How to Use Blackbird with Proctorio
Proctorio is the browser-extension proctor most universities bolt onto Canvas, Moodle and Blackboard. Here is exactly what it sees — and what it does not.
What Proctorio monitors
- —Continuous webcam and microphone recording
- —Full screen capture through the browser extension
- —Tab, window and focus-change events
- —Clipboard and right-click restrictions inside the exam page
- —Head, eye and audio anomaly scoring after the exam
How Blackbird fits in
Proctorio lives inside Chrome as an extension. Everything it knows about your machine arrives through browser APIs: the capture stream you approve at check-in, focus events on the exam tab, and the webcam feed. It has no kernel driver and no process inspector.
Blackbird is a lightweight native Windows overlay drawn at the system compositor level. It is not a browser tab, an Electron window, or a shared surface, so it does not show up in screen recordings, screen-share streams, or active-window checks. It stays on top, accepts clicks without stealing focus, and disappears instantly with a hotkey.
Practical tips
- +Keep the exam tab focused — Proctorio flags tab switches, not overlays.
- +Read the suggested approach, then write the answer in your own words.
- +Type naturally instead of pasting large blocks at once.
- +Bind the toggle hotkey to something you can hit without looking down.
Frequently asked questions
Can Proctorio detect Blackbird?
Proctorio captures the browser's screen stream and webcam. Blackbird renders above that capture path at the compositor level, so it does not appear in the recording or in Proctorio's window list.
Does Blackbird trigger a tab-switch flag?
No. Blackbird never takes focus from the exam tab. Clicking the overlay leaves the browser as the active window.
Is Blackbird free to use with Proctorio?
Yes. The free tier includes a 15-minute session limit. Pro is $30/month, and there is a one-time $20 option for a single month at shellz.org/pro.
Does it work on Mac?
Blackbird is Windows-only today. It runs on Windows 10 and 11.
You are responsible for following the rules of any exam, employer or institution you use Blackbird with. No tool can account for human observation or behavioural review.