# Native on Mac and Windows

hypershot is a native desktop app on both macOS and Windows — not a web page
in a wrapper. One codebase, built for each platform, using each operating
system's own capture, text recognition, and sharing services.

## How it's built

- **C++ and Qt** — The app is written in C++ on the Qt framework, with its
  interface in Qt Quick
- **GPU rendering** — The editor and overlays are drawn by Qt Quick's GPU
  scene graph, on the graphics API your system supports best: usually Metal
  on macOS and Direct3D on Windows, with others such as Vulkan where they
  fit. Effects like the Glass
  reticle, redaction blur, and gradient backgrounds are GPU shaders

## Native platform services

| | macOS | Windows |
|---|-------|---------|
| **Screen capture** | ScreenCaptureKit | Windows.Graphics.Capture (Direct3D 11) |
| **Text recognition (OCR)** | Apple Vision | Windows.Media.Ocr |
| **Share panel** | macOS share menu | Windows Share |
| **File thumbnails** | Quick Look extension in Finder | Thumbnail handler in File Explorer |

QR code and barcode scanning is built into hypershot itself (not an OS
feature), so it works the same on both — see
[QR Code Scanning](/docs/hypershot/capturing/qr-scanning).

## The same on both

- **Same features and editor** — Every capture mode, tool, and export option
  is shared; the interface is the same code on both platforms
- **Same file format** — A `.hypercapture` file saved on a Mac opens on a
  Windows PC and the other way around — see
  [Hypercapture Files](/docs/hypershot/exporting/hypercapture-files)
- **One license** — The same license key activates hypershot on a Mac or a
  PC, within your license's device limit — see
  [Licensing](/docs/hypershot/settings/licensing)

## Where they differ

Some things follow each platform's conventions:

| | macOS | Windows |
|---|-------|---------|
| **Where hypershot lives** | Menu bar | System tray |
| **Shortcuts** | ⌘-based defaults | Ctrl-based defaults — see [Keyboard Shortcuts](/docs/hypershot/keyboard-shortcuts) |
| **Editor title bar** | Zoom control on the right; menus in the macOS menu bar | Zoom control on the left; editor menu and window buttons on the right |
| **Resizing a pinned image** | Drag its edges or corners | Pick a size from the scale pill's menu — see [Pin to Screen](/docs/hypershot/exporting/pin-to-screen) |
| **File thumbnails** | Turn on the Quick Look extension once — see [Quick Look Extension](/docs/hypershot/getting-started/quicklook) | Work automatically |
| **Permissions** | Screen Recording permission required — see [Onboarding](/docs/hypershot/getting-started/onboarding) | None needed |
| **Text recognition** | Always available | Needs a Windows OCR language for one of your Windows languages; OCR features are hidden without one |

System requirements are listed in
[Preferences](/docs/hypershot/settings/preferences#system-requirements).

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From https://hypernuclear.com/docs/hypershot/getting-started/native/