What happens to a screenshot file when it leaves the NotchStar tray
When a screenshot leaves the NotchStar tray, whether it expired, you sent it or you removed it, the picture file is left alone. It stays in the folder where macOS saved it, usually the Desktop. There are two exceptions you choose yourself: dropping it onto the Trash, and dropping it onto a Finder folder.
Each way a screenshot leaves
| What you do | What happens to the file |
|---|---|
| Wait five minutes | Nothing. It stays in the folder. |
| More than 12 arrive | Nothing. The oldest drops off the strip. |
| Drag into a chat or email | The app gets a copy. The original stays. |
| Copy from the right click menu | The files are copied to the clipboard. The original stays. |
| Remove from notch | Nothing. It stays in the folder. |
| Drag onto a Finder folder | Finder moves or copies it, as it does for any file. |
| Drag onto the Trash, or choose Move to Trash | The file goes to the Trash. |
Does NotchStar make its own copies
No. The tray shows a small preview made from your file. It does not duplicate the picture. The only thing it stores is a short list of file paths and times so that a relaunch within five minutes still shows the same screenshots. That list is readable only by your user account.
If you cannot find a screenshot
Right click a thumbnail and choose Reveal in Finder while it is still in the tray. After it left, look in the screenshot folder, which you can see in the Screenshot app’s Options menu (Shift Command 5), below Save to.
Read more about the Trash. The overview is on the Screenshot Tray page.
