# NotchStar Screenshot Tray vs the macOS floating thumbnail

> The macOS floating thumbnail shows one capture for a few seconds. The NotchStar tray holds up to 12 for five minutes. Here is where each one wins.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/screenshot-tray-vs-the-macos-floating-thumbnail/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

The macOS floating thumbnail is a preview in the bottom right corner for a few seconds after a capture. The NotchStar Screenshot Tray holds up to 12 screenshots under the notch for five minutes each. They work together: macOS captures, NotchStar holds. Here is where each is better. Prices as of 4 November 2026.

## Side by side

| | macOS floating thumbnail | NotchStar Screenshot Tray |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where | Corner of the screen | Under the notch |
| How long | A few seconds, longer while the pointer rests on it | Five minutes, unless used |
| How many | The latest capture | The latest 12 |
| Drag out | Yes, to another app | Yes, one, several picked, or all with Option |
| Edit and markup | Yes, click the thumbnail | No |
| Copy to clipboard | Control click, then Save to Clipboard | Right click, Copy |
| Cost | Included in macOS | $4 once with the other nine NotchStar tools |

The macOS column is from Apple's Take screenshots or screen recordings pages, checked 4 November 2026.

## Where macOS wins

It is built in and free, it works on every Mac, and clicking the thumbnail lets you mark up the capture straight away. The tray has no editing.

## Where the tray wins

- The screenshot waits long enough that you can take three and send them together.
- Thumbnails are larger and sit in a row you can see without chasing a corner.
- You can pick several with Command click, or send them all with Option drag.

## Can they run together

Yes, but only with a delay. While the macOS preview is on, the file is not saved until it goes, and the tray waits for the file. [Show screenshots instantly](https://www.notchstar.com/help/show-screenshots-instantly-setting/) turns the preview off to remove the wait.

NotchStar needs macOS 14 or later. See other trays in [Mac screenshot tray apps compared](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-screenshot-tray-apps/). 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.
- [Mac screenshot tray apps compared: keep screenshots handy, drag them out](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/mac-screenshot-tray-apps/): Compare Mac apps that hold screenshots in a tray so you can drag them into chats, email or folders: notch, menu bar and edge trays, checked 4 November 2026.
- [What Show screenshots instantly does in NotchStar](https://www.notchstar.com/help/show-screenshots-instantly-setting/): Show screenshots instantly turns off the macOS corner preview so a screenshot reaches the NotchStar tray at once. It is optional and changes one setting.
- [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.