ScreenSort Support
Help for ScreenSort 1.0 for Mac
Contact us
Email Contact Support. A real person at Scaile Studios LLC replies within 2 business days. Include your macOS version and what you expected to happen.
Quick Start Guide
- Install and launch ScreenSort. Open the disk image, drag ScreenSort to Applications and open it (or install it from the Mac App Store). ScreenSort lives in the menu bar, near the clock, and has no Dock icon. On first launch it opens its Settings window.
- Grant folder access once. Under Screenshot Folder, click Grant Folder Access… and the macOS folder picker opens on the folder where your screenshots are saved. Click Grant Access. You only do this once.
- Take a screenshot. Press Cmd-Shift-4 (selection) or Cmd-Shift-3 (full screen). A banner appears at the top center of your screen, the file gets a clean name in under a second, and it is filed into the right folder. Click the name to edit it, drag the thumbnail into any app, or click Undo.
Folder Access & Security-Scoped Bookmarks
How ScreenSort finds your screenshot folder
macOS saves screenshots to the Desktop (~/Desktop) unless you picked another location in the Screenshot app (Cmd-Shift-5, then Options).
- Download from screensort.app: ScreenSort reads that location from the
com.apple.screencapturesettings, falls back to~/Desktopif none is set, and follows along automatically if you change it later. - Mac App Store: the App Sandbox does not allow reading other apps' settings, so ScreenSort starts with your Desktop. If you save screenshots somewhere else, click Choose Custom Folder… and pick that folder.
To check your screenshot location yourself, run this in Terminal. If it prints an error, macOS is using the default, your Desktop.
defaults read com.apple.screencapture location
Why the one-time folder picker
The Mac App Store version runs in the macOS App Sandbox, so it cannot touch any folder you have not explicitly granted. When you confirm a folder in the macOS folder picker (NSOpenPanel), macOS gives ScreenSort a security-scoped bookmark: a permission token for that folder only. ScreenSort stores the bookmark with its settings, which keeps read and write access working across app restarts and Mac restarts without asking again. ScreenSort cannot see anything outside the folder you grant.
Changing the screenshot folder or the category folders
Click the ScreenSort icon in the menu bar and choose Settings… (Cmd-,).
- Screenshot Folder: click Choose Custom Folder… to watch a different folder, or Use System Default to go back to where macOS saves screenshots. Show in Finder opens the folder being watched.
- Folder Routing: the category folders are created as subfolders inside the screenshot folder, the first time a capture is filed into them. Rename any of them, add extra keywords, or click Restore Default Folders.
If ScreenSort ever loses access, for example because the folder was renamed or moved, the menu bar menu shows Needs access to the screenshot folder. Choose Grant Folder Access… to pick it again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does on-device naming work?
When a new screenshot appears, ScreenSort reads the text in it with Apple's Vision OCR, then asks Apple's on-device Foundation Models framework (Apple Intelligence) to describe the capture in 2 to 5 words. That becomes a lowercase, hyphenated filename like stripe-q3-invoice.png, and the same step picks a category folder.
Everything runs on your Mac in under a second. Nothing is uploaded. On Macs without Apple Intelligence (or with it turned off), ScreenSort builds the name from the OCR text alone.
How much does ScreenSort cost? How does licensing work?
ScreenSort is $9.99 one-time, with no subscription. There are two ways to get it:
- Direct download from screensort.app: includes a 14-day free trial. When you are ready, buy a license key for US$9.99 through Paddle, our reseller and Merchant of Record. One key activates ScreenSort on up to 3 Macs that you own or control, and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Mac App Store: US$9.99 one-time. Apple handles the purchase, updates and refunds.
Either way, you get free updates for every 1.x release. See Pricing and section 2 of our Terms of Use for the details.
Do I need an API key or a cloud account?
No. Screenshot naming and folder sorting run 100% on your Mac with no account, no API key and no per-screenshot cost, and work with Wi-Fi turned off. The Mac App Store build makes zero network connections. The direct download from screensort.app only uses the internet to check for app updates and to activate a license key.
How do I drag a screenshot into Slack or Mail?
While the banner is showing, press on the thumbnail and drag it into Slack, Mail, Messages, Linear, Cursor, Chrome, Finder or any app that accepts files. The banner does not steal focus, so your current app stays in front, and the 5 second auto-dismiss timer pauses while you drag.
Missed the banner? Click the ScreenSort menu bar icon and drag the file from Recent Renames.
How do I edit a name or undo a rename?
Edit: click the filename in the banner or in Recent Renames, type the new name and press Return. Press Esc to cancel.
Undo: click Undo in the banner, use Undo on a file in Recent Renames, or choose Undo Last Rename (Cmd-Z) from the menu bar menu. ScreenSort restores both the original filename and the original location.
What happens if I take multiple screenshots at once?
Every capture is named and filed on its own. Instead of stacking banners, the banner collects the captures that arrive while it is showing and labels them "N of M", with arrows to step through up to 10. Every capture also appears in Recent Renames. If two captures get the same name, the second gets a number, like stripe-q3-invoice-2.png. Nothing is ever overwritten.
Does ScreenSort rename files I drag into the folder manually?
Generally no. ScreenSort only renames new screenshots: files that macOS marks as screen captures or that carry a screenshot name such as "Screenshot…", and only within two minutes of being created. Older files and everything else you drag into the folder are left alone. ScreenSort also marks every file it has handled with an extended attribute, so a screenshot is never renamed twice, even if you move it somewhere else and back.
Can I turn off the category folders?
Yes. In Settings, under Folder Routing, turn off Route into category subfolders. ScreenSort will still rename each capture, but leave it where macOS saved it. You can also turn off the date suffix under Naming.
How do I start ScreenSort automatically?
In Settings, under General, turn on Launch at login. ScreenSort registers itself with macOS (SMAppService), and you can also manage it in System Settings, General, Login Items.
How do I uninstall ScreenSort?
Choose Quit ScreenSort from the menu bar menu, then drag ScreenSort from Applications to the Trash. Your screenshots stay exactly where they are, with their new names.
How do I pause ScreenSort for a while?
Choose Pause Watching from the menu bar menu. New screenshots keep their macOS names until you choose Resume Watching.
System Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| macOS | macOS 26 or later for Apple Intelligence naming. macOS 15 or later is supported, with names from on-device Vision OCR. |
| Mac | Universal app: Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. |
| Apple Intelligence | Recommended. On a Mac that supports it, with Apple Intelligence turned on, ScreenSort uses the on-device Foundation Models for the most accurate names and categories. Settings shows which engine is in use. Turn it off with Use Apple Intelligence when available. |
| Internet | Not required for naming and sorting screenshots (100% offline). The direct download from screensort.app uses an internet connection only to check for updates and activate a license key. |
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