Capture anything.
Find it later.
PolyShot takes screenshots and recordings, reads the text in them, and keeps them in a library you can search, mark up and pin. None of it leaves your computer.
Recommended for your Mac.Recommended for your PC.Windows portable .zipAll releases
Available for macOS and WindowsPolyShot is a desktop app. Send yourself the link and download it on your computer.
Email the link to yourselfOn this Mac · 2.0 GB
- Runs on your computer
- No account
- No admin rights to install
- macOS + Windows
- Text search inside images
Capture
Point at it. Click. That's the screenshot.
Hover lights up the smallest thing under the pointer: a sidebar, a toolbar, a pane, the window or the whole screen. Click to take it, or drag any area.
- The screen freezes when you press the shortcut, so the shot is exactly what you saw.
- A magnifier shows exact pixels and the colour under the pointer. Press Tab to hold a selection, then resize it or nudge it pixel by pixel.
- Drag across displays for one joined image. Timed capture (3, 5 or 10 s), the previous area again, fixed ratios like 16:9, fixed sizes like 1920 × 1080 and your own saved sizes.
- Every shot is saved as a PNG, copied to the clipboard, and shown in a small preview with Copy text, Mark up and Pin. File names can follow a template like {app} {date}.
#5B57D9412, 96
Scrolling capture
Scroll a page and PolyShot joins it into one tall image. Sticky headers appear only once.
Capture text
Select an area and its text goes to your clipboard. The text is read on your computer.
One window, even when covered
Capture a window on its own, even behind others, with the macOS soft shadow on a transparent background.
Library
Find any screenshot by the words in it.
Search covers file names, apps, window titles, tags, notes and the text inside your images, in any language, accents or not. Typetag:bug, app:safari or has:video to narrow it down.
- Filter by favorites, duplicates, capture type, app, app type (code editors, browsers, terminals), content (code, text, visual), colour and tags. Save any search as a smart collection.
- A calendar view, from a heatmap of the whole year down to a single day by the hour.
- PolyShot records every app visible in a shot, not only the one in front.
- Edited copies stay linked to their original. Compare them with a slider.
- Old shots can be moved to the Trash automatically; favorite, tagged, noted and edited ones are kept.
“Invoice address can't be empty”
“POST /api/invoices 500”
Mark up
Arrows, numbers and blur that can't be undone.
Hand-drawn or clean shapes: box, arrow, line, ellipse, pen, text callouts, step numbers, highlight, spotlight, magnify and crop. Each tool has a single key, like R AT.
- Blur and pixelate really remove the pixels in copies and exports, so what's hidden can't be recovered.
- Mark-up is saved beside the screenshot and stays editable. The original PNG is never changed.
- Quick styles (Bug report, Tutorial, Feedback, Quiet, Sketch) set colour, width and look with one key. Save your own.
- Step numbers renumber themselves and export as a list under the image, or as Markdown.
- Put a shot on a gradient with padding, rounded corners, a shadow and a ratio like 16:9, 1:1 or 9:16, or place other screenshots on top.
Pin to screen
Keep a reference on top of everything.
Float any screenshot or recording above every window. Resize it, fade it, and lock it so clicks go through to the app underneath.
- Handy for matching a design, copying values or following steps.
- Pinned recordings loop silently inside their trim.
- Pins come back where they were after a restart. One shortcut unlocks them all.
Screen recording
Record it, trim it, point at the important bit.
Same gesture as a screenshot: pick a window, a display or an area. Record your microphone and system sound, each with a live level meter.
- Pause, start over or discard. PolyShot's own windows never show in a recording.
- Written in 2-second pieces, so a crash keeps the file. It stops and saves itself if the disk is nearly full.
- Trim, step through frames, and save any frame as a screenshot.
- Pause on a frame, draw on it, and choose how long the video holds there. Export an MP4 at the original size, 1080p or 720p.
On Windows, recordings don't have sound yet, and recording export isn't available yet.
And more
The small things that save time.
Read the picture
In the preview, select lines of text right on the image and copy them, pick any pixel as #RRGGBB, or measure the gap between two elements.
Bring your old shots
Drop files or whole folders, paste an image, or import the macOS or Windows screenshots folder. Dates come from the file names, so old shots land on the right day. Watch a folder to import new images as they arrive.
Merge screenshots
Lay 2 to 5 shots out as one image: side by side, stacked, a grid, or one large beside the rest, on any background.
Share it your way
Copy as a Markdown link or an HTML image, use the share sheet, or drag a card straight into another app. Export PNG, JPEG, WebP or PDF, or many at once as one ZIP or PDF.
Text in your languages
Text is read with the system’s own recognition. Languages it can’t read, like Greek on macOS, use a model for one of about 27 languages, downloaded only when you pick it.
From the menu bar or tray
Every capture and recording mode, plus your latest screenshots with a thumbnail each: copy, mark up, pin or show them without opening the library.
How it works
Three steps, most of them automatic.
- 1
Press a shortcut
Point at a pane, a window or the screen, or drag an area. Recording starts the same way.
