# About Kopya: what it is and how we test compatibility claims

Source: https://kopya.ai/en/about · Updated: 2026-09-22

Kopya is a desktop AI assistant for macOS and Windows that answers questions about what is on your screen when you press a hotkey; its panel is excluded from supported screen shares and recordings. This page explains what Kopya is for, how it works in four facts, how we decide which compatibility claims to publish, what we do not claim, and how to reach us. Compatibility varies by operating system version and capture tool.

## What is Kopya?

Kopya is a desktop app for macOS and Windows. Press ⌘⇧Space or Ctrl+Shift+Space and it captures your primary display, sends the image through Kopya’s server to our AI provider, and answers in a small always-on-top panel. The panel is kept out of supported screen shares and recordings; results vary by operating system version and capture tool.

You still see the panel on your own display; viewers of a supported share do not. Microsoft documents that behaviour for Windows 10 version 2004 and newer. On macOS, Apple calls the flag Kopya uses a legacy constant, and apps that capture through ScreenCaptureKit can show the panel anyway, so run the [60-second self-test](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility#self-test) before you rely on it. [What works on Mac today](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/hide-app-from-screen-recording-mac) goes through the detail.

The chore it removes is copy-and-paste. Instead of screenshotting an error, a spreadsheet or a slide and pasting it into a chat window, you press one hotkey and ask about what is already in front of you. A typed question is optional; without one, Kopya answers the task the screen implies. Answers can be wrong, and Kopya’s [terms](https://kopya.ai/en/legal/terms) say so plainly.

## What is Kopya for?

Kopya is for your own work where AI assistance is permitted: presenting and demos, webinars, teaching, recording tutorials, and screen sharing in meetings where AI help is allowed. In those settings the panel stays out of a supported share, so viewers see your slides or your app rather than your personal assistant, and you avoid accidentally disclosing personal workspace content.

The feature itself is described on the [AI assistant invisible to supported screen recording and sharing](https://kopya.ai/en/invisible-to-screen-recording) page. The use cases have their own pages: [private AI notes while presenting](https://kopya.ai/en/use-cases/presenting), [recording tutorials without the panel in the video](https://kopya.ai/en/use-cases/recording-tutorials) and [keeping the panel out of Zoom, Meet and Teams shares](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/zoom-meet-teams-screen-share).

> **Where Kopya must not be used** Do not use Kopya in exams, interviews, assessments or other settings that prohibit outside assistance. Do not use screen-share privacy to conceal prohibited assistance or misrepresent your work; disclosure and consent rules still apply to you. The full wording is in the [acceptable-use terms](https://kopya.ai/en/legal/terms#acceptable-use), and the reasoning is on the [responsible use](https://kopya.ai/en/responsible-use) page.

## How does Kopya work? Four facts

Four facts cover most of what people ask. Kopya captures only when you press the hotkey; the panel is kept out of supported captures by an operating-system setting, not a trick; only the panel is excluded; and screenshots are processed to produce an answer, not intentionally retained. Each fact below links to the page that explains it in full.

- **1. It captures only on your hotkey** — ⌘⇧Space on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+Space on Windows. Kopya takes one screenshot of your primary display, downscales it before upload, and answers in the panel. Each follow-up takes a fresh screenshot and counts as one answer. Kopya does not join calls, does not record audio and has no meeting bot.
- **2. The panel is excluded by the operating system** — Kopya calls Electron’s `setContentProtection`, which maps to `SetWindowDisplayAffinity` with `WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE` on Windows and to `NSWindow.sharingType = .none` on macOS. Apple calls that macOS constant legacy, so results there vary by version and capture tool. Screen-share privacy is on by default on every plan, including the free plan, and toggles with ⌘⇧P or Ctrl+Shift+P, the panel button or the tray menu. The panel always shows its state: “Hidden in screen shares” or “Visible in screen shares”. The mechanics are explained in [how screen capture exclusion works](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/how-screen-capture-exclusion-works).
- **3. Only the panel is excluded** — The menu-bar or tray icon and its menu, the sign-in window and the running process are ordinary and visible. So is anything a phone camera, a projector or a mirrored display shows, and monitoring or endpoint software running on the machine is unaffected. Microsoft states that the setting is not a security or DRM feature, and other software can read the flag with `GetWindowDisplayAffinity`.
- **4. Screenshots are processed, not intentionally retained** — The image travels over TLS to Kopya’s server and on to our AI provider to generate the answer. Kopya does not intentionally retain it after processing; provider retention rules may apply. Screenshots, questions and answers are not written to Kopya’s database. The details are in the [privacy policy](https://kopya.ai/en/legal/privacy).

