Why a screenshot is missing from the NotchStar tray

If a screenshot you took is not in the NotchStar tray, the cause is usually one of seven things. The most common are that you copied it to the clipboard instead of saving a file, that it has been more than five minutes, or that macOS has not saved it yet because its corner preview is still showing.

Check these in order

1. It was copied, not saved. Holding Control with the screenshot keys, or choosing Save to Clipboard from the macOS thumbnail, puts the picture on the clipboard and no file is written. The tray only shows files.
2. The corner preview is still showing. macOS saves the file after the preview goes. Wait a few seconds, or turn on Show screenshots instantly.
3. It left the tray. Unused screenshots go after five minutes, and the tray holds only the latest 12. See how long screenshots stay.
4. You used it. Dragging, copying or removing a screenshot takes it off the tray.
5. It is in a different folder. Check Shift Command 5, Options, Save to. NotchStar watches the folder macOS uses. On macOS 27 with a custom folder and a NotchStar version older than 1.0.5, see the macOS 27 fix.
6. It is not an image or a capture. NotchStar reads PNG, JPEG, HEIC and TIFF files. Screen recordings are not shown. In a folder not named Screenshots, the file must carry the macOS screen capture mark or a screenshot style name.
7. It was there before NotchStar started. Files already in the folder at launch are skipped.

Also check

• NotchStar is running. Its icon is in the menu bar.
• macOS may ask for folder access, for example for Desktop or Documents. If it was declined, NotchStar reads an empty folder and adds nothing. Change the answer in System Settings, Privacy & Security. Read permissions.

The file is not lost in any of these cases. Look in your screenshot folder. The overview is on the Screenshot Tray page.