How long screenshots stay in the NotchStar tray

Screenshot Tray Published 4 November 2026

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An unused screenshot stays in the NotchStar Screenshot Tray for five minutes, and the tray holds the latest 12 at a time. A screenshot also leaves as soon as you use it, by dragging it somewhere or copying it. These limits are on purpose: the tray is a short stop on the way to a chat or an email, not a gallery.

The two limits

Five minutes. The clock starts when the screenshot reaches the tray. NotchStar checks about every 10 seconds, so a screenshot may linger a few seconds past the mark.
12 screenshots. When a thirteenth arrives, the oldest one drops off the strip. It does not go to the Trash.

What else removes a screenshot

Dragging it onto a chat, an email, a folder or the Shelf and dropping it.
Choosing Copy from its right click menu.
Hovering over it and clicking the small x, or choosing Remove from notch.
Moving or deleting the file in Finder. NotchStar notices the file is gone and removes the thumbnail.

If you start a drag and let go over nothing, the screenshot flies back and stays.

Does it survive quitting NotchStar

NotchStar keeps a small list of the screenshot file paths and times, so a relaunch within five minutes still shows the same screenshots. Older ones are dropped on launch.

Where the file is afterwards

Leaving the tray does not delete the picture. Read what happens to the file. The full feature is on the Screenshot Tray page.

Quick answers.

Can I make the tray keep screenshots longer?

Not today. The five minute and 12 screenshot limits are fixed in the app.

Link to this answer

Is a screenshot lost when it leaves the tray?

No. The file stays where macOS saved it.

Link to this answer

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.
What happens to a screenshot file when it leaves the NotchStar tray: Leaving the NotchStar tray never touches the screenshot file. It stays where macOS saved it, except when you drop it on the Trash or on a Finder folder.
How screenshots reach the NotchStar Screenshot 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.
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.

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