Hand Meta AI one window.
Window sharing is the feature the Mac app exists for: point it at a spreadsheet, an error dialog or a contract, and ask about what is actually on screen. One window at a time, chosen by you, captured the moment you ask not a live feed of your desktop.
Independent guide not affiliated with Meta. What each permission exposes is set out in permissions and privacy.
What actually gets captured
Two things leave your Mac when you attach a window: the visible text in it, and one screenshot of that window at the moment you attach it. That is the whole payload. It goes to Meta’s servers because that is where the model runs, and it becomes part of that conversation.
Only the window you chose. Not the desktop behind it, not the other windows, not anything you scrolled past and nothing at all until you attach something.
“Visible” is the word doing the work. Content scrolled out of view is not captured, and neither is a long document’s twentieth page. If the answer depends on something further down, scroll to it and attach again.
The app also cannot act on what it sees. It reads the window and replies; it cannot click, type into it or change anything. That distinction is the line between Meta AI and Muse, and it is worth keeping in mind when you decide how comfortable you are with the permission.
How to share a window, start to finish
Step four only happens the first time. After that the whole thing takes about five seconds.
Get the window on screen
Not minimised, and scrolled to the part that matters only what is visible gets captured. Why that matters.
Summon Meta AI
Press ⌥Space for Quick Invoke, or open the app from the Dock for the full window. Shortcuts.
Click the attach button
The plus in the composer. Choose to attach a window rather than a file files are a separate option in the same menu.
Approve Screen Recording, once
macOS will ask. Enable Meta AI in System Settings, then quit with ⌘Q and reopen granting it mid-session is not enough. More on this.
Pick your window
The picker lists what is open. Choose one; it appears as a chip in the composer so you can see exactly what is attached.
Ask about it
Refer to it plainly “in the attached window, what is column F measuring?” Questions worth asking.
Re-attach when things change
Scrolled, edited or switched tabs? Attach again. The first capture is frozen at the moment you took it.
Remove it when you are done
Clear the chip to stop sending that window with follow-up questions, or start a new conversation for a new topic.
Eight questions worth asking about a shared window
The pattern that works: attach first, then ask something specific about what is in front of you. Vague questions get vague answers whatever is attached.
| The window | Try saying | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| A spreadsheet you inherited | “What is column F measuring, and does anything look inconsistent?” | Headers and numbers arrive together, so it can reason about both without an export. |
| An error dialog | “What is this asking me to do, in plain language?” | Saves retyping a message you often cannot select or copy. |
| A contract or policy page | “List the obligations on me from what is visible here.” | Scoping it to the visible page keeps the answer checkable against what you can see. |
| A chart in a report | “Describe the trend and what the outlier around March might be.” | The screenshot carries shape and labels that pasted text would lose. |
| A long form | “Which fields have I left blank?” | Quick second pair of eyes before you submit something. |
| A page in another language | “Translate what is on screen and flag anything that reads like a warning.” | Works on text no translate button reaches, like an app interface. |
| A design or layout | “Three things a first-time visitor would find confusing here.” | Asking for criticism beats asking “what do you think?” |
| Code or a diff | “Explain what this change does and what it might break.” | Reads the visible hunk in context rather than a pasted fragment. |
Two toggles, and the restart everyone forgets
Window sharing is the reason the app asks for more than a website would, and the honest reason it is not in the Mac App Store sandboxed apps cannot read another app’s window.
| Permission | What it enables | Where to grant it | Skip it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Recording | Listing your open windows and capturing the one you pick. | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording | Yes you simply lose window sharing. |
| Accessibility | Reading window text reliably, and inserting replies into other apps. | System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility | Yes copy and paste instead. |
After toggling either one, quit Meta AI with ⌘Q and open it again. macOS hands the app its permissions at launch, so a running app keeps behaving as though you said no the single most common cause of an empty picker. Full detail in permissions and privacy.
One window shared, the rest of your Mac private
The mental model that keeps this comfortable: nothing is watched, one thing is handed over, and you do the handing each time.
It is a snapshot
Captured when you attach, then frozen. Scroll or edit the window afterwards and Meta AI still sees the old view until you attach again.
One window at a time
No multi-window attachment. To compare two things, share the first, ask, then share the second in the same conversation.
Think before you share
A shared window goes to Meta’s servers and stays in that conversation. Close the password manager, the banking tab and anything confidential first.
Minimised windows and some secure system dialogs will not appear in the picker at all macOS withholds them, which is the intended behaviour rather than a bug. What Meta says it does with what you send is covered in permissions and privacy.
The three failures, and what they mean
The picker is empty
Screen Recording is off, or it was switched on while the app was running. Enable it, quit with ⌘Q, reopen.
Full fixPreviews are blank
Same cause, half-applied the app can list windows but not capture them. The restart is the missing step.
Full fixIt attaches but answers vaguely
Usually the content was not visible when you captured it. Scroll to the part that matters and attach again.
TroubleshootingWindow sharing questions
How do I share a window with Meta AI?
Bring the window on screen, press ⌥Space, click the attach button in the composer and choose that window. It arrives as a chip you can see, and you ask your question normally. The full steps.
Can Meta AI see my whole screen?
No. One window at a time, chosen by you, captured at that moment. The desktop behind it and every other window are not included, and nothing is captured until you attach something. The boundaries.
Is it watching in the background?
No. Screen Recording permission lets the app capture a window when you ask it to; it is not a running feed. If that still makes you uneasy, leave the permission off chat, files and dictation all work without it.
Does it update if I scroll?
No. The capture is frozen at the moment you attached it. Scroll or edit, then attach again to share the new state the old attachment stays in the conversation as history.
Can I share two windows at once?
Not in the 1.0 beta. Share one, ask about it, then share the other in the same conversation the thread keeps both in context.
Why is the window picker empty?
Screen Recording permission is missing, or it was granted while the app was open. Enable Meta AI in System Settings → Privacy & Security, then quit with ⌘Q and reopen. Full fix.
Can it click things in the window?
No. It reads and replies. Acting inside apps clicking, filling forms, moving files is Muse, a separate app with its own permissions. Muse vs Meta AI.
Does window sharing work in the browser version?
No it is one of the three things only the Mac app can do. In a browser you paste text or upload a file instead. App vs browser.
Does sharing a window use up my free allowance?
Not meaningfully. Attaching a window costs a screenshot and some text; what meters on the free tier is image and video generation. Pricing and limits.
Can I share a window from another Mac or my phone?
No. It captures windows on the Mac the app is running on. A screenshot taken elsewhere can always be uploaded as a file instead.
Attach the window you are stuck on.
One permission, one restart, and then it is five seconds to hand Meta AI whatever is in front of you.
Independent guide not affiliated with Meta. Deciding whether to grant Screen Recording at all? Permissions and privacy lays out what it does and does not allow.