How to hide notifications when screen sharing on Mac

A small banner can give a lot away

A notification banner only needs one corner of the screen to show who messaged you and the first line of what they wrote. Before your next presentation, decide which interruptions you'll allow. A desktop that's quiet when the call starts won't necessarily stay that way.

On a Mac, whether a banner appears and whether it shows a preview are separate settings, and the alert sound is another. Changing one leaves the others as they were. None of them affect the app's own window, which might be open on your screen anyway.

Start with the built-in controls

1. 1

   Turn on Focus

   Open Control Center in the menu bar, click Focus, then pick Do Not Disturb or a Focus you've set up for presenting. Choose a duration that covers the whole call.

2. 2

   Check the exceptions

   In System Settings → Focus, look at which people and apps are still allowed through. Also check any time-sensitive or other interruption settings your version of macOS has. A Focus with a long list of exceptions can still let through the message you were trying to avoid.

3. 3

   Turn off notifications while sharing

   In System Settings → Notifications, find the setting for notifications while the display is mirrored or shared, and turn it off. The exact wording varies between macOS versions.

4. 4

   Check previews and sounds

   For apps that get sensitive messages, check whether previews and sounds are on. Then send yourself a harmless test message during a practice run to see what your real setup does, especially if you share your Mac's audio too.

• Apple: turn Focus on or off
• Apple: Focus settings
• Apple: Notifications settings

Match each risk to the right fix

Why your inbox can still show up

Say you've silenced Mail notifications, then open Mail during the call to find a link. If you're sharing your whole desktop, everyone now sees your inbox, even though Mail's notifications are still off.

If your presentation only needs one app, share just that window. For a presentation that moves between several apps while chat and email stay open, ScreenVeil can leave the apps you mark as private out of a separate window called Privacy Screen. That only works if Privacy Screen is the window you share, so do a test share to a second device before you rely on it.

Should you use Muzzle?

Muzzle's website says it turns on Do Not Disturb automatically when you start sharing your screen, so you don't have to remember to do it yourself. Try it with your version of macOS and your meeting app before you count on it to catch every share.

If notifications are all you're worried about, start with the built-in settings or try a notification tool like Muzzle. ScreenVeil is for a different problem: keeping private apps open on your Mac while you share a window that leaves them out.

• Muzzle's website
• Compare Focus, Muzzle and ScreenVeil

A final check before the call