FAQ

Privacy & your data

Does Sealshot send my screenshots anywhere?

No. Capture, recording, OCR, redaction, AI metadata, and search all run on your Mac. Nothing you capture is ever uploaded, there is no account, and there is no telemetry. Sealshot makes exactly three network requests and all three are downloads: the daily update check; a small public list of revoked licenses on launch, which Sealshot checks on your Mac without ever sending your license ID; and — only if you approve it — the optional enhanced redaction model. Your content never goes the other way, and the first two both follow Automatically check for updates, so turning that off stops them. See the privacy policy for the full picture.

Where are my captures stored?

In the folder set under Settings → General → Save location (default ~/Pictures/Sealshot), as .seal packages — captures and recordings alike. With Enhanced Security on, they’re encrypted at rest.

Is my library encrypted?

It can be. Turn on Enhanced Security to encrypt your captures, recordings, search index, and OCR text at rest and lock viewing behind Touch ID.

There is one exception, and it is one you choose: if you set Settings → Recording → Save recordings as to Movie file, new recordings are written as plain .mov/.mp4 files without encryption, even with Enhanced Security on. That is the trade for a file you can send without exporting — Sealshot asks you to confirm it, and switching back to Package encrypts new recordings again. Screenshots are never affected.

A capture isn’t in my Library — where did it go?

Probably Scratch. If Settings → Capture → Add captures to Library is off, captures open in the editor and copy to the clipboard but stay out of the Library, waiting in the Scratch section of the sidebar (above Trash) for 7 days. Keep one with Add to Library in its right-click menu; the sidebar row shows how much space is sitting there. Recordings have their own switch under Settings → Recording. See Scratch.

What if I lose my recovery key?

If you can still unlock (Touch ID or password), open Settings → Privacy & Security → Recovery code and View… it again or Generate New… to replace it — the recovery screen also offers Save Kit… and Print… so a copy can live outside this Mac, and Sealshot occasionally asks you to confirm you still have the code.

If you’ve lost your Mac’s unlock methods and the recovery code, the encrypted captures cannot be decrypted — there’s no account and no cloud copy, by design. The lock screen’s “I can’t unlock…” option lets you keep using the app: it moves the encrypted captures to a read-only Locked Archive (nothing is deleted) and turns encryption off. Find the code later and Restore… brings them back.

What happens to captures I delete?

They move to the Library’s Trash, where they wait (7 days by default, configurable 1–365 in Settings → General → Trash) before being purged. Restore them any time before that, undo an accidental delete with ⌘Z, or clear everything with Empty Trash. “Delete Forever” is immediate and permanent.

Compatibility & requirements

What does Sealshot run on?

macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, as a universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel. Some on-device AI extras use Apple Intelligence, which needs macOS 26 on Apple Silicon — on other Macs those features fall back to built-in on-device processing.

Does Sealshot work on Intel Macs?

Yes — capture, recording, the editor, OCR and search, Smart Redaction’s built-in detectors, and structured extraction all work the same on Intel. Two extras need newer hardware: the enhanced redaction model (Apple Silicon) and the Apple Intelligence features (macOS 26 on Apple Silicon). See Which Macs run what.

Is Sealshot on the Mac App Store?

No. Sealshot ships only as a signed, notarized direct download, and there is one build with every feature in it. Downloading outside the App Store also means Sealshot can update itself the moment a release is ready, and that sandbox limits never decide what it is allowed to capture.

Why does Sealshot need Screen Recording permission?

macOS requires it for any app that captures the screen. Sealshot uses it only when you take a capture or recording, and the pixels never leave your device. Microphone permission is only requested if you record your voice; Accessibility only if you use auto-scroll.

Buying & licensing

Is Sealshot really free?

Yes. Every feature is unlocked whether or not you ever pay — full-resolution captures and recordings, redaction, encryption, data extraction, the whole Library — with no account, no card, no watermark, and no expiry. No capture is ever refused.

What a license buys is that the app stops asking. Once you’ve used Sealshot for a while, an occasional reminder appears after a capture — never before one, and no more than once a fortnight — with a way to donate, to dismiss it, or to say you already have. A donation turns it off for good, and pays for the work.

Is Sealshot a subscription?

No. Sealshot is donation-supported: give any amount, once, if it’s useful to you. Nothing renews, nothing expires, and nothing is ever owed — not next year, not at 1.0.

What exactly do I get when I donate?

Honestly: a thank-you, and quiet. Everything was already yours — every feature, every future update, commercial use included. Donating funds the work, and the app’s occasional reminder stops when you tick “I’ve donated” in Settings → Support. That’s the honor system: no license keys, no activation, nothing to lose or manage. We take your word.

Why would I donate when everything is free?

Because that’s what keeps it being built. Sealshot has no investors, no telemetry to sell, and no subscription — the people who find it useful and chip in are the entire business model.

I bought a license before Sealshot was donation-supported — what changes?

Nothing. Your license file keeps working exactly as issued: Sealshot reads it, shows you as a supporter, and never reminds you — including licenses whose update window has lapsed, since there are no longer renewals for a lapse to sell. There is nothing to convert and no action to take. On a new Mac, you don’t even need the file — tick “I’ve donated” in Settings → Support instead.

Can I use Sealshot for work? What about a whole team?

Yes — commercial use is included, for individuals and teams alike, with no seat counts and nothing to provision. If your organization wants an invoice for a larger donation, contact us.

Capturing & editing

Can Sealshot record video?

Yes — the full screen, a window, or a region, with system audio and microphone, paused and resumed from a floating HUD. See Screen recording.

A capture shortcut isn’t working — why?

Most often another app already owns that key combo — global shortcuts are first-come, first-served on macOS. Rebind the command in Settings → Shortcuts (Sealshot itself won’t let two of its own commands share a combo). Also check the defaults in case the binding isn’t what you remember.

Do my edits and undo history survive a relaunch?

Yes. The editor’s undo/redo history is persistent across switching captures and relaunching, and so is undo/redo for deleting and restoring captures.

Files & sharing

What is a .seal file?

Sealshot’s native format: your original pixels (or video) plus annotations and metadata in one editable package. See The .seal format.

How do I share a capture securely?

Export it as an encrypted .sealshare package with a generated passcode — see Sharing & export.

Can people without Sealshot open what I send them?

Depends on the format. A flattened PNG or .mov/.mp4 export opens anywhere. A package exported as .zip opens anywhere too. A .sealshare package needs Sealshot (plus the passcode, if encrypted) — that’s the format to use when the recipient should get the full editable captures, safely.

Redaction & on-device AI

Can Sealshot automatically detect sensitive information?

Yes. Smart Redaction scans captures on your Mac — on demand, or automatically if you enable it — for emails, phone numbers, addresses, card numbers, IDs (SSNs, passport MRZ), and API keys/tokens, and proposes redactions for you to review. An optional on-device model extends detection to sensitive content by meaning. It detects sensitive text, not faces — use the blur tool for faces, logos, and other imagery.

Why does Sealshot offer to download a ~400 MB model?

That’s the optional enhanced redaction model, which recognizes sensitive content by meaning rather than pattern (and improves structured extraction too). It downloads only after you approve it, runs entirely on your Mac, and can be removed any time in Settings → On-Device AI. Decline it and the built-in detectors keep working.

Updates & support

How do I update Sealshot?

Direct downloads update themselves via Sparkle — you’ll be offered new versions automatically. Every release is also published on GitHub.

I found a bug / I want a feature

We want to hear it — use the feedback form.