Fix permission and capture problems
Grant screen recording permission, add Snix to the list by hand if it's missing, and fix shortcuts or captures that don't work.
Most capture problems come down to the macOS screen recording permission or a shortcut another app already uses. This guide covers the messages Snix shows and what to do about each.
Allow screen recording
macOS requires your permission before any app can capture the screen. Snix asks the first time you capture.
- Choose Capture › Screen Recording Permission… to check or request it at any time.
- If permission is missing, Snix shows “Screen Recording Permission Required”. Click Open System Settings.
- In Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, turn on Snix.
- If macOS asks to quit and reopen Snix, save your work first, then let it reopen.
- Capture again. When permission is in place, Capture › Screen Recording Permission… shows “Screen Recording Allowed”.
Snix isn’t in the list
- In Screen & System Audio Recording, click + below the list.
- Choose the Snix app you are running. The permission alert shows its exact location. Click Show Snix in Finder in that alert to find it.
- Turn on the switch next to Snix.
macOS asks to confirm again
macOS may now and then ask you to confirm that Snix can keep accessing your screen directly. This prompt comes from macOS and appears for other screenshot apps too. Snix can’t turn it off. Allow it to keep capturing.
Messages while capturing
| Message | What to do |
|---|---|
| “Allow Snix to record the screen in System Settings.” | Permission is off. Follow the steps above. |
| “Some global shortcuts are already in use; you can still capture from the menu and toolbar.” | Another app holds a shortcut. Choose a different one in Settings › Shortcuts. |
| “No region has been captured yet, or the previous region is no longer on a connected display. Capture a region first.” | Capture Previous Region has nothing to repeat. Capture a region once. |
| “No open menu was found when the countdown ended…” | Open the menu during the countdown and keep it open until the capture finishes. |
| “The selected window has closed or can’t be captured.” | Pick the window again. |
| “The selected region is not on a connected display…” | The display arrangement changed. Select the region again. |
| “macOS didn’t answer, so the capture was stopped. Please try again.” | Try again. If it keeps happening, check the permission. |
| “A capture is already in progress.” | Finish or cancel the current capture first, with Esc or Capture › Cancel Capture. |
A shortcut does nothing, or starts two things
- Nothing happens: check that Enable global capture shortcuts is on in Settings. If another app uses the same keys, Snix can’t register them. Choose another shortcut.
- macOS takes a screenshot too: the shortcut is also a macOS screenshot shortcut. Turn the macOS one off in System Settings › Keyboard › Keyboard Shortcuts › Screenshots, or let Snix guide you. See Use the macOS screenshot keys.
- Region After Delay or Menu (Delayed) has no shortcut: you had already given ⌃⇧⌘5 or ⌃⌘U to another capture, so that capture keeps it. Set a shortcut for it in Settings › Shortcuts.
Images and files
- “The image can’t be read.” The file isn’t an image or PDF macOS can open. Password-protected PDFs can’t be opened either.
- “The project file is invalid or from an unsupported version.” The
.snixfile is damaged or wasn’t made by Snix. - “Export failed.” Check that you can write to the destination folder, and that the image isn’t too large.
Good to know
- Snix never changes the permission switch for you. Only you can turn it on or off.
- Capturing in Snix never replaces an open document. If something goes wrong, your other windows stay as they were.
- If Snix quits unexpectedly, the next launch offers to restore your unsaved windows. See Save projects and use windows.