Screenshare icon shows in login screen even though it is turned off

Question

Screenshare icon shows in login screen even though it is turned off

Login Window Picture

I tried clicking on it and nothing happens.

I did some researching on it and a Quora question popped up (https://www.quora.com/What-are-these-rectangles-icon-in-the-menu-bar-on-the-OS-X-El-Capitan-login-screen) about it, the answer said that

"Screen Sharing/BackToMyMac enabled and active. Someone is watching everything you're doing. If you did not turn that on, I would pull your network cable/turn your airport off"

I do not have Screen Sharing or Back To My Mac on, they are all disabled. How did it get turned on in the first place?

I turned off my wifi and the icon seemed to go away. Changed password, shut down my computer and came back to it. I just want to know how can I prevent this from happening in the future?

EDIT: Do the icons have further meaning or any other definitions? I did even more digging in the Quora link.

MacBook Pro Retina

Posted on Jun 30, 2019 6:29 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Eric Root

Level 10

685,221 points

Jun 30, 2019 7:22 PM in response to Community User

Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. Please post back on whether or not this worked. Also try the Safe Mode. Please post back on whether or not this worked.

Isolating an issue by using another user account

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If it works in the Safe Mode, try running this program when booted normally and then copy and paste the output in a reply. The program was created by Etresoft, a frequent contributor. Please use copy and paste as screen shots can be hard to read. Click “Share Report” button in the toolbar, select “Copy to Clipboard” and then paste into a reply. This will show what is running on your computer. No personal information is shown. If the log won’t post, try posting it in Pastebin and provide a link in a reply Pastebin

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Answer 2

Jul 1, 2019 12:20 AM in response to Eric Root

Also, I have another question. Since I made the Screen share icon go away, do I just wait for it to come back again and do what the post says?

Probably should list applications I had open during the time as well.

Discord Canary
Visual Studio Code
NordVPN
Minecraft

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Answer 3

Jun 30, 2019 7:28 PM in response to Eric Root

I should also mention that shutting down then going back made the icon go away, now I frequently check to see if the icon is there by making the mac go to sleep and waking it up.

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Answer 4

Eric Root

Level 10

685,221 points

Jul 1, 2019 9:28 AM in response to Community User

There is no reason to do the other troubleshooting steps since it went away. Try them if it returns. If it happens again, if you are using the VPN, try quitting it to see if that helps.

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Answer 5

Jul 10, 2019 8:34 PM in response to Eric Root

Ok, I saw the screensharing icon I found and I just remembered this post after I turned off the wifi > sleep > login > no icon. Not sure if this could be a solution

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Screenshare icon shows in login screen even though it is turned off

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