Firefly help

Getting started

1. Download Firefly from the download page, drag it into Applications and open it. It lives in your menu bar.
2. Sign in with your Meadow account.
3. Allow Screen Recording when asked. macOS applies it after Firefly restarts, so click Relaunch Firefly.
4. Press ⌃⇧4 and drag over part of the screen. The capture lands on your Desktop and a small card appears so you can copy, save, annotate, pin or share it.

What you can do

• Capture an area, a window or the full screen, repeat the previous area, or open All-in-One… to choose.
• Scrolling Capture stitches a long page into one image (up to 20,000 pixels tall). Auto-scroll does the scrolling for you.
• Capture Text copies the words from any part of the screen (OCR).
• Self-Timer: 3, 5 or 10 seconds, from the menu.
• Annotate: arrows, shapes, lines, text, highlighter, pen, numbered counters, blur, pixelate, spotlight, magnify and crop, plus a backdrop behind the image.
• Pin a screenshot so it floats above your windows (scroll on it to change its opacity).
• Recent Captures keeps your last captures; hold ⌥ on one to annotate it (or edit its markup again).
• Copy link: share a screenshot with a link (see below).
• Record Screen with Iris hands off to Iris for a video.

Keyboard shortcuts

Permissions, and why

• Screen Recording: to take screenshots. macOS applies it after Firefly restarts.
• Accessibility: only for Auto-scroll in scrolling capture, asked the first time you use it.
• Files and Folders: the first time Firefly saves to your Desktop, Documents or Downloads.

What stays on your Mac, and what's shared

• Screenshots stay on your Mac unless you copy a link. They're saved to your Desktop by default (change the folder and format in Settings → Saving), and the last 50 are kept in Recent Captures.
• Copy link uploads that one screenshot to your Meadow account and copies a link to it. Links expire after 30 days by default; choose 7, 30 or 90 days or Never in Settings → Account, or change one link from its "Link copied" message. When a link expires, the uploaded copy is deleted.

Troubleshooting

Screen Recording is on but Firefly says it's off. Relaunch Firefly: macOS only applies the permission after a restart. Still off? Turn Firefly off and on in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording, then relaunch.

"Couldn't save to …". Allow Firefly in Privacy & Security → Files and Folders, or choose another folder in Settings → Saving.

A shortcut doesn't work. Another app may be using it (Settings → Shortcuts says so). Pick a different one, or Restore Defaults.

Notifications appear in my screenshots. "Hide notifications in captures" keeps banners out of the image, but macOS still shows them on screen.

A permission stopped working after an update. macOS can tie a permission to the exact build of an app. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording, switch Firefly off and on again (or remove it with − and add it back), then quit and reopen Firefly.

The sign-in code hasn't arrived. It comes from Meadow, usually within a minute. Check spam and promotions. You can ask for a new one after 60 seconds with Resend Code; the last code still works. More in Signing in.

I paid but Firefly still shows the paywall. Click I've Paid — Check Again. Firefly also checks by itself when you bring it to the front, when your Mac wakes, and every few minutes while it's locked. Make sure you're signed in with the same email you paid with (it shows under the buttons as "Signed in as …"). Still locked? Contact support and we'll sort it out.

System requirements

• macOS 14 or later.
• Apple silicon (M1 or later).
• A Meadow account with the app in your plan. Every Meadow app is paid; there are no free trials (you can ask for a refund within 14 days).