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HomeReviewsSimple Screenshot Review: Big Features in a Small Package
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Simple Screenshot Review: Big Features in a Small Package

Today, I’m taking a look at Simple Screenshot, a novel little app that brings screenshot capabilities directly to your menu bar. Writing within the tech industry often requires taking numerous screenshots nearly every day. While keyboard shortcuts are available, this small and simple app provides a nice alternative with a few more options. Let’s take a look. 

Keeping it Simple: What to Like About Simple Screenshot

Although I’ve been using Macs since I was a young child, I never fully memorized all the keyboard commands. While these commands include the ability to take a screenshot, Simple Screenshot from F J L Geenen is an app that ensures you never have to remember your shortcuts. 

Simple Screenshot truly lives up to its name: once installed, a screenshot icon appears in the top-right of your menu bar, offering several options for screen capture. Supporting Apple Silicon and Retina displays, Simple Screenshot also supports every major image format, meaning you can get quality, high-resolution images of your screen with just a few clicks.

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Upon loading the app for the first time, you’re given the option to ensure the app loads on startup, which can save users a ton of time. You’ll also be introduced to the Settings screen, which is where I think this app truly shines. The Settings screen allows you to make changes to the app, including where screenshots are saved. You can determine if you want to play sounds during a capture and whether or not you want to show your cursor in the capture, and there’s an option for those with multiple screens. 

Experimenting with the app was a positive experience. Taking screenshots directly from my menu bar was more useful than I anticipated, and I appreciated the quick option to switch between saving them to a folder or pasting them to my clipboard.

Even better is the price. For $4.99 on the Apple App Store, you get an unlimited license to Simple Screenshot. This means for less than the price of a coffee, you get lifetime access to a rather handy tool. 

Less Isn’t Always More: What Could Use Work

Overall, there isn’t much to complain about with this app. Simple Screenshot sets out to do a specific task, and it does that task rather well. One feature that could greatly expand this app is the inclusion of screen recording. The app does such a great job at capturing screenshots; it would be great to see it expand to capturing video as well. 

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One thing about the app is that you’ll have to remember to give it permission on your Mac as well. When you first install the app, a notification guides you to the correct Settings menu to grant permissions. However, fixing this is as simple as navigating to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording and ensuring Simple Screenshot is enabled. This isn’t really the fault of the app, rather, it’s Apple’s security measures, so knowing how to fix it can be super helpful. 

One last qualm I have about the app is that while it does a great job supporting newer Macs, including Apple Silicone, it doesn’t play well with older Macs. Requiring macOS 11 or later, it would be great to see some love for older machines. However, this may also be due to the App Store itself rather than the app. 

The Final Word: Is Simple Screenshot Worth Your Money? 

Considering the price, I would say this app is a great purchase for anyone looking at alternatives to using keyboard commands for taking screenshots. Personally, taking screenshots straight from my menu bar had its advantages, and I found the process much faster than the traditional Apple method.

For a one-time price of five dollars, you get several features in a compact package. For those who love having options or can never remember the right keyboard sequence, I think this will be the perfect addition to your Mac. I’d recommend trying this app if you’re looking for a simple yet effective way to take screenshots from the menu bar on your machine. 

 

Nick deCourville
Nick deCourville

Digital Content Specialist

Nick deCourville is a Digital Content Specialist dedicated to the Apple ecosystem. He believes that fixing something can be just as straightforward as breaking it, which fuels his exploration of iPhone and iOS settings. As the owner of an iPhone 15 Pro, Apple Watch SE, and MacBook Pro, Nick is constantly honing his expertise in Apple’s products. With a Master’s degree in English Literature and Composition from The University of Akron, he has a strong foundation in writing and communication.