# Hide an app from screen recording on Mac: what still works, and what doesn’t

Source: https://kopya.ai/en/guides/hide-app-from-screen-recording-mac · Updated: 2026-09-22

You cannot reliably hide an app from screen recording on a Mac with a window setting alone. Apps such as Kopya set `NSWindow.sharingType = .none`, but Apple calls that value legacy, and on recent macOS, ScreenCaptureKit-based recorders, including built-in screen recording, have been reported to capture such windows anyway. Results vary by macOS version and capture tool, so share a single window instead and test first.

## Can you hide an app from screen recording on a Mac?

Not reliably. macOS has a window setting, `NSWindow.sharingType = .none`, that asks the system to leave a window out of captures, and some capture methods still honour it. Apple no longer supports it as a way to hide content, and on macOS 15.4 and later, apps that capture through ScreenCaptureKit have been reported to record the window anyway.

On a Mac, what is dependable is controlling **what you share**, not a flag on the window. Windows is different: there, [capture exclusion is documented by Microsoft](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/hide-window-from-screen-capture-windows).

## What does Apple say about hiding a window from screen capture?

Apple says there is no supported way. [Apple’s documentation for NSWindow.SharingType.none](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nswindow/sharingtype-swift.enum/none) describes the value as a legacy constant that macOS no longer uses, and tells developers not to use it to hide or omit content from capture.

- **July 2024.** [An Apple Developer Technical Support (DTS) engineer explained](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/760234) that the setting only affects the older CoreGraphics window functions. Nearly all screen recorders work below that level, where it has no effect.
- **December 2024.** [A developer reported](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/770585) that a window with the flag was left out of screenshots but not out of screen recordings. Apple’s engineer did not dispute it.
- **July 2025.** Asked about macOS 15.4 and later, [Apple’s engineer replied](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/792152): “At this time there are no public APIs for preventing screen capture.”

## What did ScreenCaptureKit change?

ScreenCaptureKit is Apple’s current framework for capturing displays, windows and apps, and it does not reliably honour `sharingType = .none`. [Electron’s documentation](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/browser-window) now states that newer Mac applications using ScreenCaptureKit will capture a window even when content protection is on.

Electron added that caveat [in September 2025](https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/48290), after [a bug report about protected windows on macOS](https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/48258). Its maintainers described an intentional, known macOS change: apps on the legacy CoreGraphics APIs leave the window out, apps on ScreenCaptureKit do not. One maintainer reproduced it with native macOS screen recording.

You usually cannot tell which API a recorder uses, and an update can change it. [How screen capture exclusion works](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/how-screen-capture-exclusion-works) covers both operating systems’ APIs.

## Which Mac captures show the window, and which leave it out?

As of September 2026, ScreenCaptureKit-based capture and built-in screen recording are reported to show a window that carries the flag, while older CoreGraphics-based capture and still screenshots are reported to leave it out. Only the first row rests on vendor documentation; the rest are Apple engineers’ statements or single developer reports.

*Status on 22 September 2026. “Reported” means a developer report, not vendor documentation.*

| Capture path on macOS | Window with sharingType = .none | Evidence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Apps using ScreenCaptureKit | Captured despite the flag | Documented in [Electron’s docs](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/browser-window) |
| Built-in screen recording, QuickTime Player | Reported to record it on recent macOS | [Apple’s forums, November 2025](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/808016); reproduced in [Electron issue #48258](https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/48258) |
| Apps on legacy CoreGraphics window APIs | Should get a black rectangle or a failed capture | [Apple DTS, July 2024](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/760234) |
| Apple’s ScreenCaptureKit sample app | Reported: left out at first, shown once the capture filter is toggled | Same November 2025 thread |
| Still screenshots | Reported as left out in December 2024 | One [developer report](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/770585); may differ on your version |
| Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams | Not yet tested by Kopya | See the [compatibility page](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility) |
| Phone camera, projector, mirrored display | Always visible | No window setting applies |

> **Where this is heading is unknown** Apple asked for a bug report in the November 2025 thread, and the outcome is unknown. Plan for the window being visible.

## How does Kopya handle this on macOS?

Kopya sets the same flag and nothing else. On macOS its screen-share privacy is Electron’s `setContentProtection`, which sets `NSWindow.sharingType = .none` on the panel, so everything on this page applies: recent macOS recorders and ScreenCaptureKit-based apps may show the panel.

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. Screen-share privacy is on by default on every plan, including the [free plan](https://kopya.ai/en/pricing); ⌘⇧P toggles it. The panel reads **Hidden in screen shares** or **Visible in screen shares**. On a Mac, that label states the setting, not what a recorder captures.

