Menu bar only. No account. No cloud.

The screenshot manager for Mac.

ShotFile is a macOS menu bar app that catches every screenshot before it hits your Desktop. The moment you capture a screenshot a quick panel opens: name the file, add tags, annotate it, and route it to the right folder. Done in seconds, before you switch windows.

No meaningless filenames. No Desktop clutter. Three layers of context baked directly into the image: tags, annotations, and a name that actually makes sense.

Built for anyone who uses screenshots at any point in their work.

Download ShotFile 1.0.6 €19/year €4/month

Try it free for 14 days, no credit card. Requires Apple Silicon (M1+). See pricing

The flow

Every screenshot, handled before you switch windows.

Step 1

Name it

Type a name that actually means something. Add quick tags like Bug or Feature, and they append to the filename automatically. Easier to find later, and immediately useful as context when dropping the file into an LLM or sharing with a colleague. Customise your tags so they fit the work you do.

ShotFile rename window
Step 2

File it

Drop it straight into the right project folder, with no Desktop pile-up and no hunting for it later. Pick from your existing folders, or create new ones (and subfolders) right there in the window without breaking your flow. One click saves it; one click saves and copies it to your clipboard, ready to paste wherever it's needed next.

ShotFile file-it window
Step 3

Edit before filing

Add context before the screenshot goes anywhere: open the editor with one click or a keyboard shortcut, right from the rename or file screen. Draw arrows, boxes, text labels, and step numbers; blur anything sensitive; pick an exact colour with the hex picker when it matters. Every annotation stays fully editable, click it anytime to adjust colour, thickness, or position, right up until you're done.

Cmd+scroll zooms in centred on your pointer, so even high-res Retina screenshots get pixel-precise edits.

ShotFile annotation window

Built for how work happens now

One paste, full context.

Paste the exported PNG straight into your LLM of choice. The filename gives it project and type. The annotations show what's wrong. The note tells it what you need. Three layers of context in a single file, no extra prompt required.

ShotFile context note bar: write a note that gets baked into the exported PNG
Attach context to the image: write a note directly below the screenshot before it exports. It gets baked into the PNG itself, so the explanation travels with the image wherever you send it. No separate message to write, no "what does this show?" reply to answer later.
Exported PNG with annotations and an attached context note below the screenshot
A real export: annotated screenshot plus the context bar baked into the PNG, ready to paste into a chat or wherever you like.

Beyond filing

The tools around the flow.

Copy text from anywhere on screen (OCR)

Hit the hotkey and drag a selection around any text on your screen: a paragraph in another app, a label, or a single line. ShotFile reads it instantly and copies it straight to your clipboard. No need to screenshot anything first. Recognition runs on Apple's on-device Vision framework, so nothing is uploaded and nothing leaves your Mac.

TypeError: Cannot read properties of undefined
→ selected on screen, on your clipboard as real, editable text.

QuickShots

Your last five screenshots, parked in a small floating stack you can keep open while you work. Drag any shot onto another window or app and it stays right there in the stack, so you can drop the same shot into as many places as you need. Reopen a shot in the editor with one click, copy with a click, or dismiss the ones you don't need.

ShotFile QuickShots stack

Recent screenshots

Every filed screenshot in one searchable list. Open it from the menu bar camera icon. Filter by today, last 7 days, last 30 days, or all time. Search names, folders, tags, and dates, or text inside the images via on-device OCR. Double-click to rename inline; select rows to bulk-move, tag, delete, or copy.

ShotFile recent screenshots panel with time period filters and OCR search

Clipboard history

Copy ten things in a row without losing any of them. ShotFile keeps your last 10 clipboard items, images and text together. Found something you reach for constantly? Star it. Starred items move to a separate Favourites tab that doesn't roll over; they stay put no matter how much else you copy after.

ShotFile clipboard history list

Yours, not ours

Tuned to how you work.

  • Quick tagsOne-click labels appended to every filename. Fast to search later, and gives an LLM instant context without you typing a thing. Fully customisable in Settings: your tags, your projects, not a default list.
  • Auto-open editorDoing annotation-heavy work? Turn this on and every screenshot opens straight into the editor, with no extra click to get there.
  • Rebindable shortcutsClipboard history, quick capture, whatever you reach for most: rebind any of it in Settings to match what's already in your muscle memory.
  • Copy and deleteOne click copies the image to your clipboard and removes the file from disk. Built for the throwaway shots you only ever needed once. Everyone's favourite.
ShotFile settings window

Why there's no sign-up button

Your screenshots never leave your Mac.

No account

Download, open, take a screenshot. There is nothing to register, nothing to log into, and no profile of you anywhere.

No cloud

Every file stays in the folders you chose, on your disk. ShotFile has no servers holding your images, by design, not by toggle.

On-device OCR

Text recognition runs on Apple's Vision framework, locally. Nothing is uploaded, even when you pull text off your screen.

Get ShotFile

Try it free for 14 days.

Full app, no credit card. If it earns a place in your menu bar, grab a license when you’re ready, monthly or yearly.

Download ShotFile 1.0.6

14-day free trial · no credit card · Apple Silicon (M1+)

Monthly

€4.00/ month

Same full app · cancel any time

Buy monthly

Yearly · Best value

€19.00/ year

Save vs paying monthly

Buy yearly

See pricing details

Prefer Homebrew? 
brew tap z4rd0z1/shotfile
brew install --cask shotfile
  1. Click the download button above. ShotFile saves to your Downloads folder.
  2. Double-click ShotFile then drag ShotFile into the Applications folder.
  3. Open ShotFile from Applications or Spotlight.
  4. Press Cmd+Shift+4 to take a screenshot. ShotFile opens the rename panel instantly.

By downloading ShotFile you agree to the Terms of Service, EULA, and Privacy Policy.

No warranty. macOS and Mac are trademarks of Apple Inc.
Made to solve and improve my own worklife. Hopefully could help other people along the way.
Inquiries, questions and improvement suggestions to info@shotfile.app