## How does Kopya decide what to claim about screen-share compatibility?

Kopya publishes only two kinds of compatibility statement: behaviour the operating-system or tool vendor documents, with a link, and Kopya’s own tests, dated and labelled with OS version, app version, tool and share mode. As of September 2026 no per-tool tests are published, so every named tool on this site reads “Not yet tested by Kopya”.

Third-party reports, such as developer forum threads and issue trackers, are quoted as reports and never restated as fact. Marketing pages elsewhere tend to say a panel “works in” a given tool. We do not, because a share behaves differently by operating system version, share mode and app version, and because [Electron’s own documentation](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/browser-window) says that macOS apps built on ScreenCaptureKit capture a protected window anyway.

*How evidence turns into wording on kopya.ai.*

| Kind of evidence | How we word it | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vendor documentation | Stated as fact and linked to the source page. | Microsoft documents that a window with `WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE` does not appear in captures on Windows 10 version 2004 and newer, and that older builds fall back to `WDA_MONITOR` behaviour, where the window appears with no content. |
| Third-party reports | Described as “reported”, with the source, never as a Kopya result. | Developers report that on macOS 15.4 and newer such a window is still captured through ScreenCaptureKit, and an Electron maintainer reproduced the same with built-in macOS screen recording. |
| Kopya’s own tests | Published with the date, OS version, app version, tool and share mode. None published yet. | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, OBS and others currently read “Not yet tested by Kopya” on the [compatibility page](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility). |
| Your own 60-second test | The check we ask you to run before relying on privacy in any setup. | Share with the exact tool and mode you will use, look at what the other side sees, and re-test after updates: [self-test steps](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility#self-test). |

The [screen share compatibility page](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility) is the single place where tool status lives; the guides link to it instead of repeating it. When Kopya publishes a test, that page and the date on it change first.

## What does Kopya not claim?

Kopya does not claim the panel is invisible on Mac, does not claim results for any named meeting or recording tool, does not describe capture exclusion as a security feature, and does not ship a code-signed Windows build yet. Each of these is stated on the page where it matters, not only here.

- **No “invisible on Mac”.** Apple documents `NSWindow.SharingType.none` as a legacy constant and [writes](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nswindow/sharingtype-swift.enum/none): “Don't use this value to hide or omit content from being captured.” Kopya therefore says results vary by macOS version and capture tool, and points you to [what works on Mac today](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/hide-app-from-screen-recording-mac).
- **No per-tool results.** Until dated tests exist, named tools carry vendor documentation only, plus the self-test. On Windows the underlying behaviour is documented; see [hiding a window from capture on Windows 10/11](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/hide-window-from-screen-capture-windows).
- **Not a security feature.** [Microsoft’s documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/nf-winuser-setwindowdisplayaffinity) says the setting is not a security or DRM guarantee. A photo of the screen defeats it, and the flag is readable by other processes.
- **No code-signed Windows build yet.** First launch shows a Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warning. The macOS build is signed and notarized. Both are on the [download page](https://kopya.ai/en/download).
- **No words that promise more than the OS does.** The [definition of an invisible AI overlay](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/what-is-an-invisible-ai-overlay) explains which words Kopya avoids and why “excluded from capture” is the accurate phrase.
- **No prices on content pages.** Plans and limits change, so the [pricing page](https://kopya.ai/en/pricing) is the source. The free plan needs no card, and screen-share privacy is included on every plan.