Only the panel carries the flag. The menu-bar icon and its menu, the sign-in window and the process in Activity Monitor stay visible. Kopya needs macOS 14 Sonoma or newer. See [how Kopya stays out of supported screen recordings](https://kopya.ai/en/invisible-to-screen-recording) and [what an invisible AI overlay is](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/what-is-an-invisible-ai-overlay).

> **Where Kopya must not be used** Do not use Kopya in exams, interviews, assessments or other settings that prohibit outside assistance. Screen-share privacy is for presenting, teaching and recording where AI assistance is allowed. Read the [acceptable-use terms](https://kopya.ai/en/legal/terms#acceptable-use) and the [responsible use](https://kopya.ai/en/responsible-use) page.

## What works reliably on a Mac instead?

Control what you share instead of relying on a window flag. Keeping private windows on a display you are not sharing, recording only a selected portion, or quitting the app leaves them outside the captured area entirely. Sharing a single window usually does too, but confirm it once with a test recording.

- **Share one window, not the entire screen.** Meeting apps let you pick a single window or tab ([Google Meet’s help page](https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9308856) shows the options), which usually leaves a panel floating above it out of the picture. Kopya has not published test results for these tools, so verify it once with a test recording. Details in the [Zoom, Meet and Teams guide](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/zoom-meet-teams-screen-share).
- **Use a second display.** Kopya captures the primary display only, so keep your work there, share that display, and drag the panel to the other one.
- **Record a selected portion.** The built-in macOS recorder can record part of the screen. Drag the panel outside that area first.
- **Quit Kopya.** Press Esc to quit the app, not just the panel, before the take, and reopen it afterwards.

[Five ways to hide a window from a screen share](https://kopya.ai/en/guides/hide-window-from-screen-share) compares these methods in full. For specific jobs, see [recording tutorials](https://kopya.ai/en/use-cases/recording-tutorials) and [presenting](https://kopya.ai/en/use-cases/presenting); a projector or mirrored display always shows the panel.

## How do you test it on your Mac?

Record ten seconds with the exact tool and mode you plan to use, then play it back. For a call, join from a second device and look at what the other side sees. Judge the recording, not the panel’s label.

1. **Turn screen-share privacy on** — The panel should read **Hidden in screen shares**; press ⌘⇧P if it does not. Note your macOS version: Apple menu → About This Mac.
2. **Capture the way you really will** — Same app, same mode: entire screen, single window or selected portion. Keep the panel open.
3. **Judge the result** — If the panel shows in the playback or on the second device, do not rely on the flag with this setup. Use an alternative above.
4. **Test again after updates** — A macOS update or a capture-app update can change the outcome.

This is the Mac version of the canonical [60-second self-test](https://kopya.ai/en/screen-share-compatibility#self-test) on the compatibility page.

## Common questions

### Does sharingType none still work on macOS 15 and later?

Partly, and not predictably. Apple calls the value legacy. Reports since macOS 15.4 say ScreenCaptureKit-based apps and built-in screen recording capture such windows, while older capture paths and still screenshots are reported to leave them out.

### Is there an official Apple API to block screen recording of a window?

No. An Apple Developer Technical Support engineer wrote in July 2025 that no public API prevents screen capture. Apple’s documentation points to FairPlay Streaming instead, which protects video playback, not ordinary app windows.

### Does the Kopya panel show up in QuickTime or built-in Mac screen recordings?

Assume it may. Kopya has not published test results for this tool yet, and reports from Apple’s forums and an Electron maintainer say built-in recording on recent macOS captures windows that use this flag. Run the ten-second test first.

### Why is this more dependable on Windows?

Because Microsoft documents it. On Windows 10 version 2004 or newer and Windows 11, a window marked WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE does not appear in captures, though Microsoft says it is not a security feature. Apple has no supported equivalent.

## Sources

1. [Apple Developer — NSWindow.SharingType.none](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/appkit/nswindow/sharingtype-swift.enum/none)
2. [Apple Developer Forums — window sharing state (July 2024)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/760234)
3. [Apple Developer Forums — screenshots vs recordings (December 2024)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/770585)
4. [Apple Developer Forums — no public capture-prevention API (July 2025)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/792152)
5. [Apple Developer Forums — inconsistent ScreenCaptureKit behaviour (November 2025)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/808016)
6. [Electron docs — BrowserWindow setContentProtection](https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/browser-window)
7. [Electron issue #48258 — protected windows on macOS](https://github.com/electron/electron/issues/48258)
8. [Electron PR #48290 — macOS docs caveat](https://github.com/electron/electron/pull/48290)
9. [Google Meet Help — present during a meeting](https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9308856)
10. [Microsoft Learn — SetWindowDisplayAffinity](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/winuser/nf-winuser-setwindowdisplayaffinity)