Which Mac Apps Have Screen Recording Permission?

Quick answer: To see which apps have screen recording permission on your Mac, open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording (called Screen Recording before macOS 15); every app in that list with its switch on may capture what's on your screen (Apple's guide). Turn off any app you don't use for screen sharing, screenshots or recording; a switch that's on means permission, not that the app is recording now.

Below: what the permission allows, which apps need it, a Terminal check, and how to clean up the list.

Want a broader check too? A free CoreLock scan (download CoreLock) checks running apps, network, app permissions, startup items, AI agents and your Downloads folder, with no account. Once it has Full Disk Access, its Privacy screen also lists which apps hold Screen Recording.

What Screen Recording Permission Really Grants

When you give an app screen recording permission on macOS, you're giving it a view of your screen. This isn't just about recording videos of your desktop.

Screen recording permission lets an app capture whatever is visible on your screen as it appears. That means private messages, documents, credit card numbers you can see during checkout, and anything else on display. (Password fields show dots, so the characters you type aren't on screen.) The app can take screenshots, read the text in them, or record video.

There's no hardware light for the screen the way there is for the camera. Recent versions of macOS can show a purple icon in the menu bar while an app captures the screen, but Apple doesn't document it the way it documents the camera's green light, so the permission list is the place to check.

The permission doesn't unlock your files. But an app that can see your screen can read a document while you have it open, even if it has no access to the folder it's in.

The Apps That Actually Need This Permission

Let me be clear — some apps absolutely need screen recording permission to function. The tricky part is distinguishing between legitimate use cases and apps that are overreaching.

Video conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams need this permission for screen sharing, and so does your browser if you share your screen from a web meeting such as Google Meet. Makes perfect sense. When you're presenting slides or walking through code with colleagues, the app needs to capture your screen.

Screen recording tools are another obvious category. Loom and similar apps can't do their job without this access.

Screenshot utilities that offer advanced features — like annotating, OCR, or automatic uploads — also need this permission. Tools like CleanShot X fall into this category.

Some productivity apps have legitimate reasons too. Text recognition apps that can read text from anywhere on your screen, or automation tools that interact with other applications, might need this access to work properly.

But here's where it gets murky. Note-taking apps sometimes request this permission for features like "clip anything from your screen." Photo editing apps might want it for "enhanced screenshot integration." These feel like feature creep to me — useful, maybe, but not essential to the app's core function.

Checking Which Apps Have Screen Recording Access

macOS makes it easy to see which apps have this permission:

1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
2. Scroll down and click Screen & System Audio Recording (on macOS 13 and 14 it's called Screen Recording).
3. Read the list. Each app has a switch; on means it's allowed to capture your screen.
4. Turn off any app you don't recognize or don't use for screen sharing, screenshots or recording.

What you won't see in this interface is when these apps last used their screen recording permission. That's always bothered me about macOS's privacy controls — they tell you who has access but not who's actually using it.

You can also check this from Terminal. Give Terminal Full Disk Access first (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access), then run:

sqlite3 -readonly "/Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC/TCC.db" "SELECT client, auth_value, last_modified FROM access WHERE service='kTCCServiceScreenCapture';"

This command reads the TCC (Transparency, Consent, and Control) database, where macOS stores these permissions. You'll see each app's identifier, its status (2 means allowed, 0 means denied) and when the permission was last changed. The timestamp is in epoch format; date -r <number> turns it into a readable date. Older guides use a column called allowed, which no longer exists on current macOS.

For what each setting means across macOS versions, see the Screen Recording permission page.

Red Flags to Watch For

Some apps requesting screen recording permission should raise immediate red flags. If a simple calculator app, a basic text editor, or a weather widget is asking for screen recording access, that's suspicious. These apps have no legitimate reason to watch your screen.

Be particularly wary of apps downloaded from outside the Mac App Store that request this permission. While plenty of legitimate apps exist outside Apple's ecosystem, the review process on the App Store does provide some protection against obviously malicious behavior.

Another red flag is when apps don't clearly explain why they need the permission. Legitimate apps will usually tell you exactly what features require screen access. If an app just says it needs the permission "for enhanced functionality" without specifics, I'd be skeptical.

Free apps with vague purposes are worth scrutinizing too. If you can't clearly identify what problem an app solves or how it makes money, screen recording permission becomes much more concerning.

