Where apps hide your files

Finding CleanShot X captures and history

Updated 2026-10-28 · 5 min read

CleanShot X does not use the system screenshot folder. It saves to its own export location and keeps a separate Capture History, so a capture can be in either place or both. Here is how to find each.

Where saved captures go

CleanShot X saves to its own export location setting, which is separate from the macOS screenshot folder. Reviews of the app describe that setting as sitting on the General page of its settings, with Desktop selected out of the box, so check here first:

~/Desktop

The surest way to see your own setting is CleanShot's documented URL scheme, which opens the settings on the General tab. Paste this into Terminal:

open "cleanshot://open-settings?tab=general"

Read the export location there. CleanShot 5.0 (September 2026) brought redesigned settings, so the wording may differ from older screenshots online; trust what the window shows.

CleanShot names files itself, so they do not follow the "Screenshot ..." pattern macOS uses. Its changelog lists file-name options such as UTC time, AM/PM and a custom template, so the date and time of a capture are normally part of its name.

Why a capture may not be in the export folder

There are three common reasons a capture does not appear where you expect:

1. You did not save it. CleanShot's Quick Access Overlay shows each new capture in a corner of the screen, and the capture is only a file in your export folder if you save it or the app is set to save automatically. Version 4.0 added an option to ask for a destination when you press Save on the overlay, so your setup may prompt each time.
2. It went to the clipboard. If you chose Copy on the overlay, nothing was written to that folder.
3. You saved it elsewhere. Annotate remembers the last folder you used with Save as (changelog entries for 3.6.1 and 4.2.2), so a manual save may have gone somewhere other than the default.

Capture History

CleanShot keeps recent captures in Capture History, which lets you restore a capture you never saved. According to its changelog, Capture History arrived in 4.4 (August 2022); 4.5 added removing and filtering files, 4.5.1 added an option to clear it, and 4.7 added a 1 month option. CleanShot's site says it can keep up to one month of history, so check the retention you have set.

Open it from the menu bar icon, or with CleanShot's URL scheme (version 4.4 or later):

open "cleanshot://open-history"

The scheme also has cleanshot://restore-recently-closed, which brings back the most recently closed file from history.

CleanShot does not document which folder holds history files, so this page gives no path for them. Homebrew's uninstall list for the app names ~/Library/Application Support/CleanShot as one of its folders, but whether captures sit there, in a container or in a cache is not documented. Restore files through Capture History rather than Finder. To see which of these folders exist, without opening any file:

ls ~/Library/Application\ Support | grep -i cleanshot
ls ~/Library/Containers | grep -i cleanshot

Other folders CleanShot owns

The same Homebrew list names these paths for the app (bundle ID pl.maketheweb.cleanshotx):

Path	Likely contents
~/Library/Application Support/CleanShot	The app's own data.
~/Library/Caches/pl.maketheweb.cleanshotx	Cache.
~/Library/Containers/pl.maketheweb.cleanshotx.*	Container folders, if any exist on your install.
~/Library/Preferences/pl.maketheweb.cleanshotx.plist and com.getcleanshot.app.plist	Settings.

The changelog also notes that CleanShot deletes its temporary files automatically (3.2), and that a bug once made temporary files take up excessive space when using the Background tool (fixed in 4.7.5). If your disk looks full and CleanShot is installed, check the cache and Application Support folders with du -sh.

Recordings

Screen recordings follow the same rule as screenshots: they reach the export location once you save them from the overlay, or automatically if your after-capture settings say so. A recording you did not save may still be in Capture History, where you can restore it.

Space and cleanup

Recordings and Retina screenshots add up. Use the in-app tools before touching folders: clear Capture History from the app (possible since 4.5.1), shorten how long history is kept, and move saved captures out of the export folder to an external drive. Do not delete files from the Application Support folder by hand.

Why Spotlight and Finder miss them

Desktop captures are easy to find, but history files are kept somewhere inside ~/Library, where Spotlight and Finder searches leave results out. Capture names describe when, not what, and a search can never match the pixels.

Finding the files next time

Because CleanShot puts the time of capture in its file names, typing part of a date into Everywhere is faster than scrolling Desktop, and typing cleanshot lists the app's own folders in Library. Desktop and ~/Library/Containers are protected, so Everywhere covers them once it has Full Disk Access, which it asks for during setup. Press ⌘Y to preview a capture. It searches file names only, not the text in an image.

Common questions

Where does CleanShot X save screenshots by default?

To the export location on the General page of its settings, which is Desktop out of the box according to reviews. Run open "cleanshot://open-settings?tab=general" in Terminal to see your own setting.

How do I find my CleanShot X history?

Open Capture History from CleanShot's menu bar icon, or run open "cleanshot://open-history" in Terminal (CleanShot 4.4 or later). It can restore captures you never saved.

Where is the CleanShot X data folder?

Homebrew's uninstall list for the app names ~/Library/Application Support/CleanShot. CleanShot does not document which folder holds the history files, so restore them from Capture History.

Does changing the macOS screenshot folder affect CleanShot X?

No. CleanShot X has its own export location, so the system setting does not change where it saves.