Troubleshooting: Slack “Screen Recording” Permission Popup Loop

A Slack “Screen Recording” permission popup loop occurs primarily on macOS when the operating system repeatedly prompts you to grant screen capture permissions every time you try to share your screen, even though the toggle inside system settings is already enabled. Each time you click “Open System Settings” and grant access, Slack fails to register the approval, leaving screen sharing blocked during Huddles and calls.

Fast Fix

Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording, click the Slack entry, and use the minus (–) button to completely remove it from the list. Relaunch Slack, attempt to share your screen, and click Allow on the new prompt to generate a fresh permission token.

Diagnostic Snapshot

Parameter	Diagnostic Details
Symptom	System dialog prompts for Screen Recording permissions continuously on every share attempt
Primary Scope	macOS (Sequoia, Sonoma, Ventura) running Slack Desktop App
Root Cause	Stale code-signing signature in macOS Transparency, Consent, and Control (TCC) database after an app update
Access Required	Local Administrator (macOS System Settings & Terminal)

Step-by-Step Resolution

1. Remove and Re-Register Slack in macOS Privacy Settings

Simply toggling the switch off and on usually fails because it does not clear the outdated cryptographic signature. Removing the entry forces macOS to write a clean record.

1. Fully quit Slack (Cmd + Q).
2. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording (or Screen Recording on older macOS versions).
3. Click on Slack to highlight it.
4. Click the minus (–) button at the bottom of the list to delete the entry entirely.
5. Launch Slack, start or join a Huddle, and click the Share Screen button.
6. When prompted by macOS, click Open System Settings, enter your administrator password, and toggle Slack to On.
7. Click Quit & Reopen when prompted by the operating system.

2. Reset the TCC Screen Capture Database via Terminal

If removing the entry manually does not clear the loop, use the native macOS tccutil utility to reset permissions for the entire screen capture subsystem.

1. Quit Slack completely.
2. Open Terminal (via Spotlight by pressing Cmd + Space and typing Terminal).
3. Enter the following command and press Enter:Bash tccutil reset ScreenCapture com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap
4. If you use the Slack App Store version or want to clear all stalled screen recording records, run:Bash tccutil reset ScreenCapture
5. Restart your Mac to reload the system TCC daemon (tccd).
6. Open Slack and initiate a screen share to re-prompt for fresh authorization.

3. Eliminate Duplicate Slack Application Installations

If you have multiple copies of Slack on your Mac (such as an old version in your ~/Downloads folder alongside /Applications/Slack.app), macOS may assign permissions to the inactive copy while launching the unapproved binary.

1. Open Finder and search for Slack.app.
2. Delete any versions located in ~/Downloads, ~/Desktop, or temporary backup directories.
3. Keep only the official installation inside /Applications.
4. Empty the macOS Trash, restart the application, and grant permissions.

4. Configure Application-Level Screen Sharing Settings

Once the operating system permits screen capture, ensure hardware acceleration inside Slack is not blocking frame output.

• In Slack Desktop, go to Help > Troubleshooting > Disable Hardware Acceleration if sharing displays causes a blank window.

When to Escalate to MDM / Enterprise IT Administrators

If your screen recording toggle remains locked or resets to “Off” after every reboot:

• Inspect MDM Privacy Preferences Policy (PPPC): Enterprise-managed Macs enrolled in Jamf, Microsoft Intune, or Kandji may have a Configuration Profile enforcing screen capture restrictions. Contact your IT administrator to verify that the profile payload allows standard users to approve screen recording for com.tinyspeck.slackmacgap.