Guide
How to hide your desktop before you share your screen on a Mac
Quick answer
Share one window instead of your whole screen: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and FaceTime all let you pick a window, and viewers see that window and nothing else. If you need the whole screen, tidy it first: turn off Show Items: On Desktop in System Settings › Desktop & Dock, pause notifications while you share, press Option-Command-H to hide other apps and Option-Command-D to hide the Dock. Turn each one back after the call.
Levers does all of it the moment you share your screen, in any app, and puts everything back when you stop.
When you share your whole screen, everyone in the call sees all of it: the files on your desktop, every app you have open, the Dock, your menu bar icons, and the notification that slides in halfway through. Sharing one window shows only that window, which is why it’s the first thing to try. The table shows what each way of sharing keeps out of view.
What each way of sharing keeps out of view
| On your Mac | Sharing one window | Sharing the whole screen | Whole screen, with Levers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop files and your wallpaper | Yes | No | Yes |
| Other apps’ windows | Yes | No | Yes |
| The Dock | Yes | No | Yes |
| Menu bar icons | Yes | No | Yes |
| Notifications | Yes | Only if paused while you share | Yes |
| Moving to another app without sharing again | No | Yes | Yes |
Yes Partly No
Share one window in Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and FaceTime
The simplest fix, and it costs nothing. Only that window is sent, so nothing else on your Mac can be seen. A new window you open during the call doesn’t appear either, which is the one thing to remember: switch back to the shared window before you talk about it.
Zoom
Click Share in the meeting controls, then pick the app’s window instead of the screen. Tick Share sound if it plays audio.
Google Meet
Click Present now and choose A window, or A tab for a page in Chrome. Pick it and click Share. For a window’s sound, turn on Also share system audio.
Microsoft Teams
Select Share in the meeting controls and pick the window under Window. Turn on Include sound first if you need the Mac’s sound.
FaceTime
Click the Video button in the menu bar, then the Screen Share button. Move the pointer to the window and click Share This Window.
The first time you share, macOS asks to let the app record your screen. Allow it, or turn the app on later in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording.
How to hide desktop icons on a Mac
Open System Settings › Desktop & Dock and turn off Show Items: On Desktop. Your files and folders stay where they are; Finder just stops drawing them on the desktop until you turn it back on. Widgets on the desktop have their own switch on the same page.
If you’d rather use Terminal, these two commands hide the icons and restart Finder, and the same commands with true in place of false bring them back:
defaults write com.apple.finder CreateDesktop false
killall FinderHow to hide notifications while screen sharing
macOS can pause notifications by itself whenever the screen is mirrored or shared. Open System Settings › Notifications and, under Show Notifications, set when mirroring or sharing the display to Notifications Off. Check it once: if it’s set to allow them, a message or a calendar alert appears on everyone’s screen.
For a call where you share one window, notifications aren’t sent at all. For a presentation, turning on Do Not Disturb in Control Center also stops the sounds, and you can choose a time for it to turn itself off.
Hide other apps, the Dock and your wallpaper
In the app you’re about to show, press Option-Command-H: every other app hides, and comes back when you click its icon in the Dock. Option-Command-D turns hiding the Dock on and off.
A personal photo as your wallpaper shows in every whole-screen share. A plain one in System Settings › Wallpaper looks tidier and keeps the attention on what you’re showing.
A checklist before every call
If you share the whole screen often, the same five steps come round every time:
- Close what you won’t show, and hide the rest with Option-Command-H.
- Desktop items off, in System Settings › Desktop & Dock.
- Notifications paused, in System Settings › Notifications.
- The Dock hidden with Option-Command-D, and menu bar icons you don’t want seen turned off.
- After the call, every one of them back on.
Or let Levers do it, every time
We make Levers.
Levers sits in your menu bar. The moment Zoom, Meet, Teams, FaceTime or any other app starts sharing your screen, it hides your desktop files, Dock, other apps, notifications and menu bar icons. The call and the app you’re showing stay. When you stop sharing, every one of them comes back.
- Starts by itself when you share, nothing to remember
- A backdrop behind the app you show, so only your work is seen
- Everything back when you stop, even after a crash
Good to know
- If you share one window, you don’t need Levers for that call. It’s for the times you share the whole screen.
- Needs macOS 15 Sequoia or later.
- One payment, no subscription, with a 14-day refund.
Comparing apps that do this? See the best apps to clean up your Mac for screen recording.
Questions people ask
How do I hide my desktop when I share my screen on a Mac?
Share one window instead of the whole screen: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and FaceTime all let you pick a window, and viewers see nothing else. If you need the whole screen, turn off Show Items: On Desktop in System Settings › Desktop & Dock first, and turn it back on after.
Can people see my notifications when I share my screen?
Not if you share one window. If you share the whole screen, they can, unless notifications are paused: in System Settings › Notifications, set “when mirroring or sharing the display” to Notifications Off, or turn on Do Not Disturb.
Is it better to share a window or the whole screen?
A window, when everything you’ll show is in one app: nothing else on your Mac can appear. The whole screen, when you’ll move between apps during the call; then tidy the screen first.
Does Zoom hide my desktop when I share?
No. Sharing your screen in Zoom shows whatever is on it. Pick a window when you share, or clear the desktop first.
Why can’t I share my screen on my Mac?
The app needs permission the first time. In System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen & System Audio Recording, turn on the app you’re sharing from, then try again.
Is there an app that hides my desktop when I share my screen?
Yes. Levers hides your desktop files, Dock, other apps, notifications and menu bar icons the moment you share or record your screen, in any app, and puts every one of them back when you stop. The call app and the app you’re showing stay on screen. It costs from $5, paid once.