Sharing your screen or desktop on Zoom

 

When using Zoom, you can share your screen, desktop, or other content during a meeting, even while your video is playing.

Zoom meetings are designed to foster collaboration through screen sharing. Users who choose this feature have complete control over their screen and what other meeting participants can and cannot see. Also, meeting hosts cannot monitor your screen activities unless you share your screen.

You can share content using Zoom video conferences, including:

• The entire desktop or phone screen
• One or more specific applications
• Part of your screen
• with content from a second camera
• Whiteboard
• A locally stored video
• Audio played from device
• iPhone/iPad screen

 

Notes:

• Participants can be prevented from sharing their screens by the host.
• Default screen sharing settings for Basic accounts are Only Host.
• A webinar can only be viewed by the host, co-hosts, and panelists.
• Zoom windows can be shown during screen sharing if you are using the desktop client.

Prerequisites for video conference sharing

• Zoom desktop client
  • Windows: 5.0.0 or higher
  • macOS: 5.0.0 or higher
  • Linux: 5.0.0 or higher
• Zoom mobile app
  • Android: 5.0.0 or higher
  • iOS: 5.0.0 or higher

Notes:

• In Linux sessions utilizing Wayland, a single desktop or whiteboard can be shared. Launch your Linux session with Xorg instead if you want to share just a specific application.
• Be sure your Android version is at least 10.0.

How to use desktop screen sharing

Windows | macOS

Sharing your desktop, screen, or content

You can share your screen or content by:

1. You can share your screen by clicking the Share Screen button.
2. There are several options to choose from:
   • Basic:
   • Share your entire desktop, a specific application window, a whiteboard, or an iPhone/iPad screen.
     Note:
   • Rather than sharing the entire desktop, users can choose several desktop programs at once. However, all selected programs must appear on the same screen. Only the user employing this feature requires version 5.4.3 or higher, while viewers can connect with older versions. You can select more than one application by holding the Shift key on macOS or the Ctrl key on Windows.
   • Advanced
     • Slides / PowerPoint as Virtual Background:
     •  Provides a more immersive presentation experience by using a slideshow presentation as your virtual background.
     • Portion of Screen:
     •  A green border surrounds a portion of your screen. Click and drag any side or corner to adjust the border as needed during the sharing process.
     • Computer Audio:
     • You can only share the audio from your computer (the speaker you selected in your audio settings). You can switch between mono (low fidelity) and stereo (high fidelity) audio options by selecting the down arrow to the right of Computer Audio.
     • Video:
     •  Zoom’s native video player lets you view locally stored videos.
     • Content from 2nd Camera:
     •  Use a secondary camera attached to your computer; for example, your laptop’s integrated camera or a document camera.
       1. • Files:
          •  You can share a file from a third-party service like Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. Log in to the third-party service and grant Zoom access by following the on-screen instructions.
            Notes:
            • Account administrators may disable these options, so they may not be available.
            • As an alternative, you can open the file in a web browser and share the browser window. You can share a Google Doc by opening it in Chrome and then sharing the Chrome window. If you use the sharing options in the Files tab, the same result will be obtained.
       2. (Optional) Enable these features in the bottom left corner of the share window:
          • Share sound:
          •  The sound played by your computer will be shared during the meeting if you check this box. You can switch between Mono and Stereo (high fidelity) audio by clicking the down arrow just to the right of the Share Sound option.
          • Optimize for video clip:
          •  If you plan on sharing a video clip in full screen mode, check this box. A blurry shared screen may result if you check this otherwise.
          • Share to breakout rooms:
          •  The host or co-host can share their screen directly to all breakout rooms from the main session.
       3. Click Share.
          Following the sharing process, you’ll see a notification banner stating Participants can now see your shared screen, or whatever you’ve chosen to share.

• • •  
      • Mute/Unmute:
      • Mute or unmute your microphone.
      • Start/Stop Video:
      •  Start or stop your in-meeting video.
      • Security:
      • Access in-meeting security options.
      • Participants:
      •  View or manage the participants (if you’re the host).
        • Click the down arrow to access Invite, where you can invite others to join the meeting.
      • Polling:
      •  Those options are available for creating, editing, and launching polls. In your default browser, you will be taken to the Zoom web portal when you select an option to create or launch a poll. The results of the poll will be available after the poll closes, and you can download the full report. The host and co-host can launch a poll that has already been created, but only the host can edit or add polls to the meeting.
      • New Share:
      • Open a new screen share. A prompt will appear asking you to choose which screen to share.
      • Pause Share:
      • You can pause your current shared screen.
      • Annotate:
      • You can add text, draw, and so on using the annotation tools.
      • More:
      •  Hover over More for additional options.
        • Chat:
        •  Launch the chat window.
        • Record:
        • Record locally or to the cloud.
        • Meeting Info:
        • Displays the current meeting’s ID, host, passcode, invite link, your participant ID, and encryption status.
        • Closed Caption / Live Transcript (only available to the host):
        • Closed captioning and live transcription are available if you have enabled them for your account.
        • Breakout Rooms:
        • Create a breakout room.
        • Enable annotation for others:
        • Share your screen with others and allow or deny annotations.
        • Show/Hide Names of Annotators:
        • When participants are annotating on a screen share, you can show or hide their names. The participant’s name will display briefly beside their annotation if it is set to show.
        • Hide / Show video panel
        • Hide / Show Floating Meeting Control
        • Share Sound
        • Optimize for video clip
          Note:
        •  Enabling this setting if you are not sharing a full-screen video clip will blur your screen share. You should enable/disable this before and after the video.
        • Live on Facebook:
        •  Go live on Facebook during the meeting.
        • Live on Workplace by Facebook:
        •  Use Workplace by Facebook to broadcast your meeting.
        • Live on Youtube:
        •  BLive-stream your meeting on YouTube.
        • Live on Custom Live Streaming Service:
        • Use a custom streaming platform to broadcast your meeting live.
        • End Meeting:
        •  Exit the meeting or end the meeting for all participants.

