Support

Last updated: June 21, 2026 · ● BETA

Got a question, some feedback, or something acting up? This page covers what Shotbox is, how to get started, the questions we hear most, and a few fixes for when things go sideways. Can't find your answer? Email us — we're happy to help.

What is Shotbox?

Shotbox is a menu-bar macOS screenshot tool. Press its hotkey to grab a region and it instantly runs on-device OCR, gives the shot a title, sorts it into a category, dedupes it, and makes it searchable. Screenshots you save to your desktop or watched folders are picked up automatically too. Later you search in plain words and it hands back the original image, the text inside it, and where it came from.

It's a Mac-only app, it's free, and it's local-first: OCR, titling, and categorizing all run on your device. Your screenshots never leave it — no account, no signup, no cloud, no upload. Most screenshots you take the usual way are saved automatically; the few it can't catch, it tells you (more on that below).

System requirements

• macOS 12 or later
• Works on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
• No account and no internet connection required — everything runs locally

Install

1. Download the app: grab the app download (Shotbox is distributed as a direct download, not through the App Store).
2. Drag to Applications: open it and drag Shotbox into your Applications folder.
3. Open it: launch Shotbox once. It lives quietly in your menu bar — there's no main window to keep open and nothing to fiddle with day to day.

How to use it

1. Shoot with the hotkey: press Shotbox's customizable hotkey and drag to select a region — it captures and files the shot the moment you let go, without leaving your flow.
2. Or save to a watched folder: any screenshot you save to your desktop (or another watched folder) is picked up automatically too — no extra step.
3. It files itself: each shot gets OCR'd, titled, and categorized on-device. You don't have to name, tag, or sort anything.
4. Search it back later: open Shotbox from the menu bar and type what you remember in plain words. It searches the OCR text and titles and returns the original image plus the text and source.

Permissions

Shotbox asks for as little as possible:

• One-click capture needs one grant. The built-in one-click region capture hotkey needs a one-time Screen Recording permission — the permission any screen capture needs on macOS. Shotbox only reads your images, never alters them, and never asks for full-disk access.
• Picking up saved shots needs nothing. Screenshots you save to your desktop or a watched folder are filed with zero extra permissions required.

A shot didn't get picked up?

Shots you take with Shotbox are saved instantly. Screenshots you save another way are picked up once they hit a watched folder — a few kinds never reach disk, so it's honest about its boundary and these slip through:

• Editor-only shots that never hit disk — captured straight into a tool's editor and discarded without ever being saved as a file.
• Pure cloud-direct uploads — sent straight to a cloud service without a local copy being written.
• Clipboard-only shots never pasted — copied to the clipboard and then thrown away without being saved or pasted anywhere.

This is a known boundary, not a bug. Shots you take with Shotbox are always saved; for everything else, most are picked up automatically and the few that can't be are flagged. You can add or remove watched folders in Settings to control exactly where Shotbox looks.

Frequently asked questions

Will it change or delete my original images?

No. Shotbox only reads your images to build its index and thumbnails — it never alters, moves, or deletes the originals. They stay in your own folders, ready to open any time.

Does Shotbox upload my screenshots?

No. OCR, titling, and categorizing all run on your device. Your screenshots never leave it. There's no account, no signup, no cloud, and no data upload of any kind. See the Privacy Policy for details.

Is it really free?

Yes. Shotbox is free and distributed as a direct download.

Where does Shotbox keep my shots?

It watches folders you choose (your desktop by default) and keeps everything local. You can add or remove watched folders any time in Settings.

Why isn't it on the App Store?

Shotbox is distributed as a direct download rather than through the App Store. Just download, drag to Applications, and open.

It missed a screenshot — why?

Shots you take with Shotbox are saved instantly. For screenshots saved another way, Shotbox picks them up once they reach a watched folder — it can't pick up editor-only shots that never hit disk, pure cloud-direct uploads, or clipboard-only shots that are never pasted. When one can't be picked up, Shotbox tells you rather than silently dropping it.

Troubleshooting

• A screenshot wasn't picked up: check that it actually landed in a watched folder — open Settings and confirm the folder it was saved to is in the list. Editor-only, cloud-direct, and clipboard-only shots can't be picked up (see "A shot didn't get picked up?").
• The one-click capture hotkey doesn't work: this is almost always the Screen Recording permission. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording and make sure Shotbox is allowed, then relaunch it. Picking up shots already saved to disk doesn't need this — only the capture hotkey does.
• No text was recognized in a shot: make sure the image is sharp and the text isn't too small, too dark, or heavily compressed — that can throw off OCR. A higher-resolution capture usually fixes it.
• A shot won't turn up in search: search covers the OCR text and titles, so try a word that actually appears in the image. If that shot's text wasn't recognized, a clearer capture will help.
• Shotbox isn't running: it lives in the menu bar, not the Dock. Look for its icon up top; if it's gone, relaunch it from your Applications folder.

Privacy

Shotbox is fully local. OCR (Apple Vision), titling, and categorizing all run on your device, and your screenshots never leave it — no account, no cloud, no upload. To learn exactly how your data is handled, see the Privacy Policy.