To see exactly what viewers see, join your own meeting from a phone, share from your PC, and look at the phone. Test each share mode you plan to use (window, entire screen, portion), trigger a notification, and open any private windows. Anything on the phone screen is visible to your audience and to recordings.
What each share mode shows
Use this to decide what to test. "Private window" means a normal app such as your inbox or notes.
| App and mode | Private window on the same screen | Notifications | Capture-excluded window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom: Screen | Visible | Visible | Hidden |
| Zoom: app window(s) | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Zoom: portion of screen | Visible inside the green border | Visible inside the border | Hidden |
| Teams: Screen | Visible | Visible | Hidden |
| Teams: Window / PowerPoint Live | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| Google Meet: Entire screen | Visible | Visible | Hidden |
| Google Meet: Window / Tab | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden |
| OBS: Display Capture | Visible | Visible | Hidden |
"Capture-excluded" means the app sets the Windows WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE flag on Windows 10 version 2004 or later. Sources: Zoom Support, Microsoft Support, Google Meet Help, Microsoft Learn.
Part 1: Set up the test (2 minutes)
Part 2: Share tests (5 minutes)
Part 3: Screenshot and recording tests (3 minutes)
Need notes or an AI assistant that stays out of a full-screen share? Try AuraCloak in Part 2 and watch it stay off the phone.
Get AuraCloakIf something leaked: fixes by symptom
| What you saw on the phone | Fix |
|---|---|
| A notification preview | Windows 11: Settings > System > Notifications > Do not disturb. Windows 10: Focus assist > Alarms only. |
| Private windows during a full-screen share | Share a single window instead, or move private windows to a second monitor you don't share. Four methods compared. |
| Your notes during a presentation | In Teams, share the PowerPoint file so notes stay in presenter view, or keep notes in a capture-excluded overlay. See the presentations use case. |
| A black box where an app should be | Your Windows build is older than 2004. Update Windows to get full exclusion. |
| Everything, on a projector or TV in the room | Expected. Capture exclusion doesn't apply to displays. Use Extend instead of Duplicate and keep private windows off the projected screen. |
What this test can't check
A phone camera pointed at your monitor, a hardware capture card on your video output and a mirrored projector all see whatever your monitor shows. No setting changes that. On a company laptop, employer monitoring tools may have visibility that meeting apps don't; this test only covers what meeting participants and recordings get.
If you need an always-on-top AI assistant that stays out of full-screen shares, AuraCloak is an invisible AI overlay for Windows built on WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE. Run it through Part 2 and Part 3 before you trust it. That goes for any tool, including ours.
FAQ
How can I see what others see when I share my screen?
Join the same meeting from a second device, such as your phone, and share from your PC. The phone shows exactly what other participants see, including notifications and any windows that enter the shared area.
Can Google Meet see other windows when I present?
Only if you present your entire screen and those windows are on it. If you present a single window or a Chrome tab, other windows aren't shared. Test it by joining from your phone.
Can Zoom see other tabs when I share my screen?
Only the tabs that appear in what you share. A full-screen share shows each tab you switch to; sharing a different app window keeps your browser tabs private.
Why does an app show as a black box in my test?
The app asked Windows to exclude it from capture, but your Windows build is older than version 2004, so Windows shows a black rectangle instead of removing it. Updating Windows fixes this.