Blinkshot Support

Get started

1. Open Blinkshot. The first time, a folder chooser opens at the folder where macOS saves screenshots, which is usually your Desktop.
2. Click Choose. Blinkshot starts watching that folder for new screenshots.
3. Take a screenshot. For example, press Shift-Command-4, then drag to select an area. When macOS saves the file, a popup appears in the lower-right corner of the screen.
4. Click Temporary, Keep, or Move to Trash.

To see your screenshots later, click the Blinkshot icon in the menu bar, then choose Open Blinkshot. The Inbox opens. To open settings, click the Blinkshot icon, then choose Settings. When a Blinkshot window is open, you can also choose Blinkshot > Settings.

For step-by-step instructions, open a Blinkshot window, then choose Help > Blinkshot Help.

Common questions

Why doesn’t the popup appear after I take a screenshot?

Blinkshot watches one folder, and it needs to be the folder where macOS saves screenshots. To check, choose Blinkshot > Settings, then click Screenshots.

• If you see Matches where macOS saves screenshots, the folders match.
• If you see macOS saves screenshots to followed by a folder name, click Use This Folder, then click Choose.

You can also change where macOS saves screenshots: press Shift-Command-5, click Options, then choose a folder below Save to.

Blinkshot also needs to be open. Its icon appears in the menu bar unless you turned off Show Blinkshot in the menu bar.

Why does the popup take a few seconds to appear?

After you take a screenshot, macOS shows a floating thumbnail and waits to save the file until the thumbnail goes away. Blinkshot can’t see a screenshot until it’s saved.

To save screenshots right away, press Shift-Command-5, click Options, then deselect Show Floating Thumbnail. This setting applies to every screenshot you take on your Mac, even when Blinkshot isn’t open. Blinkshot doesn’t change it for you.

Why doesn’t Blinkshot detect screenshots copied to the clipboard?

Blinkshot finds screenshots by watching for new files. A screenshot copied to the clipboard, for example with Control-Shift-Command-4, isn’t saved as a file, so Blinkshot can’t see it. The same is true when you save a screenshot directly to another app, such as Mail or Preview.

Why didn’t an older screenshot appear in Blinkshot?

Blinkshot looks for screenshots as they’re saved. Images that were already in the folder, and screenshots that arrive with an older creation date, such as screenshots synced from another Mac, don’t appear in the Inbox and don’t open the popup.

Why doesn’t Blinkshot show other images from the folder?

Blinkshot looks only for new images that macOS marks as screenshots, in PNG, HEIC, HEIF, or JPEG format. To include other new images saved to the folder, such as downloads or exports, choose Blinkshot > Settings, click Screenshots, then turn on Also detect images from other apps.

What does Temporary do?

Temporary keeps a screenshot where macOS saved it for the time you choose, then moves it to the Trash. Choose 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, or the end of the day from the Temporary for menu in the popup. Blinkshot remembers your last choice. If Blinkshot isn’t open when the time is up, it moves the screenshot to the Trash the next time it opens.

How do I keep a Temporary screenshot after all?

Click the Blinkshot icon in the menu bar, choose Open Blinkshot, select the screenshot, then click Keep. The timer stops, and the screenshot is kept with no timer.

Blinkshot also keeps a Temporary screenshot if you rename it or move it in Finder, or with Screenshot > Move and Rename.

Where do screenshots go when I move them to the Trash?

When you click Move to Trash, or when a Temporary screenshot’s time is up, the file moves to the Trash. Blinkshot never erases files permanently. The popup moves a screenshot to the Trash right away. In the Inbox and the Screenshot menu, Blinkshot asks you to confirm first.

To recover a screenshot, click the Trash in the Dock, select the file, then choose File > Put Back. Blinkshot doesn’t restore the description or other details it had stored for that screenshot.

How do I remove a screenshot from Blinkshot but keep the file?

In the Inbox, select the screenshot, then choose Screenshot > Remove from Inbox. You can also Control-click the screenshot in the list. Blinkshot forgets the screenshot, with its description and recognized text, and the file stays where it is.

To remove every screenshot from the Inbox, choose Blinkshot > Settings, click General, click Clear Inbox Records, then click Clear Records. The files stay where they are, and Temporary screenshots are no longer moved to the Trash.

What does Control-Shift-Command-B do?

The popup appears without taking keyboard focus from the app you’re using. Press Control-Shift-Command-B in any app to move focus to the popup. Then press Return to choose Temporary, or press Escape to close the popup and go back to your app. A screenshot you don’t decide on stays in the Inbox, marked Pending decision.

If no popup is showing, the shortcut opens the popup again for screenshots that are still waiting for a decision. The same command is Review Screenshot in the Screenshot menu and in the Blinkshot menu bar menu. To choose a different shortcut, choose Blinkshot > Settings, then click Keyboard.

Why doesn’t my screenshot have a description?

Descriptions and suggested filenames use Apple Intelligence. A description may not be available if:

• Apple Intelligence is turned off in System Settings.
• Your Mac doesn’t support Apple Intelligence.
• The on-device model is still downloading.
• Analyze screenshots is turned off. Choose Blinkshot > Settings, then click Intelligence.
• The screenshot has too much content, uses a language the model doesn’t support, or was stopped by Apple’s on-device safety check.

When a description can’t be created, Blinkshot tells you why, and the screenshot keeps its original filename. You can still extract text and rename the screenshot yourself. If trying again could help, select the screenshot in the Inbox, then choose Screenshot > Analyze Again.

Where are Blinkshot’s settings?

Choose Blinkshot > Settings, or click the Blinkshot icon in the menu bar, then choose Settings. Settings has five tabs:

• General: The menu bar icon, opening at login, and Clear Inbox Records.
• Screenshots: The folder Blinkshot watches, whether it matches where macOS saves screenshots, and images from other apps.
• Popup: The image thumbnail, and whether the popup closes on its own.
• Keyboard: The shortcut that moves keyboard focus to the popup.
• Intelligence: Descriptions and suggested filenames.

Does Blinkshot change my macOS screenshot settings?

No. Blinkshot reads where macOS saves screenshots, so it can open that folder for you and tell you if the folders differ. It never changes that location or any other macOS setting.

How do I stop Blinkshot from opening at login?

Choose Blinkshot > Settings, click General, then turn off Open Blinkshot at login. This option is off unless you turn it on.

When Blinkshot opens at login, it starts in the menu bar without opening a window. When you open Blinkshot yourself, the Inbox opens.

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