## Which platforms and languages does Kopya support?

Kopya runs on macOS 14 Sonoma or newer, on Apple silicon and Intel, and on 64-bit Windows 10 build 19041 (version 2004) or newer, including Windows 11. The app and this site are available in English and Turkish. The app updates itself from public releases: it checks after launch and then periodically, and installs the update when you quit.

*Requirements and platform differences, September 2026.*

| Platform | macOS | Windows |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Minimum version | macOS 14 Sonoma; Apple silicon and Intel. | Windows 10 build 19041 (version 2004) or newer, 64-bit; Windows 11. |
| Capture-exclusion setting | `NSWindow.sharingType = .none`, which Apple calls legacy; results vary by version and tool. | `WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE`, documented by Microsoft; a black rectangle on builds before 19041. |
| Build signing | Signed and notarized. | Not code-signed yet; SmartScreen warning on first launch. |
| Privacy toggle | ⌘⇧P, the panel button or the menu-bar menu. | Ctrl+Shift+P, the panel button or the tray menu. |

The app picks its language from your in-app choice, then your account language, then the operating system language, and falls back to English. Answers follow the app language and your typed question, not the language of the screenshot. Turkish pages live under /tr and English pages under /en; both cover the same ground.

## How do I contact Kopya?

Write to **hello@kopya.ai** for support, questions about anything this site claims, corrections and compatibility reports. Compatibility reports help decide which tool and share mode to test first. If something on this site is wrong, say so; a correction that cites a primary source is the easiest to check and fix.

A useful compatibility report includes:

- Your operating system and exact version; on Windows, the build number shown by `winver`.
- Your Kopya version, and whether the panel said “Hidden in screen shares” at the time.
- The meeting or recording tool and its version, and the share mode: tab, window or entire screen.
- What the other side or the recording actually showed, ideally as a short recording or a photo from a second device.

Every guide on this site is listed on the [guides page](https://kopya.ai/en/guides), and the terms used across it are defined in the [glossary](https://kopya.ai/en/glossary).

## Common questions

### Is Kopya free?

There is a free plan with no card required, and screen-share privacy is included on every plan, including the free one. Daily limits and paid plans are listed on the [pricing page](https://kopya.ai/en/pricing), which is the only place prices appear.

### Does Kopya join my calls or record audio?

No. Kopya has no meeting bot, does not connect to your meeting software and does not record audio. It takes a screenshot of your primary display only when you press the capture hotkey, and answers in its own panel.

### Has Kopya tested Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or OBS?

Kopya has not published test results for any named tool yet. The [compatibility page](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility) lists what each vendor documents and what the operating systems document, and it carries the 60-second self-test to run with your own setup before you rely on privacy.

### Why does Windows warn me when I install Kopya?

Because the Windows build is not code-signed yet, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen shows a warning on first launch. The macOS build is signed and notarized. Downloads for both are on the [download page](https://kopya.ai/en/download).

### Where does the name Kopya come from?

It points at copy-and-paste: Kopya removes the step of copying your screen into a chat window. More short answers, including this one, are on the [answers page](https://kopya.ai/en/answers).

### Where can I use Kopya, and where not?

Use it for your own work where AI assistance is permitted: presenting, teaching, recording, meetings that allow it. Do not use it in exams, interviews, assessments or other settings that prohibit outside assistance. The [responsible use](https://kopya.ai/en/responsible-use) page explains the line and the reasons.

## Sources

1. [Microsoft Learn — SetWindowDisplayAffinity](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/nf-winuser-setwindowdisplayaffinity)
2. [Microsoft Learn — GetWindowDisplayAffinity](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/nf-winuser-getwindowdisplayaffinity)
3. [Apple Developer — NSWindow.SharingType.none](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nswindow/sharingtype-swift.enum/none)
4. [Apple Developer Forums — DTS on preventing screen capture (July 2025)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/792152)
5. [Electron docs — BrowserWindow (setContentProtection)](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/browser-window)
6. [Electron issue #48258 — macOS ScreenCaptureKit captures protected windows](https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/48258)