# How to keep a screenshot for a bug report on a Mac > Capture the error, check it in the NotchStar tray, then attach or save it before the five minutes are up. The file stays where macOS saved it. Canonical: https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/keep-a-screenshot-for-a-bug-report-on-a-mac/ Last updated: 2026-11-04 Published 2026-11-04. Take the screenshot at the moment the error shows, check it in the NotchStar tray, and either drag it straight into your bug report or save the file in a project folder. The tray is a short stop, so do not treat it as the place the evidence lives. ## Steps 1. When the error appears, capture it with the macOS shortcut. Shift + Command + 4 selects an area, and Shift + Command + 5 offers window capture and options, per Apple's page checked on 4 November 2026. 2. A thumbnail appears under the notch. Click it to open the file and check the error text is readable. 3. If the report is open, drag the thumbnail into the attachment area. The thumbnail then leaves the tray as used. 4. If the report is not ready, right click and choose **Reveal in Finder**, then move the file to a folder named for the bug. The tray entry will expire after five minutes, but the file does not go anywhere. 5. Add a line saying what you did before it, the time and the app version. A picture without that is hard to act on. ## Capture the right thing Include the whole error message and the window title, and leave out private details like names or tokens. Several shots in a row, such as the error and the settings screen, can be sent together by picking them with Command click, as described in [sending several screenshots at once](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/send-several-screenshots-at-once-on-a-mac/). ## What the tray does and does not do - **It does not capture.** macOS takes the shot, and NotchStar shows it. - **Five minutes, 12 shots.** The latest 12 stay. Older ones drop off the tray, never into the Trash. - **Leaving the tray does not delete the file.** It stays where macOS saved it. Only dragging to the Trash or Move to Trash deletes it. - **Dropping into a Finder folder moves it** there, while dropping into an app hands the app a copy. - **No annotation.** Mark up in Preview if you need arrows. ## Text matters too If the error has text you can copy, copy it as well. The [Clipboard](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/) keeps your last 50 copies, so you can paste the message into the report body beside the image. Searchable text helps whoever fixes the bug. The [Screenshot Tray page](https://www.notchstar.com/features/screenshot-tray/) has every control, and the [sharing guide](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/share-screenshots-from-mac-notch/) follows a screenshot from capture to the saved file. ## Quick answers. ### Is the tray a safe place to keep evidence? No. It holds a shot for five minutes and the latest 12. The file stays in the folder macOS saved it in, so move it to a project folder. ### Can I copy the screenshot to paste into an issue? Yes. Right click it and choose Copy. This puts the file on the clipboard. ## 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. - [Share Mac screenshots from the notch without losing the file](https://www.notchstar.com/guides/share-screenshots-from-mac-notch/): Capture a screenshot, find its saved file and send it from the Mac notch. Understand tray expiry, multiple selections and what happens to the original. - [How to send a screenshot in a support chat on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/send-screenshots-in-a-support-chat-on-a-mac/): Take a screenshot, then drag it from the NotchStar Screenshot Tray into a support chat. Steps, the five minute limit, and what the tray does not do. - [Clipboard history that lives in your notch](https://www.notchstar.com/features/clipboard/): Searchable clipboard history in the Mac notch: text, links, images and files. Skips password manager copies. Click any item to copy it again. ## More in Work and files. - [How to AirDrop files from the Mac notch](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/move-files-to-airdrop-with-the-shelf-on-a-mac/): Drag files toward the notch, drop them on the AirDrop zone and pick a device in the macOS sharing sheet. Steps, the shelf alternative, and the limits. - [How to collect files from different folders before attaching them on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/collect-several-files-before-attaching-them-on-a-mac/): Park files from different folders on the NotchStar Shelf, then drag them out one at a time or AirDrop them together. The shelf holds references, not copies. - [How to move files between folders without two Finder windows on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/move-files-between-folders-with-the-shelf-on-a-mac/): Park files on the NotchStar Shelf, switch to the destination folder, and drag them out. A quick way to move files without two Finder windows side by side. - [How to paste something you copied earlier on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/reuse-text-you-copied-earlier-in-an-email-on-a-mac/): Find an earlier copy in the NotchStar Clipboard tab, search it, click it and paste it. Holds 50 items, clears on quit and skips password manager copies. - [How to see your next meeting on a Mac without opening Calendar](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/check-your-next-meeting-without-opening-calendar-on-a-mac/): The NotchStar Home tab shows your next two events and reminders. Hover the notch, read the time and tick off reminders. Today and tomorrow only. - [How to find large folders and duplicate files on a Mac](https://www.notchstar.com/use-cases/find-large-folders-and-duplicate-files-on-a-mac/): Use the NotchStar Disk tab to rank folders by size, find duplicate files and move extras to the Trash. Scans start only when you press a button.