CleanShot X keeps a copy of every capture in its history folder
CleanShot X saves your capture history, recordings included, in ~/Library/Application Support/CleanShot/media. How to measure it and keep it in check on a Mac.
CleanShot X keeps a history of your captures so you can reopen and re-edit them. That history includes screen recordings, and it is a copy: the file you saved to the Desktop or copied to the clipboard is separate. Heavy recording use makes the history folder the larger of the two.
du -sh ~/Library/Application\ Support/CleanShot ~/Library/Application\ Support/CleanShot/media 2>/dev/nullKeep it in check
- In CleanShot's settings, find the capture history option and shorten how long captures are kept, or turn history off.
- Clearing the history from inside CleanShot removes the copies there. Your saved files on the Desktop or elsewhere are separate and stay.
- To clear it by hand, quit CleanShot first, then empty the
mediafolder.
osascript -e 'quit app "CleanShot X"'
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/CleanShot/media/*Anything you only kept in history, never saved elsewhere, goes with it. Save the captures you want first.
Related: screenshots and recordings eating your disk and OBS recordings.
Common questions
Where does CleanShot X store its history?
In ~/Library/Application Support/CleanShot/media. It holds copies of screenshots and recordings so you can reopen them from CleanShot's history.
Does clearing CleanShot history delete my saved screenshots?
No. Files you saved to the Desktop or another folder are separate copies. Only captures that exist nowhere but the history are lost.
How do I stop CleanShot X using so much space?
Shorten the capture history period or turn history off in CleanShot's settings, and save recordings to a folder you clean up yourself.