Stop notifications popping up while you share your screen or present

Why it happens

Your Mac can show notifications even while its picture is going to a projector, a TV or a screen share. That's how a private message ends up in front of a whole room. The Notifications settings have a switch just for this, so alerts wait quietly until you stop sharing.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Notifications in the sidebar.

2. Find Show Notifications and turn off when mirroring or sharing the display.

   Notifications›Show Notifications›when mirroring or sharing the display

3. Start your next share or presentation. Notifications that arrive meanwhile wait in Notification Center, so click the date and time in the menu bar afterwards to catch up.

Still not fixed?

1. Notifications still showing in a video call? Turn on Do Not Disturb from Control Center in the menu bar before you start, and turn it off when you finish.

   Focus›Do Not Disturb

2. Share a single window instead of your whole screen when the call app offers it. Notifications only show up on the shared screen, not inside a shared window.

3. Worried about what people can read? Set Show previews to Never, so message text stays hidden even if a notification appears.

   Notifications›Show previews

4. If notifications still appear on a projector after these steps and a restart, contact Apple Support.