Hiding private data before a screen recording

Prepare a practice environment without private data before recording. Use approved sample records, then inspect every screen the task will open.

Cropping or covering detail can help, but check the rendered video wherever that detail appears. Re-record with clean data if you cannot verify the result.

Map what may appear

List the screens, menus, searches and results in the task. Include browser tabs, bookmarks, filenames, notifications, profile pictures and account names around the application. A search field may reveal suggestions only after typing; a confirmation message may repeat an earlier entry.

Decide what the viewer needs to see. Check details in combination as well as individually: removing a name may leave an organisation, address or case detail that identifies someone. Do not assume that hiding obvious names is enough to protect private information in a public recording.

Prepare clean source material

Ask the product owner for an approved demonstration account and sample records. Confirm that its role has the controls the tutorial describes; explain relevant differences for the intended audience. Close unrelated windows, clear visible recent items where appropriate, silence notifications and select the intended browser profile.

Remove private information before capture. Do not enter a real password, customer message or internal URL into a field on the assumption that it will be deleted later. The intermediate screen can still appear in the recording.

Rehearse the capture path

Choose a capture area that shows the action and enough context to find it. Walk through the task and note where new information appears.

Record a short trial. Review the image at normal speed, then inspect moments when menus, pop-ups and confirmations reveal new content. Listen for spoken names or numbers as well.

If an approved recording contains information that must be hidden, use a solid opaque cover that follows it throughout its appearance. Inspect the rendered export and every affected moment, including after reframing and in each delivery version.

Google advises an opaque cover instead of blur or mosaic for still screenshots; applying a cover reliably across moving video requires its own review. If the cover cannot be verified, record again with clean data.

Methods for obscuring private data in recordings

Review what will be shared

Check the final video, captions, transcript, thumbnail and selected stills at full resolution and at the intended player size. Include the opening and closing frames. A second reviewer can catch details the editor missed.

Keep project files and any unmasked originals under the organisation's approved storage and access process, even when the published export is clean. Record which sample data and final export were approved. For sensitive or disputed material, involve the responsible privacy and product owners before release.