Is the NotchStar Screenshot Tray private

Screenshot Tray Published 4 November 2026

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The Screenshot Tray is private in the sense that matters most: your screenshots stay on your Mac. NotchStar makes small thumbnails on the spot to show them, does not upload them, and has no account. The only data the tray keeps is a short list of screenshot file paths and times, stored on your Mac.

What NotchStar does with a screenshot

It finds the file in your screenshot folder.
It builds a thumbnail, about 160 pixels on its longest side, in memory with Apple’s image tools.
It shows the thumbnail under the notch.
When you drag, it hands the file to the app you drop it on.

What it stores

A small file in NotchStar’s Application Support folder lists the path of each screenshot in the tray and when it arrived. The list is there so that quitting and reopening within five minutes still shows the same screenshots. It is set so only your user account can read it. It holds no pictures.

What it sends

Nothing about screenshots. The app has no account. By default the app measures nothing. If you choose to share anonymous version info, once a day it sends the NotchStar version, your macOS version, your chip, trial or licence status and a random ID. According to the app text, this includes no files, clipboard, names or emails. Read the privacy policy for the rest.

What to watch for yourself

A screenshot hangs under the notch where anyone looking at your screen can see it, for up to five minutes. Hover and click the small x to remove one sooner.
The files themselves stay in your screenshot folder until you delete them, whether or not they are in the tray.

See the privacy checklist for notch apps for how to judge any of them. The overview is on the Screenshot Tray page.

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.
A privacy checklist for any Mac notch app: 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: 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.
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.

Put your notch to work.

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