Ghost Mode

Ghost Mode

Ghost Mode makes Flashback as quiet as it can be while still recording. The replay buffer keeps running and your shortcuts keep saving, but there's no window at launch, no sound, no pop-up and no Discord status. This page explains exactly what changes and what doesn't.

What Ghost Mode changes

	Normal	Ghost Mode
Main window	Opens at launch (unless you start hidden)	Stays closed at launch. Applying Ghost Mode closes the window; you can still open it from the tray or the Start menu
Clip and recorder sounds	Play (if sounds are on)	Muted
Notifications such as Clip saved	Shown	Not shown
Discord status	Shown (if on)	Cleared and turned off
Cloud upload notices	Shown	Silent
Tray icon	Shown	Still shown, with a checked Ghost Mode item in its menu

What keeps working

• The replay buffer. Ghost Mode doesn't pause recording. The tray menu shows Ghost Mode · Replay buffer active, and the tray icon's tooltip still says how the buffer is doing: Flashback · Ghost Mode · followed by Replay buffer active, starting, waiting, paused, or Recorder needs attention. It never names your game.
• Your shortcuts. Save replay and screenshot shortcuts work as usual. Clips are saved, named and filed the same way, just without the sound or notification.
• Voice commands, if you turned them on.
• Automatic uploads, if you set them up. Their notices stay silent.
• The storage limit and everything else that happens after a save.

Because there's no notification, the easiest way to confirm a save in Ghost Mode is to hover the tray icon, open the Library later, or check the clip folder.

Turn it on or off

From the tray (quickest): right-click the Flashback icon near the Windows clock (you may need to open the hidden icons arrow) and choose Ghost Mode. It's checked while Ghost Mode is on. Turning it on there puts the window away; turning it off brings sounds and notifications straight back.

From Settings:

1. Open Settings > Startup & background.
2. Turn on Ghost Mode. Settings lists what it turns off (window at launch, sounds, notifications, Discord status) and what keeps working.
3. Apply your settings. Applying closes the window; Flashback keeps running.

To get back in, choose Open Flashback from the tray menu, or open Flashback from the Start menu. Turn Ghost Mode off from the tray menu or in Settings > Startup & background.

To quit completely, right-click the tray icon and choose Quit.

When to use it

• Streaming or recording with another app, so no Flashback sound or pop-up lands on stream.
• Competitive play where you don't want anything on screen or in your ears.
• Sharing your screen, when you'd rather nobody sees a Flashback window or notification.
• Keeping your Discord profile quiet without changing the Discord setting itself.

Ghost Mode and Discord status

Flashback's Discord status shows only your replay buffer state (it never shows your game). Ghost Mode clears it immediately and keeps it off for as long as Ghost Mode is on. Your Show Flashback on my Discord profile setting isn't changed, so the status comes back when you leave Ghost Mode. See Discord Integration.

Ghost Mode vs other quiet settings

Setting	What it does
Start with the window hidden	Starts in the tray instead of opening the window. Sounds, notifications and Discord status are unaffected.
Keep Flashback running when I close the window	The X hides Flashback in the tray so recording continues.
Play sounds for recorder actions (off)	Silences sounds only.
Show Flashback on my Discord profile (off)	Turns off Discord status only.
Ghost Mode	All of the above at once (window closed at launch, no sounds, no Discord status), plus no notifications.

Related pages

Instant Replay · Discord Integration · Shortcuts · Getting Started