Zoom Advanced Capture with Window Filtering (Mac Guide)
Updated 2026-11-01 ยท 7 min read
Short answer: "Advanced capture with window filtering" is one of Zoom's screen capture modes. It shares your screen with motion detection, for moments when you move a window or play a video, and it keeps Zoom's own windows out of the share. On a Mac, open the Zoom app, click your profile picture, then Settings, Share Screen, Advanced, and pick it under Screen capture mode. Zoom's default is Auto.
"Advanced capture with window filtering" is a setting for how the Zoom desktop app grabs your screen when you share it. It handles motion well (a window you drag, a video you play) and it keeps Zoom's own windows out of what people see. On a Mac it sits in Settings, Share Screen, Advanced, in the Screen capture mode menu. Zoom starts you on Auto, which picks a method for you. Switch to window filtering when a window you meant to keep to yourself shows up in your share, like your pricing notes in the middle of a demo.
A disclosure: I created GlideRail, a conversation rail for your Mac. It asks for this Zoom mode on some Macs, so it comes up below, with its own section near the end.
What does advanced capture with window filtering do in Zoom?
Zoom's screen capture mode is the method Zoom uses to capture your screen for a share. In Zoom's words, "Advanced capture with window filtering" will "include motion detection (when you move a window or play a movie)" and "will not show windows from the Zoom desktop app." So the meeting controls, the chat and the video strip stay out of what people see.
Zoom's support page on advanced sharing settings only talks about Zoom's own windows. Some Mac apps also mark their windows to stay out of screen captures, and Zoom's page doesn't say how each mode treats them. GlideRail is one such app: on some Macs, Auto lets its windows into a Zoom share, and with window filtering set, they stay out. If another app's private window keeps appearing in your share, this mode may help, but Zoom doesn't promise it.
How do you turn on advanced capture with window filtering?
These are Zoom's steps for the desktop app on a Mac. The setting needs version 5.3.0 or later.
- Open Zoom's settings. In the Zoom desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings.
- Go to Share Screen. Pick the Share Screen tab in the list on the left.
- Open Advanced. Click Advanced, near the bottom of the Share Screen settings.
- Change the screen capture mode. Open the Screen capture mode menu and choose "Advanced capture with window filtering".
- Start your share again. If you changed it during a meeting, stop sharing and share again, so you know the new mode is the one in use.
Zoom's labels have changed between versions (the desktop app is called Zoom Workplace now), so your menu may not match these words exactly. Look for the option that names both advanced capture and window filtering.
What do the other screen capture modes do?
Zoom's support page lists five modes for the Mac (a sixth, "Secure share with window filtering", is for Windows only). The ones with "window filtering" keep Zoom's windows out, and "advanced" means motion detection is on.
| Mode | What Zoom says it does | Zoom's own windows in the share |
|---|---|---|
| Auto (default) | Tries to pick the best method for you | Zoom decides |
| Capture with window filtering | Shares your screen without Zoom's windows | Left out |
| Advanced capture with window filtering | Adds motion detection, leaves Zoom's windows out | Left out |
| Advanced capture without window filtering | Adds motion detection, shows Zoom's windows | Shown |
| Legacy (previous operating systems) | For older macOS or Windows versions, or missing video drivers | Not stated |
One more rule from Zoom's page: the capture mode overrides the separate "Show Zoom windows during screen share" switch. So if you want people to see your Zoom chat or controls (for example, when you walk a client through Zoom itself), pick "Advanced capture without window filtering" instead.
When should you pick advanced capture with window filtering?
Pick it when something private keeps landing in your share. A common case is a floating window with your own prep, like talking points or pricing for a sales call, that's set to stay out of captures and still appears for the people watching.
It also suits demos with a lot of movement. If you scroll long pages, drag windows around or play a product video while you talk, motion detection is the part of the mode built for that.
