Screenshot Brain guide: your first 10 minutes
In your first 10 minutes with the Screenshot Brain app, you can choose your language, let it read your existing screenshots, try a search, look at the collections it builds for you and set up reminders and privacy. There is no sign-up and no account. This guide walks through each step in order, so you get the most useful parts working straight away.
What is the Screenshot Brain app?
Screenshot Brain is an Android app that finds any screenshot by the words inside it. It reads the text in your screenshots on your phone, using on-device OCR, so your screenshots are not uploaded to be read. It also sorts receipts and bookings, reminds you before return windows close and helps you clean up duplicates.
There is no account and no cloud sync. Backups happen only when you ask for one.
Minute 1: open the app and pick your language
When you open the Screenshot Brain app for the first time, you can choose the language it uses. It supports 17 languages, and you can switch at any time inside the app, so pick whichever you are most comfortable with.
There is no form to fill in and nothing to sign up for.
Minutes 2 to 3: let it read your screenshots
Give the app access to your screenshots when it asks. It then starts reading the text in each one on your phone.
If you have a large library, this first read can take a while. You can keep using the app while it works. New screenshots you take later are added as they arrive.
Minute 4: try your first search
Think of a screenshot you have struggled to find. Type a word you remember from it, such as:
- a store name,
- part of an order number,
- a flight code,
- a person's name from a chat.
The screenshots that contain that word appear. If you get too many results, use the filters to narrow them by text, date, links, category or time. Our guide to searching the text inside your screenshots has more ideas for choosing good search words.
Minute 5: look at your smart collections
Open the collections. Receipts, Travel, Shopping and Work sort themselves, using automatic labels for receipts, bookings, payments, coupon codes and travel. Have a quick look through each one.
If something is in the wrong place, or you want a group of your own, you can:
- make your own collections,
- star favourites,
- rename items,
- add tags.
Minute 6: meet the Smart Inbox
New screenshots arrive in the Smart Inbox. Each one waits there until you decide. Keep what matters, and delete clutter in one tap. A quick pass through the Inbox once a week stops screenshots from piling up again. Our guide to screenshot inbox zero describes a five-minute weekly routine that fits well with it.
Minute 7: turn on reminders
Screenshot Brain spots return deadlines, warranty dates and expiry dates in your screenshots and reminds you before time runs out. For this to work, allow notifications when the app asks.
You can also snap a paper receipt or a medicine box, so things you bought in person get tracked too. Our post on never missing a return window shows how this helps in practice.
Minute 8: protect your private screenshots
Some screenshots hold sensitive details. Two features help here.
- Private folder. Move screenshots of IDs, bank details or codes into the private folder and lock it with your PIN or fingerprint.
- Hide private details. Before you share a screenshot, the app can find and cover card numbers, bank numbers, phone numbers and emails.
Minute 9: run a first clean-up
Open the screenshot cleaner. It finds duplicates, similar shots, old clutter and large files. Start with duplicates, because they are the easiest decisions. Anything you delete stays in the Recycle bin for 30 days, so you can bring it back if you change your mind.
Minute 10: decide on backups
Screenshot Brain does not copy your screenshots anywhere on its own. If you want a backup, you make one when you choose, and it is encrypted and protected with your own passphrase. Pick a passphrase you will remember and store it somewhere safe, because the backup cannot be opened without it. Our guide on how to back up screenshots with encryption explains good habits for passphrases and where to keep the file.
What to do next
After the first 10 minutes, the app mostly runs in the background of your routine. A few habits help you get the most from the Screenshot Brain app:
- Search first, scroll second, whenever you need a screenshot.
- Clear the Smart Inbox once a week.
- Add a tag when a screenshot has little text in it.
- Run the cleaner once a month.
- Make a fresh encrypted backup after you save something important.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account to use Screenshot Brain?
No. There is no sign-up and no account, and the app does not sync your screenshots to the cloud.
Are my screenshots uploaded to be read?
No. Screenshot Brain reads the text in your screenshots on your phone.
What happens to screenshots I delete in the cleaner?
They go to the Recycle bin and stay there for 30 days, so you can restore them if you need to.
Can I change the app's language later?
Yes. The app supports 17 languages, and you can switch at any time inside the app.