For a standard HireVue one-way video interview, no — HireVue captures your camera and microphone, not your desktop. It can see your screen only when a task explicitly asks you to share it, which happens in some On Demand tasks and in Live interviews. Those situations show a browser permission prompt before anything is shared. A technical coding assessment (CodeVue) is a separate case: it can preserve code, test activity, and session signals inside the assessment environment, which is not the same as recording every pixel of your desktop.
The confusion comes from using one word — "recording" — for several different capabilities. Here is what each one actually is.
1. The standard video response
An On Demand interview records the answer you submit through your camera and microphone. Setup asks for camera and microphone access and shows a preview. This permission lets the browser capture your response; it does not, by itself, grant access to your desktop, other tabs, or files.
2. Explicit screen sharing
HireVue's own support guidance says you may be asked to share your screen for some On Demand tasks and during Live interviews. When that applies:
- You get an instruction and a browser screen-selection dialog.
- Screen sharing requires a desktop or laptop in a current Chrome or Edge; it is not available on mobile.
- On a Mac, the operating system may first require you to enable Screen Recording for the browser.
If no sharing request appears, do not assume one from the presence of camera or microphone permissions — they are separate controls.
3. Technical-assessment signals (CodeVue)
A coding assessment can preserve more than the final file. HireVue has described code playback, similarity analysis, timing, paste events, test runs, inactivity, and browser-focus changes as technical-review signals. These reconstruct activity inside the coding session; they are not a video of your whole desktop.
What is not captured
HireVue's candidate guidance does not support a blanket claim that every session secretly records the entire desktop. A focus-change event can show that the assessment lost focus without revealing what was in the other window. And HireVue states it does not use the interview video to identify candidates through facial recognition.
For how those signals are used in review, see can HireVue detect cheating and what happens if HireVue detects you reading a script.
Before you start
- Read the invitation. It tells you whether screen sharing, camera, or other monitoring is required.
- Watch for the permission prompt. If a screen-sharing dialog appears, read which source you are choosing.
- Close private material. Dismiss personal messages, password managers, and confidential work regardless of format.
- Ask if it is unclear. The recruiter can confirm the format before you begin.
Bottom line
Standard HireVue video interviews use camera and microphone only. Screen sharing is feature-specific and employer-configured, always with an explicit browser prompt. CodeVue preserves code and session signals rather than your full desktop. Read the instructions, grant only the permissions the task requires, and prepare the interview itself — see can you fail a HireVue interview. Employers evaluating this class of tool can compare options through candidate evaluation.