Fix Screenshot Issues on Mac

Why am I seeing only wallpaper in screenshots?

When WebWork screenshots show only your desktop wallpaper instead of your work applications, it means macOS has not granted screen & system audio recording permission to WebWork.

What happens without permission:

• Screenshots are still taken at scheduled intervals
• macOS blocks access to actual application content
• Only the desktop wallpaper/background image is captured
• Your actual work activity remains invisible to the tracker

This is normal Mac security protection. All apps need special permission to take screenshots of your screen content.

How to fix this

Step 1: Open System Settings

• Click the Apple menu at the top-left corner
• Select "System Settings" (macOS 13+) or "System Preferences" (older versions)

Step 2: Go to Privacy & Security

• Click "Privacy & Security" in the left sidebar
• Scroll down and click "Screen Recording"

Step 3: Enable WebWork

• Look for "WebWork" in the applications list
• Toggle the switch next to WebWork to ON (it turns blue/green color)
• If WebWork isn't listed, click the "+" button and browse to add WebWork from Applications folder

Step 4: Restart WebWork

• Completely quit WebWork (right-click and quit)
• Launch WebWork again (Make sure you're using the latest version of WebWork for best compatibility)
• The application may prompt you to grant permission when it first takes a screenshot

How to check if it's working

After restarting WebWork:

1. Return to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording
2. Verify WebWork Tracker toggle is ON (blue/green color)
3. Let WebWork take some screenshots during your work
4. Check that screenshots show your actual work content in WebWork dashboard, not just wallpaper

Still having issues?

Cannot toggle the permission (grayed out):

• Click the lock icon 🔒 at the bottom of the Privacy window
• Enter your Mac administrator password
• You need admin privileges to change these privacy settings

Still seeing wallpaper after enabling permission:

• Completely quit and restart WebWork
• Restart your Mac computer if issue continues
• If problems persist, learn how to send an error log to support

Important information

About this permission:

• Screen recording permission allows WebWork to capture screenshots of your active applications

Privacy protection:

• WebWork will only record during tracking

Need more help? Contact support with your macOS version, WebWork version, and description of the issue you're experiencing.