This MacBook Privacy Screen Totally Changed How I Work in Public

I can’t sleep on planes. So I’m one of those annoying people who always pulls out a laptop to get some work done. My problem (other than fighting for elbow space on the arm rests) is that the lack of privacy on my laptop screen makes me uncomfortable.

I try my best to convince myself that no one's watching and that no one cares about the possibly embargoed information on my screen. But I also know that I often can't help but look at someone else’s glowing screen beside me on a plane. It's a similar feeling when I'm working in a busy coffee shop or other public space.

I've always known I should try out a privacy screen for my laptop. I finally did it, and now I count it among one of the best MacBook accessories you can buy.

No Assembly Required

Privacy screens have been around for decades, but I never thought they were for me. I never liked the idea of permanently (or even semi-permanently) altering the display of my laptop due to the adhesives used. The last thing I'd want to do is pay for a MacBook Pro's brilliant Mini-LED display only to hamper it by gluing a sheet of plastic over it. And in the case of a privacy screen, that's not even a feature I'd always need anyways. Sometimes I want to be able to see my laptop from an angle.

But I came across a magnetic option, and that intrigued me. Unlike the kind that stick to your laptop screen (kind of like a standard screen protector), this one didn't use adhesives at all. This means—in theory—that they're easy to pop on and off. And once I tried it, I was sold.

The internet is filled with different versions of this, and they all work essentially the same. But the one I used tried is the Targus 4Vu Magnetic Privacy Screen for my MacBook Pro. You need to get something that fits your device's screen size exactly, and you really want to make sure it's magnetic. Because the MacBook Pro already has built-in magnets at the top and bottom of the screen to assist with lid closure, this solution works especially well. But be careful: Some privacy screens that say “magnetic” still require sticking small adhesive strips to the bezels of your laptop screen.

• Photograph: Luke Larsen
• Photograph: Luke Larsen

Targus

4VU Magnetic Privacy Screen

And once it's on, bam—it works like magic. You've likely seen these out in the wild, whether on a phone, laptop, or monitor, and they’re often used in either a hospital or bank.

The idea is simple: The technology drastically reduces viewing angles, usually by 30 degrees on each side. So, if someone is sitting to your immediate left or right, the content of the screen dims. This particular privacy screen doesn't make things completely invisible on your screen—though this depends on your brightness levels. On a MacBook Pro, if it's at 50 percent or above, the view from the side is equivalent of having the brightness as low as it goes. If you really want your content to be blacked out for people nearby, you need to reduce the brightness to 25 percent or lower.

In the Real World

While I didn't have a flight coming up, I have been bringing this out to the coffee shops with me. And while someone sitting directly behind could still see my screen, I found a new freedom in doing my work in public once I had this on my laptop. One thing that concerned me at first: How easy would it be to store such a thing. Accidentally bending the screen in a bag would really ruin the experience. Fortunately, Targus provides a thin folder for storage.

One big surprise when using this privacy screen was how subtle the effect was when viewing it straight on. Right when I slip it on, I could see the slightly dimmed effect. But after a couple of minutes, I forgot it was there entirely. As it turns out, it's something I wouldn't mind leaving on my MacBook Pro long term.

Another thing privacy screens do, simply as a consequence of how they function, is reduce glare by quite a lot. If you own a recent MacBook, that's likely not something you have to deal with too much, as they already get over 500 nits of brightness. The later MacBook Pros can even go up to 1,000 nits of brightness when you're out in the daylight. But if you didn't opt for the expensive nano-texture panel on the MacBook Pro, a privacy screen like this isn't a bad way to reduce glare.

My only real complaint is that the magnets are only located in the top corners. So, the bottom corners sometimes become detached and flip up on the edges. It seems to me that it would be more secure with some additional magnets. Keeping your laptop screen clean would help with this too.

But really, I came away with my assumptions about privacy screens overturned. I'll definitely be using this when working in public in the future—and especially on planes.