How to get rid of 'Your screen is being observed' error

When you see the message "Your screen is being monitored", the first thing you think of is someone hacking into your computer. But that's not always the case. Let's try to find out if there are any issues that need you to worry about.

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Free trial security test What does "your screen is being monitored" mean?

There are many reasons why there is a Mac lock screen message that appears with “Your screen is being monitored”.

• You are sharing the screen with others
• You are recording the screen
• You are using AirPlay
• You are using some apps that try to access your screen
• Your computer is infected with malware

Let's analyze the possible causes one by one and try to eliminate the warning.

How to stop monitoring Mac screen

Here are 5 ways to fix the MacBook's "Your screen is being monitored" message. Let's take a deeper look.

Reason 1: You are sharing the screen with others

You should know that macOS allows you to share screens with others locally or remotely. If you share your screen with others, your Mac will give you a "your screen is being monitored" warning, which is common and can be easily disabled. First, we need to check if you are actually sharing the screen, or if it is an error.

To check if you are sharing a screen, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings > General > Share.
2. Make sure the Screen Sharing and Remote Management switches are turned off. If any of them are on, just disable it.

Turning off screen sharing should make "Your screen is being monitored" disappear (if screen sharing is the cause of the problem). If you still see the same message on the lock screen, try restarting your Mac and checking again.

Tip: On your Mac, you may sometimes turn on screen sharing, but then forget to turn it off. This can pose a security risk. Therefore, it makes sense to conduct regular safety inspections. For this, I use Pareto Security. The app shows each setting that must be changed directly from the menu bar to protect the Mac.

Reason 2: You are recording the screen

Another common reason to see "Your screen is being monitored" on a lock screen is that you are recording your Mac's screen. On macOS, screen recording doesn't stop even if you lock your laptop or put it to sleep.

To check, just press Command Control Esc You can stop recording immediately and the notification should disappear.

Also, be sure to check the third-party screen recording app. Here is how to operate:

1. Select Apple Menu > System Settings > Privacy and Security.
2. Scroll down to "Screen and System Audio Recording".
3. Close the box next to the screen recording application.
4. If necessary, unlock the padlock with a password.

This will help you eliminate the "Your screen is being monitored" warning for your Mac. If not, we will share more solutions to the problem. Continue reading.

Reason 3: You are using AirPlay

If you recently used AirPlay to mirror your MacBook's screen to another Apple device, you may also see a warning message. To see if AirPlay is enabled, follow these simple steps:

1. Select Apple Menu > System Settings > General.
2. Choose AirDrop and Relay.
3. Turn off the AirPlay receiver.

Alternatively, use the Pareto Security app I've already mentioned in this guide to check if AirPlay is enabled directly from the menu bar.

Tip: Mirror your MacBook screen to your TV? Try to use the most powerful screen mirroring app on your Mac - JustStream. Compared to Apple's native AirPlay (which only allows you to connect to Apple TV), JustStream has few restrictions on the types of TVs you can mirror your Mac content.

Here is how to mirror your MacBook to your TV using JustStream:

1. Launch the JustStream application; it will appear in the menu bar.
2. Select the screen you want to mirror.
3. To select a TV, click a button similar to AirPlay.
4. Click Start Streaming.

Reason 4: You are using some apps that are trying to access your screen

If the above method does not work, check if any apps are trying to access your screen. This is important not only to prevent the “Your screen is being monitored” message from appearing on the lock screen, but also to your privacy. Some of these apps can actually access your MacBook without your knowledge.

Therefore, it is best to check and stop the apps you want to grant access to regularly. Here is how to operate:

1. Select Apple Menu > System Settings > Privacy and Security.
2. Scroll down to Accessibility.
3. Close the app you are not sure if you want to use.
4. If necessary, unlock the padlock with a password.

Restart your Mac to see if that helps.

Please read also:

• Malware removal guide
• Is the PDF possible containing a virus?
• Protect folder passwords on Mac
• Step 2 drill

If you notice an unknown application with accessibility permissions, you should immediately delete it from the device. If you can't find these applications in the startup page or in the application, I recommend that you use CleanMyMac to completely delete it with all the remaining files. Please follow these steps:

1. Install and open CleanMyMac.
2. Go to Applications and click Scan.
3. Click Manage All Applications and select the application you want to uninstall.
4. Click Uninstall.

[The Bolt AI in the screenshot is totally fine - I just used it as an example because there isn't any app on my Mac that I want to uninstall. ]

Reason 5: Your computer is infected with malware

Even if you have uninstalled the suspicious app, I recommend that you check for malware in your Mac to make sure that there is no malware installed on your computer.

The fastest way to do this is to use CleanMyMac. Please follow these steps to check whether there is malware in your Mac:

1. Install and open CleanMyMac.
2. Select Protection and click Scan.
3. If the application finds any malware, delete it and follow the on-screen instructions.

The easiest way to eliminate "your screen is being monitored"

Now you can answer the question "What does it mean to be monitored?" and know how to eliminate the warning. Yes, it takes time to check all permissions, perform malware scans, and more, but you can speed up this process with the tools we show you (Pareto Security and CleanMyMac). All the applications mentioned in this article are available through a single subscription to Setapp, a collection of over 250 Mac applications. These applications will handle all the tasks you have. So you can focus on the work at hand and therefore be more productive. We recommend that you try Setapp for free for 7 days and then decide at your own discretion.

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