How to hide private windows before screen sharing

First: share a window, not the screen

Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams let you share one window or tab instead of your whole screen. For online meetings that's the most reliable protection.

It doesn't help when:

• you plug into a projector or TV over HDMI, which mirrors or extends your whole desktop;
• you need to share the whole screen to move between several apps;
• someone is looking over your shoulder.

Hide everything with one shortcut

Designate your private windows once — ⌃⌘S on Mac, Ctrl+Win+S on Windows. Before you present, press ⌃⌘E / Ctrl+Win+E and they're all hidden, whichever app is in front. Hold the same keys after the meeting to bring them back to where they were.

Let Hushwin hide them automatically

Turn these on in Settings → Auto-hide → For presenting & sharing:

The monitor and lock triggers come straight from the system, so they always fire. On Mac, pressing ⌃⌘Q hides your windows before the screen locks; lock another way (from the menu, by sleeping or closing the lid) and they're hidden by the time you unlock at the latest, so they may show for a moment right after. When you unplug a monitor, though, its windows move to the remaining screen first and then hide, so they may show for a moment. Screen-sharing detection looks for the bar or notice a video-call app shows while you share, such as Zoom's share toolbar or a browser's "is sharing your screen" bar, so it can miss depending on the app and its language. It's off by default on Windows. If it matters, press the shortcut yourself.

Present with only the apps you need: Focus Mode

Focus Mode does the opposite of hiding: it keeps only the apps you choose — say, Keynote or PowerPoint and your browser — and hides every other window, including ones that open during the talk. Press ⌃⌘D (Windows: Ctrl+Win+A) to turn it on, and again to bring everything back.

Cover just one part of a window

Sometimes you need to show a window but not all of it — an inbox, a balance, a customer's details. Press ⌃⌘R (Windows: Ctrl+Win+R), drag over the area, and an opaque cover sits on top of it and follows the window as it moves. Windows you bring in front still go over it, and in a browser it stays with the tab you covered: switch tabs and it steps aside, come back and it covers again. To remove them all, press ⌃⌘X (Windows: Ctrl+Win+X); to remove just one, hover over it and click the ✕.

If you cover the same spots in every meeting, cover them once and choose Save Current Covers… in the menu. Next time, hold ⌃⌘R / Ctrl+Win+R to put them all back. A cover attached to a window finds it again by its title, even after the app restarts.

A cover is a window Hushwin draws on the screen, so it shows up when you share your entire screen. If you share a single window, the meeting app captures only that window: the cover isn't included and what's under it is shared.

Checklist before you present

1. Designate your private windows once: chat, email, finance, your personal browser.
2. Turn on hiding when an external monitor is plugged in or unplugged and when the screen locks or sleeps.
3. Add title keywords for things that must never appear, such as client names or "salary".
4. In the meeting app, share a window instead of the whole screen when you can.
5. Press ⌃⌘E / Ctrl+Win+E once more right before you start.

FAQ

Is sharing one window safer than sharing the whole screen?

For online meetings, yes: it's the most reliable protection. It doesn't help with a projector or TV, which shows your whole desktop.

Can Hushwin hide windows when I plug in a projector?

Yes. Turn on hiding when an external monitor is plugged in or unplugged in Settings → Auto-hide. When you unplug a monitor, its windows move to the remaining screen first, so they may show for a moment.

Do region covers work when I share my screen?

When you share your entire screen, yes: the cover is shared and hides what's under it. If you share a single window, the meeting app captures only that window, so the cover isn't included and what's under it is shared.