Troubleshooting / 4 min read
Privacy Screen not showing in Zoom? Try this first
Start Privacy Screen, choose Show Privacy Screen from ScreenVeil's menu, then close and reopen the meeting app's window picker. Keep the window visible until you've selected it. If no windows show up at all, check the screen recording permission for Zoom or your browser.
Privacy Screen missing from the Zoom or Google Meet window picker? Show it from ScreenVeil's menu and reopen the picker before you touch macOS permissions.
By ScreenVeilUpdated
Where did my window go?Don't share your whole desktop to get unstuck
You open the share picker and Privacy Screen isn't there. Picking Desktop would get something on the call quickly, but ScreenVeil can't filter a desktop share, so everyone would see your private apps. Take a few seconds to get the window back instead.
Check four things in order: Privacy Screen is running, its output window is visible, the picker is listing windows rather than tabs, and the meeting app has screen recording permission. Use Show Privacy Screen before reopening the picker. A hidden window does not call for a system-wide permission reset.
Get the window back in three steps
In ScreenVeil, then in the meeting app
- 01
Start Privacy Screen
Turn it on in ScreenVeil
- 02
Show the window
Choose Show Privacy Screen from the menu
- 03
Select it
Reopen the meeting app's window picker and choose Privacy Screen
Match the symptom to the fix
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| No Privacy Screen window anywhere | Start Privacy Screen in ScreenVeil and finish any setup prompts. |
| It disappeared after an earlier share | Choose Show Privacy Screen from the menu, then reopen the picker. |
| The picker only lists browser tabs | Switch to sharing a window instead of a tab. |
| Lots of windows are missing, or sharing fails | Check macOS screen recording permission for the meeting app or browser. |
| Privacy Screen is listed, but the share is frozen | Check the meeting app's sharing settings, then watch the share from a second device. |
Check permissions only if you need to
- 1
Open the macOS privacy settings
Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. On older versions of macOS, it's called Screen Recording.
- 2
Check the right app
ScreenVeil needs this permission to create the Privacy Screen window. Zoom, or the browser you use for Meet, needs its own permission to share it. Allowing one app doesn't allow the other.
- 3
Restart if macOS asks
If macOS asks you to quit and reopen an app, do it when you can leave or pause the call. Afterward, start Privacy Screen again and reopen the picker. Don't reset the app or all of your system permissions as a first step.
How do I get the local window out of the way?
Keep Privacy Screen visible until you select it in the meeting app. If it stays visible afterward, press Escape while that window is active to move it out of the way. Leave ScreenVeil running and verify that the receiving picture keeps updating; a local window hiding is not proof of the source your meeting sends.
To pick it for a new share, show it again from the menu first. If the meeting app's picker is already open, cancel it and open it again after the window is showing, so you're looking at an up-to-date list.
If the window shows up but the share looks wrong
Stop sharing and put a test document on screen. In Zoom, make sure the "Share selected app window only" setting is on under Settings → Share screen → Advanced. Keep the Privacy Screen window on a display: in our testing, the Zoom share froze when the window was moved fully offscreen.
Then edit the document and watch the share on a second device. If the picture looks right but never changes, the share has frozen. Keep the share off until you see it updating.