Does the Kopya panel show up in a screen recording?
It depends on the recorder and the operating system. On Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or newer and on Windows 11, Microsoft documents that a capture-excluded window does not appear at all in captures. On macOS the mechanism is a legacy flag, and built-in screen recording has been reported to record the panel. Kopya has not published per-recorder tests.
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, and the panel always reads Hidden in screen shares or Visible in screen shares. Only the panel is excluded: the tray or menu-bar icon, the sign-in window, the process in Task Manager or Activity Monitor and anything a phone camera films stay visible.
Microsoft’s own example of what the flag is for fits tutorial makers: “windows that show video recording controls, so that the controls are not included in the capture”. OBS Studio offers an option that uses the same Windows flag to keep its own windows out of captures: a precedent for the mechanism, not a test of Kopya inside OBS.
| Recording setup | What happens to the panel | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, Windows 11, recorder honouring the OS flag | Left out of the capture entirely | Microsoft’s documentation; no per-tool tests yet |
| Windows 10 before build 19041 | A black rectangle where the panel sits | Microsoft: older builds behave as WDA_MONITOR; Kopya warns on such builds |
| macOS built-in screen recording, QuickTime Player | Reported and reproduced to record the panel on recent macOS | Apple’s forums, November 2025; Electron issue #48258 |
| macOS recorders built on ScreenCaptureKit | Capture the window despite the flag | Electron’s documentation |
| macOS recorders on the older CoreGraphics path | Apple DTS says a CoreGraphics window image should be a black rectangle or fail, but that virtually all screen-recording apps work below the window level, where the flag has no effect | Apple DTS, July 2024 |
| Single-window or region recording, either OS | A panel outside the recorded area is not in the picture | How the recorder frames the capture; confirm with a test take |
| A phone camera pointed at the screen | Always visible | No window setting affects this |
The compatibility page tracks what each tool’s vendor documents; the feature overview explains how the panel stays out of supported recordings.
Why record a test take on a Mac first?
Because Apple calls the flag Kopya sets a legacy one and says not to rely on it, and because recorders built on ScreenCaptureKit capture such windows on macOS 15.4 and later. Built-in screen recording and QuickTime have been reported and reproduced doing the same. You cannot see which API a recorder uses, and an update can change it.
On macOS, Kopya’s privacy setting is Electron’s setContentProtection, which sets NSWindow.sharingType = .none on the panel. Apple’s documentation calls that value legacy and says not to use it to hide content from capture; Electron’s documentation adds that ScreenCaptureKit-based Mac apps capture the window anyway. Details: the Mac guide, the Windows guide and the technical explainer.
Does capture exclusion cover screenshots too?
Often, but not everywhere. On Windows 11, Signal says nothing appears in a screenshot of its window, which uses the same flag. On macOS, one developer report found a flagged window left out of screenshots but not of recordings. Take one test screenshot with the tool you use for stills.
Kopya’s own hotkey capture is designed to leave the panel out of the screenshot. With privacy on it relies on the same OS exclusion, so the macOS limits above apply to it too; with privacy off it hides the panel for a moment while it captures. The screenshot goes to Kopya’s server and on to the AI provider; Kopya does not intentionally retain it after processing, and provider retention rules may apply.
Can I show the panel in the recording on purpose?
Yes. Turn screen-share privacy off with ⌘⇧P on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows, with the eye button in the panel, or from the tray or menu-bar menu. The label changes to Visible in screen shares and the panel warns that it is visible to others. It then behaves like any ordinary window in recordings.
Use this when the tutorial is about Kopya itself, or when viewers should see the question and the answer. Kopya remembers your choice, so switch privacy back on before the next private take and check the label. A toggle pressed while Kopya is capturing applies once that capture finishes.
What is a good recording workflow with Kopya?
Set the panel state, record a ten-second test with your real recorder and capture mode, then record the tutorial. During the take, press ⌘⇧Space or Ctrl+Shift+Space to ask about what is on screen, read the answer, collapse the panel to its pill and carry on. Review the recording before you publish.
Set the state you want
Hidden in screen shares for private help, Visible in screen shares to show the panel. Drag the panel where it will not cover what you narrate; it stays on top of full-screen apps.
Record ten seconds and play it back
Same recorder, same capture mode: whole screen, single window or region. If the panel appears and you did not want it, switch to window or region recording, move it to a display you are not recording, or quit Kopya with Esc. This is the 60-second self-test applied to recording.
Record the tutorial
Press the capture hotkey whenever you need help. A typed question is optional; each follow-up takes a fresh screenshot of the primary display. Kopya joins no calls and records no audio; your recorder handles sound as usual.
Check before you publish
Scrub the recording for the panel, especially on a Mac, and repeat the test after a macOS, Windows or recorder update.
Both shortcuts are global; if your recorder already uses one, Kopya shows an error naming the conflict at launch. For live audiences see presenting, where a projector always shows the panel. Five ways to hide a window from a screen share compares the native methods that work regardless of any flag.
Common questions
Does the Kopya panel appear in a Loom or OBS recording?
Kopya has not published test results for either tool yet. OBS documents that its own Windows option uses the same flag to hide OBS windows from capture, which shows the mechanism is mainstream but says nothing about Kopya inside OBS. Run the ten-second test with your capture mode.
Why is there a black box in my Windows recording where the panel was?
Your Windows build is older than version 2004 (build 19041). Microsoft says the flag then behaves as WDA_MONITOR, which shows a blank rectangle instead of leaving the window out. Kopya warns about this on such builds. Update Windows or record a single window.
Do I have to quit Kopya to record a tutorial on a Mac?
Not necessarily, but do not rely on the flag alone. Record a single window or a region with the panel outside it, or keep the panel on a display you are not recording. If the test take still shows it, press Esc to quit Kopya and reopen it afterwards.
Should I tell viewers I used an AI assistant while recording?
Follow the disclosure rules that apply to you. Kopya’s terms say privacy controls do not exempt you from disclosure and consent requirements. Keeping the panel out of the video changes what the video shows, not what you owe your audience or client. See responsible use.
Does Kopya touch my recording file or my audio?
No. Kopya has nothing to do with the file your recorder produces. It takes a screenshot of the primary display when you press the capture hotkey, sends it to Kopya’s server and on to the AI provider for an answer, records no audio and joins no calls.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn — SetWindowDisplayAffinity
- Apple Developer — NSWindow.SharingType.none
- Apple Developer Forums — DTS on window sharing state (July 2024)
- Apple Developer Forums — screenshots vs recording (December 2024)
- Apple Developer Forums — ScreenCaptureKit behaviour (November 2025)
- Electron docs — BrowserWindow, setContentProtection
- Electron issue #48258 — macOS ScreenCaptureKit captures protected windows
- OBS Studio PR #5698 — hide OBS windows from capture
- Signal blog — Screen security on Windows