder access:** possibly. macOS protects some folders, such as Desktop, and may ask the first time an app reads them. Whether it asks depends on your Mac.

The site FAQ lists the app's permissions as Calendars, Reminders, Camera and Automation, each asked only when you open the tool that needs it.

## If you declined folder access

The tray may not be able to see new files in that folder, so screenshots may not appear. Change the answer in System Settings, Privacy & Security, Files & Folders, where Apple says the listed apps have requested access.

## What the tray reads

It lists the folder where macOS saves screenshots and reads the screenshot image files in it to build a small thumbnail. It does not look at other folders.

Read the full list on the [privacy checklist for notch apps](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/notch-app-privacy-checklist/) and in [is NotchStar safe](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/is-notchstar-safe/). The overview is on the [Screenshot Tray page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/).

## Keep reading.

- [Screenshot Tray: your screenshots wait under the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/): 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.
- [A privacy checklist for any Mac notch app](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/notch-app-privacy-checklist/): Seven checks to make before you install a notch app: permissions, notarization, network use, data storage and what to do if something looks off.
- [Is NotchStar safe? Signing, permissions and what it sends](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/is-notchstar-safe/): NotchStar is signed and notarized by Apple, needs no account and sends nothing unless you opt in. See every permission it asks for and how to check it yourself.
- [Does NotchStar take screenshots, or only hold them](https://www.notchstar.com/help/does-notchstar-take-screenshots/): No. The NotchStar Screenshot Tray does not capture, record or edit anything. You take screenshots with macOS, and the tray holds them so you can send them.

## More in Screenshot Tray.

- [How screenshots reach the NotchStar Screenshot Tray](https://www.notchstar.com/help/how-screenshots-reach-the-notch-tray/): NotchStar watches the folder where macOS saves screenshots and hangs each new one under the notch. Here is what counts, what does not, and how fast.
- [How long screenshots stay in the NotchStar tray](https://www.notchstar.com/help/how-long-screenshots-stay-in-the-notch-tray/): The NotchStar Screenshot Tray holds the latest 12 screenshots and keeps each unused one for five minutes. Using a screenshot removes it sooner.
- [Drag a screenshot from the notch into a chat or email](https://www.notchstar.com/help/drag-a-screenshot-into-a-chat-or-email/): Press on a screenshot in the NotchStar tray, move a few points and drop it into a chat or an email. The app receives a copy of the file.
- [Drag a screenshot from the notch into a folder](https://www.notchstar.com/help/drag-a-screenshot-from-the-notch-into-a-folder/): Drop a NotchStar tray screenshot on a Finder folder to put the file there. Finder decides whether it moves or copies, and the tray entry goes away.
- [Send several screenshots at once from the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/help/send-several-screenshots-at-once/): Take a few screenshots, pick the ones you want and drag them into a chat together. NotchStar carries all picked files in one drag.
- [Pick several screenshots in the notch with Command click](https://www.notchstar.com/help/pick-several-screenshots-with-command-click/): Hold Command and click screenshots in the NotchStar tray to pick them. A drag from any picked one then carries all of them.