The Hidden Risks Most People Miss

Here's one that's easy to miss: apps with screen recording permission can capture content from other apps that you've specifically denied file access to. Let's say you've blocked a note-taking app from accessing your Documents folder. If that same app has screen recording permission, it could take screenshots while you have documents open and extract the text using OCR.

This creates a weird loophole in macOS's privacy model. Your file permissions still hold, but anything you open on screen is visible to an app that can record it.

Another risk most people don't consider is data persistence. When an app records your screen or takes screenshots, where does that data go? Is it stored locally? Uploaded to cloud servers? Processed by third-party services for OCR or analysis? The screen recording permission doesn't give you visibility into what happens to the captured data.

I'll be honest — I'm not sure how much we should worry about this with apps from reputable developers. Most legitimate companies aren't going to risk their reputation by secretly recording user screens. But it's worth understanding that the technical capability exists.

How to Audit and Clean Up Your Permissions

Start by reviewing every app in your Screen & System Audio Recording list. For each one, ask yourself: when did I last use this app? Do I remember granting this permission? Is the functionality that requires screen access something I actually use?

If you can't remember the last time you used an app, or if you're not sure why it needs screen recording access, disable the permission temporarily. You can always turn it back on if you discover you need it.

For apps you do use regularly, consider whether you actually need the features that require screen recording. Maybe you installed Zoom for video calls but never share your screen. You could disable screen recording permission and only re-enable it when you need to present.

A review like this every few months is a good habit, because permissions pile up as you install and try apps. CoreLock's Privacy screen lists Screen Recording grants alongside other permissions once it has Full Disk Access, and it shows what macOS granted, not what an app actually recorded. The manual review is still worth doing, because it forces you to think about each app individually.

What Apple Gets Right (And Wrong) About Screen Recording Privacy

Apple deserves credit for requiring explicit user consent for screen recording permission. The fact that apps can't just start capturing your screen without permission is genuinely important. The permission dialog also clearly states what the app will be able to do, which is more transparency than we get with some other permissions.

But there are gaps in Apple's approach that bug me. The biggest one is the lack of usage history. I want to know which apps are actively using their screen recording permissions and how often, and the settings list doesn't say.

Another issue is that the switch itself is per app and either on or off. In System Settings, you can't limit an app to specific windows or to times when you're actively sharing your screen.

The permission system also doesn't distinguish between apps that need screen access all day versus those that only need it occasionally (like screenshot utilities). A more granular system might ask for permission each time, or allow time-limited grants.

When You Should Actually Worry

Look, I don't want to make everyone paranoid about screen recording permissions. Most apps from established developers aren't secretly spying on your screen. But there are legitimate scenarios where you should be more cautious.

If you handle sensitive information for work — financial data, legal documents, medical records — then screen recording permissions become more critical. A security breach involving this type of data can have serious consequences beyond personal privacy.

Same thing if you're dealing with confidential client information or intellectual property. The risk isn't necessarily malicious apps, but rather data ending up in places it shouldn't be due to cloud sync, analytics, or third-party integrations.

And honestly, if you're someone who values digital privacy as a principle, then auditing screen recording permissions is just good hygiene. You don't have to be doing anything secretive to want control over which apps can watch your screen.

Making Smarter Permission Decisions

When an app requests screen recording permission, take a moment to think about whether you actually need the feature that requires it. Sometimes the answer is no, and you can enjoy most of the app's functionality without granting screen access.

For apps where you do need the feature occasionally, consider whether you're comfortable leaving the permission enabled all the time. You could disable it after use and re-enable it when needed, though I'll admit this gets tedious for frequently-used features.

Pay attention to how apps request the permission too. Good apps explain exactly why they need access and what features will be affected if you decline. Sketchy apps just demand the permission without context.

This is probably overkill for most people, but it helps to keep a short note of which apps have screen recording permission and why you granted it. At your next review, you can quickly remember the reasoning behind each grant.

Your screen shows some of your most sensitive information. Private messages, financial data, work documents — it all passes through your display at some point. Apps with screen recording permission can see all of it, which makes these permissions worth taking seriously.

The goal isn't to become paranoid about every app, but to make informed decisions about which ones deserve this level of access. Most of us probably have more apps with screen recording permission than we actually need, and cleaning that up is a simple way to improve your privacy on Mac.