Screen-Sharing Privacy for Accountants and Bookkeepers
Sharing QuickBooks Online or Xero on a client call can expose another client's name in the company switcher, plus balances, SSNs, EINs and bank numbers. Here's how to review one client's books without leaking another's.
When you screen-share QuickBooks Online, Xero or a tax package with a client, you must protect everyone else you do the books for — their names sit in the company switcher, and their numbers are one click away. The safeguard is to blur the client list and any figures you're not reviewing before you share, so switching companies, a bank-feed refresh, or a stray browser tab never exposes another client's balances, SSN or bank details. Accountants owe clients confidentiality under the AICPA Code and usually under signed engagement terms, so an accidental disclosure is a professional problem, not just an awkward one.
What client data leaks during an accounting screen share
- Other clients' names — the QuickBooks Online company switcher and Xero's 'Change organisation' menu list every client file you can access, as does the client roster in QuickBooks Online Accountant or Xero HQ.
- Balances, revenue and P&L — the dashboard tiles, the profit-and-loss report and the balance sheet show numbers a client may not want visible to others on the call.
- SSNs and EINs — employee Social Security numbers in payroll, and vendor or contractor EINs on 1099 records and W-9s.
- Bank account numbers — the bank-feeds screen and the chart of accounts show account names and the last digits of linked bank and credit-card accounts.
- Payroll detail — pay rates, individual employee earnings and deductions in the payroll module.
- Client contact and tax data — addresses, filing details and prior-year figures in web-based tax software.
The riskiest moment: switching between clients
The scenario that catches bookkeepers out is the back-to-back client call. You finish reviewing one client's reconciliation, and while you're still sharing you open the company switcher to jump to the next client — and for a second every client name you manage is on screen. Even within one file, scrolling the dashboard past the P&L, letting a bank feed refresh, or opening payroll to check one number can surface figures the client didn't ask to see and other people's data they should never see. Blurring lets you keep the switcher and the numbers you're not discussing frosted while you work.
How to review one client's books safely
- 1
Share one tab and mute notifications
Share only the browser tab with QuickBooks Online or Xero, not your whole screen, and turn on Do Not Disturb so email and bank-alert notifications naming other clients don't pop up.
- 2
Blur the company switcher first
With BlurFirst, element-blur the company or organisation name in the top bar and box-blur the switcher dropdown, so a jump between clients never flashes your full roster. The blur is painted into the page, so Zoom, Meet, Teams and Loom all capture it.
- 3
Blur the figures you're not reviewing
Box-blur the dashboard balance tiles, the totals on a P&L or balance sheet, or the bank-account numbers on the banking screen — leaving visible only the transaction, reconciliation or report line you're walking through together.
- 4
Hide SSNs and pay detail in payroll
Before opening payroll, element-blur the SSN column and individual pay-rate cells; use the one-click Scan (Pro) to catch any exposed SSNs, EINs or card numbers on the page automatically.
- 5
Save a profile and keep panic ready
Save a per-site profile (Pro) so the switcher and sensitive tiles re-blur automatically each session and after the page re-renders. If the wrong figure appears, press Ctrl/⌘ ⇧ H to blur everything instantly.
What to blur in each tool
| Tool | Blur before you present |
|---|---|
| QuickBooks Online | Company switcher and file name, dashboard balance tiles, P&L and balance-sheet totals, banking-screen account numbers |
| QuickBooks Online Accountant | The client list, the 'your practice' roster, notifications naming other clients |
| Xero / Xero HQ | 'Change organisation' menu, dashboard bank balances, the client list in Xero HQ |
| Payroll | SSN column, individual pay rates, earnings and deductions |
| Tax software (web) | Client roster, SSNs and EINs, prior-year figures and refund amounts |
| Spreadsheets | Other clients' tabs, bank-account and routing columns, tax-ID columns |
Honest limits
- BlurFirst blurs content inside a browser tab — QuickBooks Online, Xero and web tax software all qualify. It can't blur the QuickBooks Desktop app or another window, so close those (a desktop app is in development).
- Scan detects patterns — SSNs, EINs, credit-card numbers, emails, phone numbers and API keys — locally, but not free-text client or company names. Blur those with box or element blur yourself.
- It can't run on
chrome://pages or the Chrome Web Store.