Restore the macOS screenshot preview after using NotchStar
NotchStar gives you back your own screenshot preview setting when you switch off Show screenshots instantly in Settings, and when NotchStar quits. If the corner preview is still missing, turn it on yourself in the Screenshot app: press Shift Command 5, open Options and choose Show Floating Thumbnail so a check mark appears.
When NotchStar restores it
- You switch off Show screenshots instantly in NotchStar Settings, General.
- You quit NotchStar from its menu.
- NotchStar is stopped by the usual termination signals (the ones sent by a shutdown or by the Terminal), which run the same clean up.
NotchStar saved your original value before it changed anything. That value can be on, off, or never set, and it goes back exactly as it was. If you had turned the preview off yourself before, it stays off.
When it might not come back at once
A forced quit, a crash or a power cut skips the clean up, and the preview can stay off. NotchStar keeps the saved value, so launching it again and switching the setting off, or quitting it normally, restores your value. Or use the manual steps below.
Turn it on yourself
- Press Shift Command 5. The Screenshot toolbar appears.
- Click Options.
- Choose Show Floating Thumbnail so a check mark shows.
Apple documents this on its Take screenshots or screen recordings page, checked 4 November 2026 against the macOS 27 Golden Gate and Tahoe 26 versions of the guide.
If you uninstall NotchStar
Switch Show screenshots instantly off first, then quit. If you removed the app while it was on, use the manual steps above. Read what the setting does in Show screenshots instantly. The overview is on the Screenshot Tray page.
