After weeks of tweaking, I’ve finally achieved screenshot nirvana with CleanShot X. Here’s my complete setup that makes capturing, editing, and managing screenshots absolutely frictionless.
The Perfect Flow
My ideal workflow is simple:
- Hit my screenshot hotkey
- Capture what I need
- It’s automatically copied to clipboard AND saved to disk
- Move on with my life
No clicking “Copy” buttons. No manual saves. No interruptions. Just capture and go.
The Key Settings That Make It Work
Auto-Actions (The Game Changers)
- Auto copy to clipboard - Every screenshot immediately available for pasting
- Auto save to drive - Permanent backup without thinking about it
- File size optimization via Clop - Reduces file size automatically in the background
- Auto-hide notifications after 10 seconds - Keeps the screen clean
The Beauty of the System
Now I can rapid-fire screenshots with my hotkey. Each one automatically:
- Saves to my designated folder
- Copies to clipboard for immediate use
- Gets optimized for smaller file size
- Requires zero additional clicks
The notification appears briefly to confirm the capture, then disappears. No clutter, no workflow interruption.
The Complete Feature Set I’m Actually Using
Clipboard History Management
While CleanShot X has its own capture history, I prefer Raycast for clipboard management because:
- It handles both text and images in one place
- Better keyboard navigation
- Integrated with my other Raycast workflows
(Though honestly, CleanShot’s built-in history is solid if you don’t want another app)
Scrolling Capture That Actually Works
Coming from ShareX on Windows, I was skeptical. But CleanShot’s scrolling capture is actually better. It handles modern web apps with lazy loading, infinite scroll, and dynamic content way more reliably.
Instant Annotations
- Quick highlights and arrows
- Numbered steps for tutorials
- Built-in OCR for text extraction
- All without opening a separate editor
Screen Recording With Audio
Not just screenshots – full video recording with system audio and microphone. Perfect for bug reports or quick tutorials.
Cloud Sharing Built In
Need to share a recording? CleanShot Cloud is included with my Setapp subscription. One click and I have a shareable link. No uploading to YouTube or dealing with file transfer services.
Why This Beats Everything Else
I’ve used:
- Snipping Tool (Windows) - Too basic
- ShareX (Windows) - Powerful but overwhelming
- Native macOS screenshots - Good but limited
- Snagit - Expensive and overkill
CleanShot X hits the sweet spot of power and simplicity. It has advanced features when you need them but stays out of your way for basic captures.
The Setapp Advantage
Getting CleanShot X through Setapp is brilliant because:
- No separate license to manage
- Includes CleanShot Cloud storage
- Updates automatically
- Part of my existing subscription with 240+ other apps
One Tiny Improvement
The only thing I’d change? I wish the auto-save filename format had more customization options. But honestly, with everything else working this smoothly, I’ll happily rename files occasionally.
The Bottom Line
Good tools disappear into your workflow. Great tools make you faster without thinking about them. CleanShot X is definitely in the “great” category.
My screenshot workflow went from a multi-step process to literally just hitting a hotkey. Everything else happens automatically, exactly how I want it, every single time.
That’s the kind of software that justifies its subscription cost in the first week of use.