SnapSentry watches the Windows Screenshots folder and handles new screenshots as they are saved. It can copy the image, delete the saved file after a delay, or let you choose from a notification.
- Delete now removes the file without changing the clipboard.
- Copy image and delete copies the image, then removes the file.
- Keep leaves the screenshot alone.
- If nothing is selected, the configured automatic action runs after the delay.
Deletion is off by default, since it is the irreversible part; turn on Delete the saved screenshot to opt in. When it is on, deletion sends the file to the Recycle Bin so an accidental delete is recoverable, unless you turn that off for a permanent delete.
- Image copies a bitmap that remains pasteable after the file is deleted.
- File copies the file for pasting into File Explorer. Deletion is disabled.
- Path copies the location as text. Deletion is disabled. You can choose how the path is written: plain, quoted, as a clickable file link, or as a Markdown image reference.
- None leaves the clipboard unchanged.
SnapSentry can rename each new screenshot using the title of the window that was
in front when it was taken, so files read like 2026-08-01 17-16-52 Preview.png
instead of Screenshot (12).png. This is optional and off by default.
The optional Remove identical recent screenshots setting compares each new image with images handled recently by this running SnapSentry instance, within a short window of about ten minutes. It works only with the Image clipboard mode, because that mode makes a durable copy before cleanup. It uses an exact byte-for-byte comparison and recycles only the incoming duplicate after its copy succeeds. A detected duplicate always goes to the Recycle Bin, even when Delete the screenshot after copying is off or ordinary deletion is set to permanent. If recycling fails, the duplicate stays in place. The earlier copy must still have identical contents when cleanup runs. The comparison keeps up to 64 recent entries and resets when settings change or folder watching restarts. Normal auto-delete usually removes earlier copies before a duplicate arrives. Images with different embedded metadata are kept even if they look the same. It does not scan the folder or touch files already present when watching began.
Changing settings cancels pending cleanup, including the ordinary delete-after-copy countdown. Disabling the mod also cancels pending cleanup.
SnapSentry writes one final-result audit line for each handled screenshot. It records whether the file was copied, kept, recycled, recycled as an exact duplicate, skipped, or permanently deleted. Failed cleanup is recorded as kept. Paths stay out of these lines unless verbose logging is enabled. Audit results are log-only, so popup-off keeps SnapSentry's no-footprint behavior.
SnapSentry is staying a small, local screenshot tool. Future work will focus on clearer naming, clipboard shortcuts, and better handling of short screenshot bursts. Folder-wide retention is deliberately not the next feature. If it is added later, it will need a separate opt-in design that only acts on files SnapSentry can prove it observed, never a blanket cleanup of an existing screenshot folder.
If you want to work in one of these areas, please open an issue first so changes can stay compatible with the safety rules above.
Snipping Tool must be set to save screenshots automatically. The default folder
is Pictures\Screenshots. If Snipping Tool saves to any other directory, set Folder
override to that location.
While the action popup is turned on, SnapSentry registers itself with Windows so its notification buttons work. If the notification can't be shown, SnapSentry falls back to a standard dialog; but if you have turned its notifications off, it stays quiet instead, still copying to the clipboard but showing no dialog and never auto deleting. Turning the popup off, or disabling the mod, removes that registration again, so it leaves nothing behind.
SnapSentry treats any supported image written into the watched folder within the last few seconds as a new screenshot. Files that were already there, and copies of older images dragged in by hand or synced from another device, are left alone. A brand new file saved or downloaded straight into the folder cannot be told apart from a capture, so avoid pointing the folder override at a place where downloads land. Duplicate detection keeps only short-lived hashes, not image data. It cannot remove copies already retained by clipboard history, cloud sync, backups, or other applications. Deleting a file is not secure erasure, especially on an SSD. When the Recycle Bin option is on, a deleted screenshot stays recoverable there until the bin is emptied.
Avoid a cloud-synced screenshot folder when quick deletion matters. A sync client may upload or retain the image before the local file is removed.
Paste SnapSentry.wh.cpp into Windhawk's Create a new mod editor and compile
it. Supported formats are PNG, JPEG, JFIF, BMP, GIF, WebP, and TIFF. When copying the
picture, a multi-frame image such as a multi-page TIFF or animated GIF is kept rather
than deleted, since only its first frame can be put on the clipboard.
GNU General Public License v3.0.