Can LockDown Browser See My Screen on Mac?

LockDown Browser by itself does not record your screen. It locks down the system to prevent app switching and disable shortcuts. Screen recording happens only when Respondus Monitor is added on top.

There's a common confusion: students assume LockDown Browser is a "spyware-like" recorder. It is not. The base product locks down keyboard shortcuts, blocks app switching, prevents screenshots, and that's it. Respondus Monitor (a separate paid add-on) records the webcam and screen for asynchronous review. Both layers run as user-mode apps and use macOS' standard capture APIs when they capture; both APIs honor per-window privacy. Fracture' overlay window has the privacy flag set, so even when Monitor is on, the overlay is missing from the recording.

You'll see a webcam preview and ID-check step before the exam starts. No webcam step = no Monitor.

It enumerates running processes pre-exam and blocks unwanted ones (other browsers, screen recorders). It does not capture content.

It is closed-source. The behavior is documented in Respondus' own admin guides and verified by reverse-engineering work in the community.