Guide · Updated 24 October 2026

The best apps to clean up your Mac for screen recording

Nine apps that hide your desktop, Dock, other apps, notifications and menu bar icons before you record or share your screen, compared on what they hide, what they cost, and whether they put it all back.

We make Levers, so it’s first here. Everything about the other apps was checked on 24 October 2026 on its maker’s site, Mac App Store listing or GitHub page.

Ask AI ChatGPT Claude Perplexity Grok Markdown

The short answer

Levers if you want one click that clears the desktop, apps, Dock, menu bar and notifications, and puts every one of them back afterwards.
Stealthly if you want the cleanup to start by itself the moment you share your screen.
CleanShot X if you already record with it and only need the desktop hidden.
OnlySwitch if you want switches for free and don’t mind flipping them one at a time.
Nothing at all if you share rarely: macOS can do most of it by hand.

What each one hides

A dash means the maker doesn’t offer it or doesn’t list it. Each app’s notes below say more.

App	Price	Desktop icons	Other apps	Dock	Menu bar icons	Notifications	Backdrop	Keep awake	Starts by itself	Puts it back
Levers	$5	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Yes
Stealthly	$12.99	Yes	Yes	Partly: Direct version only	Yes	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Partly: Direct version only	Partly: Wallpaper, desktop, widgets and menu bar icons; windows come back as you use those apps
CleanShot X	$35	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes: While CleanShot records	? Not stated
Desktop Curtain	$5	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Partly: In the mode that covers everything	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	n/a Doesn’t apply: It draws a cover and changes no settings
Theine	$8.99	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Yes	Not offered or not listed	? Not stated
One Switch	$4.99	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	? Not stated
OnlySwitch	Free	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	? Not stated
Bartender	$20	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	n/a Doesn’t apply: It shows and hides menu bar icons only
Lungo	$4	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Not offered or not listed	Yes	Not offered or not listed	n/a Doesn’t apply: It keeps the Mac awake and changes nothing else

Yes Partly Not offered or not listed ? Not stated n/a Doesn’t apply Lowest price, in US dollars

1. Levers

Fore Studio (us)

Buy Levers · $5

Best for one click that clears everything and puts it all back

Price: $5 for 1 Mac, $9 for 3, $29 for 10, one-time (launch prices)
Needs: macOS 15 or later
Clears: Desktop icons, other apps, Dock, chosen menu bar icons; backdrop behind the front app; Do Not Disturb, keep awake, alert sounds
Puts back: Yes, everything it changed, in reverse; also after a crash or restart

Good

Recording Mode does the whole cleanup in one click, a hotkey, Siri or a shortcut, with an optional countdown and time limit.
Writes each change down first, so a quit or restart mid-recording is undone at the next launch.
Fifteen everyday switches in the same dropdown, and menu bar icons on three shelves.

Less good

Doesn’t start by itself when screen sharing begins; you start it.
No free trial; a 14-day refund instead.

2. Stealthly

Peter Benko

stealthly.app

Best for cleanup that starts by itself when you share or record

Price: $12.99 one-time, direct or Mac App Store
Needs: macOS 14 or later
Clears: Notifications (Do Not Disturb), other apps’ windows, wallpaper and desktop icons, menu bar icons; the Dock in the direct version
Puts back: Wallpaper, desktop icons, widgets and menu bar icons, per its site; hidden windows come back when you use those apps again

Good

The direct version can turn itself on when screen sharing or recording starts, when chosen apps open, or on a schedule.
A 14-day trial.

Less good

Hiding the Dock and starting automatically are in the direct version only.
No backdrop behind the front app, keep awake or muting of alert sounds listed.

3. CleanShot X

MTW

cleanshot.com

Best for people who already record with CleanShot

Price: Basic $35 one-time with a year of updates; Pro $10 per user a month, billed yearly
Needs: macOS 13 or later
Clears: Desktop icons and widgets; turns on Do Not Disturb while recording
Puts back: Not stated

Good

A full screenshot and screen recording app; the cleanup comes along with it.
Can hide desktop clutter and turn on Do Not Disturb while it records.

Less good

Doesn’t hide the Dock, other apps or menu bar icons.
Worth it for the recording, not for the cleanup alone.

4. Desktop Curtain

Many Tricks

manytricks.com

Best for a simple backdrop behind the app you show

Price: $5 direct, $4.99 on the Mac App Store
Needs: macOS 10.13 or later
Clears: Covers desktop icons and widgets with a picture or a color, behind the front app or window
Puts back: Nothing to put back: it draws a cover and changes no settings

Good

Long-standing and focused; hotkeys, and an optional mode that covers everything, the Dock included.

Less good

Doesn’t hide menu bar icons or turn on Do Not Disturb.
Its site says it can’t draw behind the translucent menu bar on recent macOS.