A black or blank share is a different problem. Zoom's screen sharing troubleshooting page says to check first that Zoom has screen recording permission on your Mac. That's in System Settings, Privacy & Security, under Screen and System Audio Recording, and Zoom asks you to restart the app after you change it. On an older version of macOS, Zoom points to the Legacy mode, and says that without it "a blank screen may appear" for the people watching.
What do people watching see after the switch?
The people watching still see your screen. What's gone from it is Zoom's own controls and panels.
Recordings follow the share. A Zoom recording captures the shared screen, so what the share leaves out, the recording leaves out.
Does window filtering hide anything you meant to show?
It can. Zoom's own warning is that changing this setting "could result in some content, such as drop-down menus or modals, not being shared." On a product demo, this is the risk: you open a menu in your app, and the client sees the screen without it.
So test it with the real demo you'll give, menus and pop-ups included. If something you need to show goes missing, switch back to Auto for that call, or share that one app's window instead of your whole screen.
How do you check that it worked?
To check, watch your own share from a second device:
- Start a Zoom meeting by yourself on your Mac.
- Join the same meeting from your phone, with the phone's sound off so it doesn't echo.
- Share your entire screen from the Mac.
- Look at the phone. Zoom's meeting controls and chat shouldn't be in the share.
- Open a drop-down menu in the app you demo and check it shows on the phone.
If you don't have a second device, record the meeting to your Mac while you share, then watch the file. It shows what the share showed.
Why does GlideRail ask for this setting?
GlideRail is a conversation rail for your Mac: it brings up the right facts the moment the conversation needs them, right by your camera, and nobody else sees them. With invisibility on (a Pro feature), its windows are left out of your screen shares and recordings, in Zoom, Meet, Teams, Loom, OBS and QuickTime.
Zoom is the one app with a condition. On some Macs, Zoom's Auto mode includes GlideRail's windows, so the app shows a tip asking you to set Screen capture mode to "Advanced capture with window filtering". With it set, GlideRail's windows never appear in your Zoom shares or recordings.
So you can share your whole screen in a demo and keep your talking points by the camera. In Cue Mode (Pro), your prep becomes cards you jump between. On an Apple Silicon Mac, Live Rail (Pro) listens on your Mac and, when the client brings up one of your topics, offers that card. One click takes you there, and it never moves on its own. More on setting it up for calls is in the Zoom notes guide and the sales call guide.
The limits, plainly. Invisibility is Pro, so on the free version GlideRail's windows show in shares like any other app's. No software hides your screen from a phone camera pointed at it. And Zoom's drop-down caveat still applies to the app you're demoing.
GlideRail is free to download, and the 7-day free Pro trial covers invisibility, Cue Mode and Live Rail, so you can set the Zoom mode and run your next demo with your prep in view.
FAQ
Is advanced capture with window filtering Zoom's default?
No. Zoom's default screen capture mode is Auto, which tries to choose the best method on its own. You switch to "Advanced capture with window filtering" by hand, in the Zoom desktop app under Settings, Share Screen, Advanced, then Screen capture mode.
Does window filtering hide my other apps from a Zoom share?
No. Zoom's window filtering is about Zoom's own windows. When you share your entire screen, every other app on it still shows, apart from windows set to stay out of captures, such as GlideRail's with invisibility on. To keep an ordinary app out, share one window or a portion of your screen. The Zoom notes guide walks through both.
Why do my drop-down menus disappear from my Zoom share?
Zoom warns that changing the screen capture mode can stop some content, such as drop-down menus or modals, from being shared. If a menu you need for a demo goes missing, try Auto for that call, or share just that app's window.
Do I need this setting for Google Meet or Microsoft Teams?
No. Screen capture mode is a Zoom setting. Meet and Teams have their own share choices, and GlideRail needs no extra setting in either. The Google Meet guide and the Microsoft Teams guide cover them.
Written by Takumi, maker of GlideRail. Last updated November 1, 2026.