Why Your Mac Says “Adobe Illustrator Is Recording Your Screen” (and Why You Shouldn’t Freak Out)

Introduction

If you’ve recently updated to macOS Sequoia and opened Adobe Illustrator, you might have been startled by a notification in the top-right corner of your screen:

“Adobe Illustrator 2025 is recording your screen.”

For many users, this message triggers immediate concern — after all, “screen recording” sounds like a privacy violation. The notification may even persist after closing Illustrator, leading to fears of hidden surveillance or spyware.

But is Illustrator really spying on you? The short answer: No. Here’s the full story.

The User Panic: “Am I Being Recorded?”

Since Sequoia’s release, online forums like Adobe Support Community and Reddit’s r/AdobeIllustrator have seen a surge of posts from concerned users.

Some popular threads include:

“Why is Illustrator recording my screen without permission?”
“Adobe spying on us?”
“This is creepy — how do I turn it off?”

The concerns are understandable. Privacy is a major issue for creatives, especially those working with sensitive client projects.

The Official Explanation: It’s an Apple Thing

Adobe staff have clarified that Illustrator isn’t actually recording your screen. The culprit is Apple’s new privacy behavior in macOS Sequoia.

Here’s what’s going on:

Illustrator uses tools like the Color Picker (eyedropper) to sample pixels from your screen.
On Sequoia, any app that reads even a single pixel’s color triggers macOS to display a “screen recording” notification.
This happens even if the pixel is inside the app’s own window.
No actual video is recorded, stored, or transmitted.

In other words, macOS is being overly cautious — perhaps to the point of misleading users.

Why This Change Happened

Apple’s privacy updates are designed to make it harder for malicious apps to capture on-screen data without consent. Unfortunately, this blanket detection doesn’t distinguish between:

A malicious app actually recording your screen
A legitimate app reading one pixel for a design tool

For designers, the result is a notification that feels alarming but is ultimately harmless.

Can You Stop the Notification?

Right now, there’s no reliable way to disable this message:

Turning off Screen Recording permissions in System Settings → Privacy & Security doesn’t prevent it.
Closing Illustrator stops the message temporarily, but it can return when you use the eyedropper again.

Adobe has stated they are in discussions with Apple to improve the wording and reduce unnecessary alerts.

What You Should Do

Don’t panic — no actual screen recording is happening.
Be aware that any macOS Sequoia app using pixel sampling tools can trigger this, not just Illustrator.
Stay updated — future macOS updates may refine the notification behavior.

Final Thoughts

From a technical perspective, there’s no security risk. From a user experience perspective, the language Apple uses is unnecessarily alarming.

Until Apple changes the wording — something like “Accessing screen color data” — designers will have to live with a slightly misleading notification.

At least now you know: It’s not spying. You’re not alone. And your projects are safe.

See you!