# What happens to the NotchStar shelf when you quit

> The shelf empties when NotchStar quits. Your files stay where they were, because the shelf only held their locations. Drop them again next time.

Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-happens-to-the-shelf-when-you-quit/
Last updated: 2026-11-04

Published 2026-11-04.

When you quit NotchStar, the shelf empties. This is on purpose and is listed in the Shelf limits. Your files are not touched: the shelf only held their locations, so every original is still in its folder.

## What to expect

- Quit NotchStar, and the icons are gone.
- Open it again, and the shelf starts empty.
- The files are exactly where they were, unchanged.

## Does it empty when the notch closes?

No. Closing or folding the notch does not clear the shelf. Icons stay until you remove them or quit. The **Clear** button next to the shelf empties it by hand, and hovering over one icon shows an x to remove just that file.

## If you need a longer lived home

The shelf is for the short term, a few minutes to a working session. For anything you want to keep across a restart:

1. Put the file in a project folder.
2. Keep text in [Quick Notes](https://www.notchstar.com/features/quick-notes/) or the [Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) tab.

The same idea applies to clipboard history, covered in [clipboard history clears on quit](https://www.notchstar.com/help/clipboard-history-clears-on-quit/).

For the design reason, see [what the shelf remembers](https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-the-notchstar-shelf-remembers/), or the [File Shelf page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/file-shelf/).

## Quick answers.

### Are my files deleted when the shelf empties?

No. The shelf held only locations. The files remain where they always were.

## Keep reading.

- [A shelf and an AirDrop zone in the notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/file-shelf/): Park files in the notch while you work, then drag them out or AirDrop them. Drag a file toward the notch and the shelf opens by itself.
- [What the NotchStar shelf remembers: locations, not contents](https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-the-notchstar-shelf-remembers/): The shelf keeps the location of each file, like an alias, not a copy of its contents. Dragging out uses the original file on your disk.
- [Is the NotchStar file shelf private](https://www.notchstar.com/help/notchstar-shelf-privacy/): The shelf remembers where files are, not their contents, and is cleared when you quit. NotchStar has no account and sends no files anywhere.
- [Why your NotchStar clipboard history clears when you quit](https://www.notchstar.com/help/clipboard-history-clears-on-quit/): NotchStar keeps clipboard history in memory only, so quitting the app clears it. Nothing is written to disk, and password manager copies are skipped.

## More in Shelf and AirDrop.

- [How to drop a file on the NotchStar shelf](https://www.notchstar.com/help/drop-a-file-on-the-notch-shelf/): Drag a file toward the notch and the Shelf tab opens. Drop it in the dashed zone and it waits there until you drag it out or send it.
- [How to open the NotchStar shelf by dragging a file](https://www.notchstar.com/help/open-the-shelf-by-dragging-toward-the-notch/): Drag a file toward the top of the screen near the notch and NotchStar opens the Shelf by itself. Let go elsewhere and it closes again.
- [Why the NotchStar shelf does not open for text or images](https://www.notchstar.com/help/why-the-shelf-does-not-open-for-text-or-images/): Drag to open reacts to files only. Text and images dragged from a web page do not open the shelf. Save the image as a file first, then drag it.
- [How to AirDrop a file from your Mac notch](https://www.notchstar.com/help/airdrop-a-file-from-the-notch/): Drag a file toward the notch and drop it on the AirDrop zone. The macOS AirDrop picker opens with the file attached. Pick a device to send.
- [What the AirDrop zone in the NotchStar shelf does](https://www.notchstar.com/help/what-the-airdrop-zone-does/): The AirDrop zone does not keep files. Whatever you drop on it opens the macOS AirDrop picker with those files attached, and nothing is stored.
- [How to AirDrop from your Mac notch to an iPhone](https://www.notchstar.com/help/airdrop-from-the-notch-to-an-iphone/): Drop a file on the NotchStar AirDrop zone, then tap your iPhone in the picker. The iPhone must be nearby with AirDrop receiving turned on.