Option + Shift + 1⌥⇧1Alt + Shift + 1AltShift1 - 2
It's saved, copied and searchable
A PNG lands in Pictures/PolyShot and on your clipboard. Its text is read on your computer, so you can search for it later.
- 3
Mark it up or pin it
Open it from the corner preview to add arrows, numbers or blur, or float it above your other windows.
Keyboard shortcuts
Your hands stay on the keyboard.
Global shortcuts work from any app, and you can change every one in Settings. PolyShot registers them without keyboard hooks.
Default shortcuts
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Capture an area, a window or the screen | Option + Shift + 1⌥⇧1Alt + Shift + 1AltShift1 |
| Capture window | Option + Shift + 2⌥⇧2Alt + Shift + 2AltShift2 |
| Capture the screen under the pointer | Option + Shift + 3⌥⇧3Alt + Shift + 3AltShift3 |
| Capture all screens | Option + Shift + Command + 3⌥⇧⌘3Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 3CtrlAltShift3 |
| Record an area (again to stop) | Option + Shift + 4⌥⇧4Alt + Shift + 4AltShift4 |
| Record a window | Option + Shift + 5⌥⇧5Alt + Shift + 5AltShift5 |
| Record a display | Option + Shift + 6⌥⇧6Alt + Shift + 6AltShift6 |
| Capture text | Option + Shift + Command + 5⌥⇧⌘5Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 5CtrlAltShift5 |
| Capture the previous area again | Option + Shift + Command + 6⌥⇧⌘6Ctrl + Alt + Shift + 6CtrlAltShift6 |
| Unlock all pins | Option + Shift + Command + P⌥⇧⌘PCtrl + Alt + Shift + PCtrlAltShiftP |
- RBox
- AArrow
- TText
- NStep number
- BBlur
- SSpotlight
- /Search the library
Privacy and IT
Built to stay on your computer.
No account, no cloud, no telemetry. Easy to explain to your IT team.
No telemetry
PolyShot doesn't collect usage data, crash reports or analytics.
On-device text recognition
Text in your screenshots is read on your computer. Images aren't uploaded anywhere.
Signed updates
Updates are signature-checked before they install, in one click.
Per-user install
Installs for the current user only. No admin rights needed, for installing or updating.
Plain files you own
Captures are saved in Pictures/PolyShot, as regular image and video files.
SHA256 checksums
Every release lists a checksum for each download, so you can check the file you got.
Compared
Where PolyShot fits.
A general comparison with the screenshot tool built into your OS and with a typical cloud screenshot tool. Individual tools vary.
| Feature | PolyShot | Built-in OS screenshot | Typical cloud screenshot tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library with search | Yes | No, files in a folder | Usually |
| Text search inside images | Yes, on your computer | No | Sometimes, on their servers |
| Annotation | Yes, with permanent redaction | Basic | Usually |
| Recording and trim | YesWindows: no sound or export yet | Varies | Usually |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Partly |
| Account needed | No | No | Usually |
FAQ
Questions people ask.
Why does my computer warn me when I open PolyShot?
PolyShot builds aren't code-signed yet, so macOS Gatekeeper and Windows SmartScreen don't recognise the publisher. The warning appears once. If you want to check the file first, compare it with the SHA256 checksum on the release page.
- Open the .dmg and drag PolyShot to Applications.
- Open PolyShot. When macOS says it can't check it, click Done.
- Go to System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
- Run the installer or the .exe from the .zip.
- When SmartScreen appears, click More info.
- Click Run anyway.
Why does macOS ask for Screen Recording permission?
macOS asks every app that captures the screen, including for screenshots. It appears on your first capture. Allow it in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen Recording, then reopen PolyShot.
Does PolyShot send my screenshots anywhere?
No. There are no accounts, no servers and no telemetry. Text recognition runs on your computer. The only network requests are a daily update check, which you can turn off, and a language model download when you add a language the system can't read.
Can I bring in the screenshots I already have?
Yes. Drop files or folders on the library, or import the macOS screenshots folder, Windows Screenshots or ShareX in one click. PolyShot dates each shot from its file name, skips exact copies and reads its text. You can also watch a folder so new images come in on their own.
Which languages can it read?
The ones your system reads (Apple Vision on macOS, Windows OCR), plus about 27 more through a model you download from Settings, for example Greek on macOS. Search ignores accents, soκαλημερα finds Καλημέρα.
Do I need admin rights to install it?
No. PolyShot installs for the current user, and updates install the same way. On Windows you can also use the portable .zip.
Does screen recording work on Windows?
Yes, with two limits for now: Windows recordings don't have sound yet, and exporting a recording isn't available yet. Both work on macOS.
Where are my files?
In Pictures/PolyShot, as normal image and video files. You can back them up or move them like any other files.
Take your next screenshot with PolyShot.
It sits in the menu bar on macOS and in the notification area on Windows.
Available for macOS and WindowsOpen this page on your computer to download.
System requirements
- macOS
- [MIN macOS] or later · Apple silicon or Intel
- Windows
- Windows 10 or 11
- Install
- Per user, no admin rights
- Downloads
- From GitHub Releases, with SHA256 checksums