diff --git a/src/chrome/ShareSheet.tsx b/src/chrome/ShareSheet.tsx
index 24cdca81f..a4b8d91ba 100644
--- a/src/chrome/ShareSheet.tsx
+++ b/src/chrome/ShareSheet.tsx
@@ -148,13 +148,15 @@ export default class ShareSheet extends Component<Props, State> {
       }
       this.props.logger.trackTimeSince(mark, 'export:url-success');
     } catch (e) {
-      const str = e instanceof Error ? e.toString() : e;
-      this.setState({
-        result: {
-          error_class: 'EXPORT_ERROR',
-          error: str,
-        },
-      });
+      if (!this.state.runInBackground) {
+        const str = e instanceof Error ? e.toString() : e;
+        this.setState({
+          result: {
+            error_class: 'EXPORT_ERROR',
+            error: str,
+          },
+        });
+      }
       this.props.logger.trackTimeSince(mark, 'export:url-error');
     }
   }
diff --git a/src/chrome/ShareSheetExportFile.tsx b/src/chrome/ShareSheetExportFile.tsx
index 6f22d35e8..8c91c9e95 100644
--- a/src/chrome/ShareSheetExportFile.tsx
+++ b/src/chrome/ShareSheetExportFile.tsx
@@ -140,7 +140,9 @@ export default class ShareSheetExportFile extends Component<Props, State> {
       this.setState({errorArray, result: {success: true, error: null}});
       this.props.logger.trackTimeSince(mark, 'export:file-success');
     } catch (err) {
-      this.setState({errorArray: [], result: {success: false, error: err}});
+      if (!this.state.runInBackground) {
+        this.setState({errorArray: [], result: {success: false, error: err}});
+      }
       this.props.logger.trackTimeSince(mark, 'export:file-error');
     }
   }