Zoom / 6 min read
How to hide Slack during a Zoom screen share on Mac
To hide Slack during a Zoom screen share, share your presentation window instead of the whole desktop. That free option is enough for a one-window call. If your demo moves between several apps while you keep using Slack, mark Slack as private in ScreenVeil and share its Privacy Screen window. Check notifications separately.
Keep Slack open during a Zoom share on Mac. Start with free window sharing, or use ScreenVeil when your demo moves between apps. Includes a setup checklist.
By ScreenVeilUpdated
Keep Slack off your Zoom shareStart with Zoom’s free window-sharing option
If you only need to present slides, a document or one browser window, use Zoom’s own window sharing. Slack can stay open elsewhere on your Mac. You don’t need to install ScreenVeil for this setup.
- 1
Prepare the window you will show
Open the presentation and remove private content from that window. For browser demos, check tab titles, bookmarks, account menus and anything that might open inside it.
- 2
Pick the window in Zoom
In the meeting, click Share. In the current desktop picker, open Screens and select your presentation’s specific window, then Share. Check the selected tile before starting; choosing a whole display includes whatever you bring onto it.
- 3
Check from the receiving side
Use harmless sample content and watch from a second device. Change a slide, then open Slack locally. Confirm the presentation still updates and Slack stays out of the received share.
When a separate Privacy Screen helps
A live demo can involve slides, a browser and a code editor, with a teammate sending links in Slack. ScreenVeil creates one shareable window that leaves out the apps you mark as private. You can move between the apps you’re presenting and keep using Slack locally while Zoom shares that window.
Try this workflow on a Mac with macOS 14 or later. The trial includes three sessions, needs an email in the app and requires no card. That trial email stays on your Mac; Pro is $9.99 once, plus applicable tax. ScreenVeil needs Screen Recording permission to create the feed, and screen processing stays on your Mac.
Choose the fix for the problem you have
Scroll sideways to compare →
| What you need | Use this | Still check |
|---|---|---|
| One presentation window | Zoom’s built-in window share | Private content inside the selected window. |
| A demo across apps, with Slack still usable | Share ScreenVeil’s Privacy Screen window | Private-app selection and the receiver’s actual view. |
| Quiet Slack notifications | Focus or Slack notification settings | Allowed interruptions, banner previews and sounds. |
| Private Slack messages inside Chrome | A separate browser or a separate window you explicitly exclude | Marking the Slack desktop app private does not hide Slack in a browser. |
Set up ScreenVeil before sharing in Zoom
- 1
Prepare the public and private apps
Open ScreenVeil and choose Privacy Screen mode. Mark the Slack desktop app as private and leave your presentation apps unmarked. Turn on Focus or Do Not Disturb and check its allowed interruptions.
- 2
Start and inspect Privacy Screen locally
Start Privacy Screen before you share anything in Zoom. Look at its output with sample content and confirm Slack is absent. Keep the Privacy Screen window visible until you select it in Zoom.
- 3
Check Zoom’s window-only setting
In Zoom, open Settings → Share screen → Advanced and enable Share selected app window only, where available. Zoom also documents individual-window selection under its Share screen settings. Labels vary by version; use the window-only option and verify the result.
- 4
Share the window named Privacy Screen
In Zoom’s Share picker, select Privacy Screen. It is the output window, not the ScreenVeil settings window or a display. Leave ScreenVeil running if its local preview hides after sharing starts.
- 5
Rehearse what the audience will receive
On a second device, watch while you change slides, switch to another public app and open sample Slack content. Try Cover feed and Resume feed. Continue only if the public content updates and the private content stays out.
See what stays on your Mac
This interactive illustration shows the intended separation: a private message remains on your Mac while it is left out of the shared window. Use your own test share to check your installed app and Zoom versions.
Try it
Your Mac
Public presentation
Q3 product demo
Private team message
Let's talk after the demo.
Example message
Shared Privacy Screen
Public presentation
Q3 product demo
Private app hidden
If Slack is open in your browser
A Slack tab belongs to your browser, not the Slack desktop app. Marking the Slack app as private will not hide that tab. For a straightforward setup, put private web work in a different browser app and mark that browser private.
You can also put private tabs in their own window and exclude that entire window through Hide a window before sharing. Every tab in that window is excluded; the selection resets when Privacy Screen stops. A browser profile is not a separate app, and ScreenVeil cannot hide one message, field or tab inside a window you keep shared. Cover or stop the share before opening a new private window, then select it and check the output.
If Slack appears, stop the Zoom share first
Check the source Zoom is sharing, then check Slack’s private-app setting. A full-desktop share bypasses the Privacy Screen feed. Hiding Slack with Command-H only hides it locally; reopening it can expose it on a desktop share.
If Privacy Screen is missing from the picker, choose Show Privacy Screen in ScreenVeil and reopen Zoom’s picker. If the receiver sees a frozen or incorrect picture, stop sharing and repeat the sample-content check. Do not switch to the full desktop with private content still open.
Slack also lets a sender override paused notifications for an urgent direct message once a day. Pausing Slack is therefore a separate precaution from choosing what Zoom captures; it is not proof that no interruption can arrive.
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