Tenoa Free trial

Finding your saved screenshots

Search your screenshots on Mac and iPhone

Apple includes tools to search text inside images for free. Here is how those tools work, where they fall short, and how I built Tenoa to index your library.

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$49 once · Up to three desktop computers · 14-day free trial

If you stop paying, everything keeps working

Apple built Live Text directly into macOS and iOS, and it works well for everyday tasks. If you take a photo of a receipt or a clean document, Photos on Mac lets you search for text within photos. On your Mac desktop, Spotlight can also read text in images across select languages without you buying extra software.

Things get messy once you save thousands of files over time. On an iPhone, screenshots land in your camera roll mixed with your personal pictures. I could not confirm on Apple support pages that typing a word in the phone Photos search bar reliably returns every screenshot containing that word, so test that on your own device. On a Mac desktop, screenshots default to cluttering your desktop folder with date names.

Third-party phone apps like Sorti, Captr, Screenshot Search and Chat, or Visuel Screenshot Organizer try to sort this on iOS. But they are phone apps, so they sort the screenshots on your phone. Apple pages also say nothing about searching saved web pages, PDF text, or video transcripts.

I built Tenoa as a visual library to solve this across your devices. You can save a screenshot from the iPhone share sheet or drop an image into Tenoa on your desktop. Every save lands in a normal folder on your own disk, indexed by words and meaning on your computer.

Side by side

Apple search and Tenoa compared side by side

How built-in Apple search tools compare with Tenoa for finding your screenshots.

Built-in search (Photos, Spotlight)Tenoa
PriceFree. Built into macOS and iOS with no added purchase.$49 once for up to three computers. Includes a year of updates and hosted sync. Optional $29 a year after for hosted sync and updates.
Where files liveiPhone screenshots mix into Photos camera roll. Mac screenshots save to your desktop folder by default.Every save is two files in a normal folder on your own disk: the original file and a markdown file beside it. No container.
SearchLive Text searches image text in select languages. Apple pages say nothing about searching PDF contents or video transcripts.Reads text in screenshots, PDF text, and video transcripts on your computer. Matches by words and by meaning in Tenoa on your desktop.
AI featuresLive Text in Spotlight works in select languages. It needs Siri and Spotlight analysis allowed, and folders in Spotlight Privacy are not indexed.AI runs with a local model on your computer, or you can connect an external AI service with your own API key.
MobilePhotos app is preinstalled on iOS. Third-party screenshot organizers like Sorti or Captr operate only on phones.Free iPhone and iPad apps on the App Store. Saving from your phone puts the screenshot into your library on your computer.
Browser captureScreenshots come from Shift-Command-5 on Mac. Apple's pages I checked do not cover saving web pages.Built-in Safari extension, plus Chrome and Firefox extensions. One-click page capture, hover to save, or paste a link.
PlatformsMac and iPhone.Mac and Windows desktop today. No Android app.
File accessMac screenshots are regular image files on your desktop. iPhone screenshots live in the Photos library.Normal folder on your disk. Any app can open your files. If you stop paying, your library and same-network sync keep working.

Fair is fair

When to stay with Apple tools

Built-in Apple search works well if you only have basic lookup needs.

  • Your library is smallA few hundred screenshots are easy to scroll. The Screenshots album and Apple's search can be enough.
  • Text lookup is all you needPhotos on Mac and Spotlight already find text inside images for free, in the languages Apple supports.
  • You live in Apple appsPhotos and Spotlight come with your devices and need nothing extra.
  • You do not want to payApple includes these features with your device.

If your screenshot collection is small and your needs are simple, sticking with Apple Photos and Spotlight makes sense.

Pricing

Buy the app.
Keep the app

One purchase instead of a yearly plan. The optional annual covers the part that costs money to keep running. It does not rent your own library back to you

Launch price

Tenoa desktop

$49 once

One license for up to three desktop computers, plus your first year of Tenoa Sync + Updates

  • ✓ The full desktop app
  • ✓ Files stored on your own devices
  • ✓ Mac and Windows count together
  • ✓ iPhone and iPad apps free
  • ✓ 14-day free trial, no card needed
  • ✓ 14-day, no-questions refund
Download the free 14-day trial

Or buy Tenoa desktop now · $49

Your license key arrives by email within a minute of purchase. Refunds are honored for 14 days, no questions asked. Write to hello@tenoa.app if anything goes sideways

Optional after year one

Tenoa Sync + Updates

$29 / year

Hosted syncing across networks, plus new features released after your included year

  • ✓ Tenoa-hosted device sync
  • ✓ New features while current
  • ✓ Same-network sync stays free
  • ✓ Security fixes stay free
  • ✓ Compatibility fixes stay free

If you stop paying, everything you already own keeps working

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about screenshot search

Can Spotlight on Mac search text inside my screenshots?+

Yes. Spotlight uses Live Text to search for text inside images in select languages. To work, Siri and Spotlight analysis must be allowed, and the folders must not be excluded in your Spotlight Privacy settings.

Can I search for text inside screenshots on an iPhone?+

Live Text requires an iPhone XS, XR, or later running iOS 15 or later. I could not confirm on Apple support pages that typing a word in the Photos search bar surfaces every screenshot containing that word, so test it on your device.

Where do screenshots go by default on Mac and iPhone?+

On iPhone, screenshots save to your Photos library in the Screenshots album, mixed in with your camera roll. On Mac, screenshots save directly to your desktop folder by default, which you can change under screenshot options.

How does search work in Tenoa on your desktop?+

Tenoa on your desktop reads text inside screenshots, PDF text, and video transcripts stored on your computer. It can match items by meaning using a local model or an external AI service with your own key.

Where does Tenoa save my files?+

Every save creates two files in a normal folder on your own disk: your original untouched file and a markdown file beside it. There is no proprietary container, so any app on your computer can open your folder.

Can I access Tenoa on Windows or Android?+

Tenoa on your desktop is available on Mac and Windows today. There is no Android app.

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Save what matters.
Find it again

Try it on a folder of your own screenshots first. The trial is 14 days and needs no card

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