Why do I need to do anything?
Apple’s macOS protects your privacy by default. Even though Lavawall® Remote Support is installed on your Mac, it can’t see your screen or control your mouse and keyboard until you explicitly grant those two permissions.If you’re seeing a black screen, or your support technician says they can’t move the mouse, this page walks you through enabling the permissions Lavawall® needs.
You only need to do this once. macOS remembers the choice for future support sessions.
1Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner of your screen and choose System Settings… — or open Spotlight ( top right) and type System Settings.If your Mac is running macOS Monterey (12) or earlier, this is called System Preferences instead. Everything else works the same way.
2Go to Privacy & Security
In the left-hand sidebar of System Settings, scroll down to Privacy & Security and click it.
3Enable Screen & System Audio Recording
In the Privacy & Security list, click Screen & System Audio Recording (on older macOS it’s just called Screen Recording).Find Lavawall Remote in the list and toggle the switch ON.
macOS will ask for your password (or Touch ID) to confirm. Authenticate, and macOS will ask if you want to quit and reopen Lavawall Remote. Click Quit & Reopen.
Tip: if Lavawall Remote does not appear in the list, your IT team will need to push the installer to your Mac first. Once installed, it shows up here automatically.
4Enable Accessibility (mouse and keyboard control)
Back in Privacy & Security, click Accessibility.Find Lavawall Remote in the list and toggle the switch ON.
If Lavawall Remote isn’t in the Accessibility list yet, click the + button at the bottom, navigate to Applications, choose Lavawall Remote.app, click Open, then toggle the switch ON.
You may need to authenticate with your password or Touch ID.
What does Accessibility do? It lets the technician move your mouse and type on your keyboard during a support session. Without it, the technician can see your screen but can’t control it. If your IT team only needs to look (not click), they can run a view-only session and you don’t have to enable this permission.
5Start the support session
Once both toggles are ON, let your technician know they can connect. They’ll start the session from their end — you don’t need to install anything more or click anything special.You’ll see a small banner appear on your screen that says “Technician is viewing your screen.” That’s the only visible change.
Stopping a session
At any time during a remote support session, you can stop it yourself. Click the Lavawall icon () in the menu bar near your clock, then choose Stop Sharing. The session ends immediately, and the technician loses access.You can also use the menu bar icon to send a message to the technician at any time, even while the session is running.
Stopping the screen sharing prompt every month
By default, macOS Sequoia and Tahoe ask you to re-confirm the Screen Recording permission every month, even after you’ve granted it.This may also happen the first time the technician connects before the computer is logged in.
If your organization uses an MDM (Mobile Device Management) system like Jamf, Mosyle, Kandji, Addigy, or Microsoft Intune, your IT team can deploy a configuration profile that suppresses this monthly prompt.
Without MDM, you’ll see the prompt occasionally. Clicking Allow when it appears keeps Lavawall Remote authorized.
Fortunately, you can click this Allow button from the Lavawall® console.
Common questions
Q: I granted the permission but the technician still sees a black screen.A: macOS sometimes needs the Lavawall Remote background process to fully restart before the new permission takes effect. The agent does this automatically within a few seconds — usually you don’t need to do anything. If after 30 seconds the screen is still black, ask your technician to disconnect and reconnect.
Q: Will my technician see my passwords or banking information?
A: They’ll see whatever is on your screen, just as if they were standing next to you. If you have something private open and you don’t want the technician to see it, close it before the session starts. You can also end the session at any time using the menu bar icon.
Q: Why does my Mac sometimes show a permission popup right when the session starts?
A: That happens the very first time Lavawall Remote tries to read your screen. It’s macOS’s built-in privacy protection asking you to confirm. After you click Allow once, it remembers.
Q: Does Lavawall Remote watch me when no session is active?
A: No. The background process only captures your screen when a technician actively starts a session, and you see the banner the entire time. When the session ends, screen capture stops immediately.
Q: I want to uninstall Lavawall Remote. How?
A: Open Terminal and run
sudo /Applications/Lavawall\ Remote.app/Contents/MacOS/lavawall-remote uninstall. This removes the application and background services. Your IT team can also uninstall it remotely.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out through our chat, phone or email on our contact page.