Windows 10 version 2004 introduced an API that most people have never heard of: SetWindowDisplayAffinity, with the flag WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE. When applied to a window, the DWM compositor strips that window from the capture stream. You still see it. OBS, Zoom, Teams, Snipping Tool, and most screen recorders do not.
The catch: Windows requires the owning process to call this API. You can't just right-click a random window and exclude it. That's why third-party tools exist — they inject a small DLL into the target process to make the call on your behalf.
Here's how the major options compare, and how to set each one up.
Option 1: Evanesco (Free, Open Source)
GitHub: k4yt3x/Evanesco
Evanesco is the oldest and most established open-source tool in this category. It provides a basic GUI for selecting processes and toggling capture exclusion. It supports both x86 and x64 windows and has a portable version.
Setup: Download the release, run Evanesco.exe, select your process, click Hide.
Pros: Free, open-source, established community, no install required.
Cons: No title masking, no taskbar hiding, no live preview, no routines. If you need to hide more than a couple of windows regularly, the manual process gets old fast.
Option 2: CaptureGuard (Free, Open Source, Minimalist)
GitHub: xzulab/CaptureGuard
CaptureGuard is a newer Rust-based tool with a clean process picker and a single-EXE distribution. You select a process, click Protect, and can close the GUI. Reopen it later to disable protection.
Setup: Download capture-guard.exe from Releases, run it, select process, Protect.
Pros: Portable, lightweight, GUI is intuitive, can unload DLL to restore capture.
Cons: 64-bit only. Admin may be needed for elevated processes. Security software sometimes flags DLL injection. No metadata protection (titles, taskbar, notifications).
Option 3: WinHider (Free, Microsoft Store)
GitHub: aamitn/winhider
Install: winget install winhider
WinHider adds taskbar and Alt-Tab hiding on top of capture exclusion. It's available through the Microsoft Store, which matters if your employer blocks unsigned executables.
Setup: Install via winget or Store, run, select apps, toggle hiding.
Pros: Store-verified, winget install, hides from taskbar/Alt-Tab.
Cons: No GUI polish compared to commercial tools, no preview, no routines.
Option 4: NoCapture (Freemium, Workflow-Focused)
Site: nocapture.membran.digital
NoCapture uses the same underlying API but wraps it in a workflow layer. The live preview pane shows you exactly what Zoom or OBS sees before you share. Smart routines let you one-click cloak Slack, email, and your password manager. Title masking sanitizes window titles in Alt-Tab and taskbar previews.
Setup: Download installer, run, select windows from the live list, apply shield.
Pros: Live preview, title masking, notification shield, routines, multi-monitor, Teams deployment.
Cons: Free tier limited to 2 windows. Windows-only.
Which Should You Use?
- Developer who wants to inspect the code: Evanesco or CaptureGuard.
- Corporate machine with strict IT policy: WinHider (Microsoft Store).
- Streamers, consultants, sales engineers who share screens daily: NoCapture — the preview and routines save more time than the subscription costs.
- One-off need: Any of the free tools will work. Just test it with Snipping Tool first.
Testing Your Setup
Never trust a tool until you've verified it. After enabling protection:
- Open Snipping Tool (
Win + Shift + S) and try to capture the protected window. It should appear black or be excluded. - If you use OBS, add a Display Capture source and confirm the window is missing.
- Check Zoom's screen share preview before going live.
We covered the full mechanics of why manual hiding fails here. The short version: background windows, notification timing, and tab titles are invisible to your attention but fully visible to capture APIs. Technical cloaking is the only deterministic defense.
NoCapture provides OS-level window cloaking, title masking, and notification shielding for Windows. Free for two windows. Because "being careful" isn't a strategy.