5. Theine

App ahead

apps.apple.com

Best for keep awake with a desktop cover

Price: $8.99 on the Mac App Store
Needs: macOS 15.6 or later
Clears: Covers desktop icons and widgets with a picture, blur or color; dims what’s behind the active window
Puts back: Not stated

Good

Keeps the Mac awake and covers the desktop from one menu bar app, pitched for screen sharing and recordings.

Less good

Doesn’t hide the Dock, other apps or menu bar icons.

6. One Switch

Fireball Studio

fireball.studio

Best for an inexpensive set of switches

Price: $4.99 for 1 Mac, $7.99 for 2, $16.99 for 5, lifetime with free updates; also on Setapp
Needs: macOS 12 or later
Clears: Desktop icons, Dark Mode, keep awake, screen saver, AirPods and Do Not Disturb, among its switches
Puts back: Not stated; no one-click cleanup listed

Good

Cheap and lifetime, with a 7-day trial.

Less good

Switches one at a time; no single cleanup that undoes itself.

7. OnlySwitch

Jacklandrin (open source)

github.com

Best for the most switches, free

Price: Free, open source (MIT)
Needs: macOS 14 or later
Clears: Among 40-odd switches: hide desktop, autohide Dock and menu bar, hide menu bar icons, hide windows, keep awake, mute mic
Puts back: Not stated; no one-click cleanup listed

Good

Free, open source and very actively updated.

Less good

Switches one at a time; no Do Not Disturb switch by name.

8. Bartender

Applause Group

macbartender.com

Best for deep control of menu bar icons

Price: Bartender 6: $20 one-time; Pro: $15 a year; 4-week trial
Needs: macOS 14 or later
Clears: Menu bar icons only
Puts back: Not applicable: it shows and hides menu bar icons only

Good

Triggers, Shortcuts, AppleScript and Siri for showing and hiding menu bar icons.

Less good

Menu bar only. Hidden Bar is a free, simpler option for the same job.

9. Lungo

Sindre Sorhus

apps.apple.com

Best for keeping the Mac awake, and nothing else

Price: $4 one-time on the Mac App Store; also on Setapp
Needs: macOS 26 or later
Clears: Nothing; keeps the Mac and screen awake
Puts back: Not applicable

Good

Small, current and well made.

Less good

Keep awake only. Amphetamine is free with more triggers but hasn’t been updated since November 2023.

What macOS already does

If you share your screen once in a while, these built-in settings cover most of it. They are separate switches, and you have to remember to turn each one back.

Hide desktop items

System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Show Items: turn off On Desktop. Widgets have a setting of their own there.

Hide the Dock

System Settings › Desktop & Dock › Automatically hide and show the Dock.

Hide the menu bar

Turn on Automatically hide and show the menu bar in System Settings.

Notifications while sharing

System Settings › Notifications has a setting for notifications while mirroring or sharing the display.

Hide other apps

Press Option-Command-H in the app you want to keep.

Keep the Mac awake

The caffeinate command in Terminal.

Questions

How do I hide desktop icons on a Mac before I record?

Open System Settings › Desktop & Dock and, under Show Items, turn off On Desktop; widgets have a setting of their own there. Turn it back on when you’re done. Levers, Stealthly, CleanShot X, Desktop Curtain, Theine, One Switch and OnlySwitch can do it for you.

How do I stop notifications while I share my screen?

System Settings › Notifications has a setting for notifications while you mirror or share the display; turn it off, or turn on Do Not Disturb in Control Center. Levers, Stealthly, CleanShot X and One Switch can turn on Do Not Disturb for you.

Is there an app that hides everything at once?

Levers and Stealthly both hide the desktop, other apps, menu bar icons and notifications in one go. Levers also hides the Dock, puts a backdrop behind the app you show and keeps the Mac awake. Stealthly can start by itself when you share your screen, in its direct version.

Do these apps put everything back afterwards?

Levers writes each change down first and undoes all of them in reverse when you stop, even after a crash or a restart. Stealthly brings back the wallpaper, desktop icons, widgets and menu bar icons, and hidden windows return as you use those apps. The other makers don’t say, or their app changes nothing that needs putting back.

How we chose

We looked for Mac apps that clear what viewers shouldn’t see during a recording, a presentation or a video call, and that are sold or updated today. For each we read the maker’s own site or store listing; where a maker doesn’t say something, such as whether its cleanup is undone afterwards, we wrote “Not stated” rather than guess. Prices are in US dollars and can change, so check the maker’s site before you buy.

We left out apps with no update in several years, such as Muzzle (last update June 2021) and HiddenMe (October 2022). We make Levers, so we put it first; everything said about it here is true of the version on sale. If something on this page is out of date, email hi@leversmac.com and we’ll correct it.