Configure Privacy Masking in UniFi Video

The short answer

Privacy masking in UniFi Video is a camera-level setting. It blocks out chosen regions of a camera's image so those areas are hidden in the live view and in recordings. The setting sits in each camera's configuration within the UniFi Video management interface. You draw or position a mask over the area you want hidden, then save the camera settings.

Two limits matter before you rely on it. First, Ubiquiti has discontinued UniFi Video and directs users to UniFi Protect, so the controls you see depend on which application and version you are running. Second, a privacy mask is a visual control only. It does not mute, filter or limit what a camera's microphone records.

Confirm which application is managing the camera

Instructions for UniFi Video and UniFi Protect are not interchangeable. Their interfaces, setting names and feature sets differ. Before following any guide, check which one is running.

• Check the name and version shown in the management interface or on the recorder's about or system page.
• Note whether the camera was adopted by a legacy UniFi Video server or by a UniFi Protect console.
• If the system still runs UniFi Video, keep in mind that it no longer receives active development. Features, security fixes and camera compatibility may not match current documentation.

How privacy masking is applied

The general workflow is the same in most versions. Open the camera's settings, find the privacy or masking section, define one or more regions over the camera image, and save. Afterwards, check the live view and a new recording to confirm the masked areas are hidden as intended.

Gap in the available evidence: this article could not confirm the exact menu labels, the number of masks allowed per camera, or mask shape options for specific UniFi Video releases. Check those details in Ubiquiti's documentation for your installed version, or look directly in your camera's settings panel.

Masks are typically drawn relative to the camera's field of view. If a camera is moved, re-aimed or zoomed, the mask may no longer cover the intended area. Recheck masks after any physical adjustment.

Why masking does not protect conversations

Video and audio are handled as separate streams. A mask hides pixels in the image. It does not change the audio track, so a masked doorway, window or desk can be invisible in footage while speech near it is still captured.

If a camera model includes a microphone, audio recording is controlled by its own setting, separate from the privacy mask. Where that setting exists, it is usually an on/off toggle, sometimes with a volume or sensitivity level. Sensitivity here means how strongly the microphone responds to quieter or more distant sound. Lowering it reduces how much distant speech is picked up, but it does not guarantee that speech is excluded. If your privacy goal includes conversations, disable audio recording for that camera instead of relying on placement or sensitivity.

To check the result, make a short test recording while someone speaks at normal volume near the masked area. Then play it back. If speech is audible, audio capture is still active, whatever the mask shows.

Legal considerations for audio in the US

In the United States, rules on recording conversations vary by state. Some states require consent from everyone in a conversation, not just one participant. Video masking does not change whether audio recording is permitted. If a camera can hear areas where people talk, review the rules that apply to your location before enabling its microphone.

Summary of what to verify

• Which application and version manage the camera: UniFi Video or UniFi Protect.
• The exact location and options of the privacy mask setting in that version.
• That masks still cover the intended areas after any camera movement.
• Whether the camera has a microphone and whether audio recording is enabled.
• A test recording showing that both video masking and audio behave as intended.