Stealthly for macOS
Peter Benko · Other
Stealthly is a Mac privacy app that hides notifications, desktop clutter, the dock and open windows the moment you start screen sharing or recording.
About Stealthly for macOS
What Is Stealthly
Stealthly is a Mac utility that prepares your desktop for screen sharing and recording in one move. Before a call, most people run the same cleanup: close apps, hide messages, move files off the desktop, check the dock, and hope nothing private pops up mid-meeting. Stealthly automates that whole routine and reverses it when you're done.
The app targets the small, avoidable leaks that make screen sharing stressful. A Slack notification lands on top of your slides. A folder of client documents sits in plain view. Your menu bar shows a personal calendar entry. Stealthly hides these before anyone notices, then brings your normal setup back when the share ends.
The catch is version and platform. Stealthly needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and the fullest experience lives in the download from the official site, not the Mac App Store. Menu bar hiding on macOS 27 is still experimental, and Apple menu extras can vanish briefly while it runs.
Getting Started
- Download the DMG from stealthly.app or install the Mac App Store build, then move the app into your Applications folder
- Open Stealthly and pick what it should hide: notifications, desktop icons, wallpaper, dock, menu bar icons or active windows
- Choose a trigger, either let it auto-detect screen sharing and recording, tie it to specific apps, or set a schedule
- Start your call or recording and let Stealthly take over, then switch Stealth Mode off to restore your desktop
Product Information
A quick look at Stealthly for macOS's pricing, supported platforms, and performance.
Best for
The users, tasks, and scenarios where this tool fits best.
Users
- Remote workers
- Freelancers and consultants
- Sales and support teams
- Teachers and trainers
- Creators and streamers
Tasks
- Silencing notifications before a meeting
- Cleaning the desktop for a recording
- Concealing open windows
- Tidying the dock and menu bar
- Automating the pre-call routine
Scenarios
- A client demo where a confidential file sits on the desktop
- A job interview over video
- Recording a tutorial with a messy screen
- A last-minute Zoom call
- Presenting on a shared or borrowed Mac
Key features
Automatic Screen Sharing and Recording Detection
Stealthly watches for screen sharing or screen recording and switches into Stealth Mode on its own. This is the feature that separates the website version from the App Store build, since Apple's store rules block the full auto-detection. If you want the app to run quietly in the background and clean up without a click, this is the part to care about.
Auto Do Not Disturb
When you start sharing or recording, Stealthly can turn on Do Not Disturb so private messages, calls and alerts stay out of sight. A single notification with a name or a number on it can undo an otherwise polished presentation. This feature closes that gap without you remembering to toggle Focus mode by hand.
Hide Desktop Icons and Wallpaper
The app clears your desktop instantly, hiding files, folders, widgets and even the wallpaper. Anyone watching sees only the window you're presenting rather than a scatter of personal files. Your icons and wallpaper come back when Stealth Mode turns off, so you're not rebuilding your desktop afterward.
Hide the Dock and Menu Bar Icons
Stealthly can hide the dock and the icons in your menu bar while you present or record. App badges, background tools and personal menu extras are common ways private details leak onto a shared screen. The menu bar part works on macOS 14 through 26, and on macOS 27 it's marked experimental in the website version only.
Hide Active App Windows
Open windows you don't want on screen get cleared away during a call, demo or recording. Windows come back when you use the apps again, although Stealthly doesn't reopen them for you, so you bring them forward yourself. That keeps a cluttered workspace out of the frame without you closing everything first.
Flexible Activation Triggers
You decide when Stealthly turns on. Let it auto-detect screen sharing and recording, tie it to specific apps such as Zoom, or set a schedule that matches your day. For example, the app can arm itself the moment you open Zoom to prep for a client call, so the cleanup happens before you're live.
Sandboxed, Signed and Notarized
Stealthly runs inside the macOS App Sandbox and is signed and notarized, which means it meets Apple's Gatekeeper requirements. The app states it doesn't collect, store or transmit personal data, and only uses Sentry for anonymized crash reports. That's the kind of low-footprint design a privacy tool should have.
Pros and cons
Pros
- One-time $12.99 price with no subscription, so the cost is fixed rather than recurring
- Hides notifications, desktop icons, wallpaper, dock, menu bar icons and open windows from a single app
- Automatic screen sharing and recording detection means it works without a manual toggle
- Reverses its changes when Stealth Mode turns off, restoring icons, wallpaper and menu bar items
- Sandboxed, signed and notarized, and it states it collects no personal data
Cons
- The full auto-detection and dock hiding only exist in the website version, since App Store rules block them
- Menu bar hiding on macOS 27 is experimental, and some Apple menu extras can disappear while it runs
- Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, so older Macs are left out
- Hidden app windows aren't reopened automatically, so you restore those yourself
- No Windows or Linux version, which rules it out for anyone sharing across platforms
Frequently asked questions
Stealthly hides desktop icons, wallpaper, the dock, menu bar icons and active app windows. It can also turn on Do Not Disturb so notifications stay hidden while you share or record your screen.
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