Screen sharing is not the same as every kind of recording
“Does HireVue record your screen?” needs a scoped answer. HireVue's screen-sharing instructions say some OnDemand tasks require sharing a computer screen to demonstrate skills; Live interviews may also request it. That does not establish continuous full-desktop recording for every interview.
Sharing makes selected screen content available as a media stream. Whether that stream is stored as a recording, what a reviewer receives and how long information is retained are separate questions. A browser permission prompt alone does not answer them. Likewise, a camera recording of your spoken answer is not a recording of all your desktop applications.
For games specifically, read Are HireVue Games Recorded?. This article focuses on interview screen permissions and activity signals, not a second full guide to game data or retention rights.
Can HireVue see if you switch tabs?
HireVue publicly describes browser-focus tracking among its integrity capabilities. A tab or window change can therefore be a type of activity signal; it is not safe to claim that no sharing prompt means no monitoring. The product page does not tell us which settings are enabled for your particular application.
There is an important technical distinction. MDN's page-visibility documentation explains how websites can receive visibility changes; it also distinguishes visibility from window focus. Those events are different from capturing another application's pixels. A focus-loss event alone does not establish the contents of the other window or why someone changed focus. This explains browser concepts, not HireVue's specific implementation.
HireVue's October 2026 article says integrity signals should prompt review rather than be automatic proof of cheating. It also separates integrity monitoring from transcript-based interview scoring. Follow your conduct rules; do not deliberately switch tabs during an assessed question to experiment with detection.
Read the sharing permission and its limits
For the browser screen-capture mechanism described by MDN, a user selects and grants access to a display surface. The resulting stream can be transmitted or recorded. This general explanation is not proof of an individual HireVue session's implementation or storage policy.
| What you observe | What it helps establish | What it does not establish alone |
|---|---|---|
| Camera or microphone permission | Access to the requested media device | Permission to capture the desktop |
| A screen, window or tab selection prompt | A request to share the selected surface | That every other surface is also captured |
| An active sharing indicator | A screen-sharing session is active | How long a copy is retained or who can later access it |
| No screen-sharing prompt | You have not observed that request at this point | That the site collects no focus or interaction signals |
Read the actual prompt and task instructions together. Close unrelated sensitive windows before starting and confirm the required capture scope. Do not block a required permission and assume the assessment will still complete correctly. If a permission or accessibility concern is unresolved, ask the official support channel before proceeding.
Keep interview and coding-task evidence separate
An OnDemand recorded answer, a Live conversation and a coding task need not use the same controls. The official screen-sharing article describes sharing for particular tasks, rather than a rule that every candidate must expose the entire desktop throughout an interview.
A 2019 HireVue technical-assessment article describes CodeVue editor playback and events such as pasted code and loss of focus. That is historical, product-specific evidence about a coding environment. Editor-session playback is not, on its own, evidence that all OnDemand interviews record every application on a candidate's computer. Keep those scopes separate when comparing online accounts.
What public sources cannot confirm for your invitation
We cannot determine your employer's enabled controls, exact reviewer display, storage choices, flag thresholds or response to an individual event. The reviewed sources also do not establish one universal rule for locking the operating system or identifying every additional display. An undocumented detail is not proof that a capability is either enabled or impossible.
Nor should a page describing research or a planned feature be treated as evidence that the feature is deployed in every interview. Check the date, product and wording of a source. For the separate question of AI assessment versus recruiter review, use the AI and human-review guide, rather than inferring scoring from a permission prompt.
A practical pre-interview checklist
Before the real assessment:
- Identify the format and any screen-sharing task in your invitation.
- Read the conduct rules, allowed materials and privacy notices.
- Check what the browser asks to share, rather than relying only on a camera preview.
- Close unrelated personal or confidential content before any required sharing.
- Ask in advance about assistive tools, accommodations or an unclear permission request.
This checklist helps you understand and follow the process; it is not a method for bypassing monitoring. If camera or microphone access itself fails, use the device troubleshooting guide. HireVueGames cannot inspect your official invitation, confirm which checks are running or change the hiring company's rules.
FAQ
Can HireVue see the contents of my other tabs?
A record that the interview lost focus does not, by itself, establish the contents of another tab. Screen content available through sharing depends on the capture scope and actual configuration. Check the instructions and notices rather than assuming universal access or universal invisibility.
Does no screen-sharing prompt mean no monitoring?
No. Browser-focus or activity signals are different from capturing screen content. The absence of a screen-sharing prompt is not proof that no activity is recorded.
Will one tab switch automatically disqualify me?
HireVue describes integrity signals as information for further review, not automatic proof of misconduct. That does not authorise breaking an employer's rules or guarantee how a particular employer handles a case.
Does HireVue lock my entire computer?
The public sources reviewed here do not establish a universal operating-system lock for every HireVue interview. Read the requirements of your actual assessment; browser warnings, focus tracking and a desktop lock are different things.
Sources
Related Guides
Are HireVue Interviews Reviewed by AI or Humans?
Understand HireVue AI assessment, recruiter review and hiring decisions, what transcript-based scoring evaluates, and what your invitation needs to explain.
Read GuideHireVue Camera Not Working? Check Permissions and Devices
Troubleshoot HireVue camera and microphone problems with permission, device and browser checks, plus safe next steps if your interview has already started.
Read GuideRehearse in an independent preparation environment. This does not reveal, test or change the monitoring settings of your employer's interview.
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