      How to show Zoom windows during screen share

      When sharing your screen, the Zoom window is not shared by default. When a participant is helping you use Zoom, you can show the Zoom window during screen sharing.

      During screen sharing, zoom windows should be displayed as follows:

      1. Log in to the Zoom web portal.
      2. In the navigation menu, click Settings.
      3. Ensure Show Zoom windows during screen sharing is enabled under the In Meeting (Basic) section.This will allow the setting to appear in the desktop client.
      4. Log out and sign back in to the Zoom desktop client. You can also exit the client and reopen it.
      5. Select your profile picture, then click Settings.
      6. Make sure Show Zoom windows during screen sharing is enabled in the Share Screen tab.

      When using dual monitors

      The dual monitor feature allows you to see your screen sharing on one monitor and the participants on the second screen if you are using a dual monitor setup.

      Note:

      To share your screen with Zoom on macOS 10.15 Catalina, you must allow Zoom access to screen recording. This can be done from the System Preferences. Click the Security & Privacy option, select the Privacy tab, scroll down to Screen Recording, and finally check the option for zoom.us.

      Linux

      Share your desktop, screen or content

      You can share your screen or content by:

      1. From the meeting controls, click Share Screen.
      2. You have the following options:
         • Basic:
         •  Share your entire desktop, a specific window, or a whiteboard.
           Notes:
           • Sharing from an iPhone or iPad is not supported on Linux.
           • With Wayland, Linux sessions can only share an entire desktop or whiteboard. To share just a specific application, you’ll need to start your Linux session with Xorg instead.
         • Advanced
           • Portion of Screen:
           • Share a green-bordered portion of your screen. You can adjust the border during the share by clicking and dragging any side or corner.
           • Music or Computer Sound Only:
           • Share only your computer’s audio (the speaker you selected in your audio settings). View and switch between Mono and Stereo (high fidelity) audio options by selecting the down arrow * just to the right of the Music or Computer Audio option.
      3. (Optional) Enable the following features in the bottom-left corner of the share window:
         • Share Computer Sound:
         • Any sound played by your computer will be shared with the meeting if this option is selected. To switch between Mono and Stereo (high fidelity) audio options, select the down arrow just to the right of Share Computer Sound.
         • Optimize Screen Sharing for Video Clip:
         • Make sure this is checked if you will be sharing a video clip in full screen mode. A blurry screen may result if you check this otherwise.
         • Share to breakout rooms:
         • The host or co-host can share their screen from the main session directly into all breakout rooms.
      4. Simply click Share.
         As soon as the sharing process starts, you will see a notification banner that says Participants can now see your shared screen, or whatever you have chosen to share.

      Notes:

      • Zoom automatically switches to full screen to optimize the shared screen view. You can exit full-screen by clicking Exit Full Screen in the top-right corner or by pressing Esc.
      • In your desktop client settings, adjust Window size when screen sharing behavior to disable automatic full-screen viewing.
      • Click Switch Camera in the top-left corner to switch the shared camera if you selected Content from 2nd Camera.

      Controls when screen sharing

      You can move the meeting controls around the screen by dragging the meeting controls when you start sharing your screen.

      Note: It is possible some of the options detailed below may not be visible due to account admin restrictions or the feature may only be visible to the meeting host or co-host.

• • •  
      • Mute/Unmute:
      • Unmute or mute your microphone.
      • Start/Stop Video:
      • Activate or deactivate your in-meeting video.
      • Security:
      • Access options for in-meeting security.
      • Participants:
      • See or manage participants (if you are the host).
        • You can invite others to the meeting by clicking the down arrow next to Invite.
      • New Share:
      •  Create a new screen share. Select the screen you wish to share again.
      • Pause Share:
      • Pause your currently shared screen.
      • Annotate:
      • Use annotation tools to draw, text, etc.
      • Polling:
      •  A poll may be created, edited, and launched.
      • You will be prompted to open the Zoom web portal in your default web browser if you select the option to create or launch a poll. After the poll closes, you can download the full poll report and view the results. Both the host and co-host can launch a poll that has already been created, but only the host can edit or add polls to the meeting.
      • More:
      • Hover over more to see more options.
        • Chat:
        •  Launch the chat window.
        • Record on this Computer:
        • Start a local recording.
        • Record to the Cloud:
        • Start a cloud recording.
        • Meeting Info:
        •  Shows the current meeting’s ID, host, passcode, invite link, your participant ID, and encryption status.
        • Allow/Disable participants annotation:
        • Allow or prevent the participants from annotating on your shared screen.
        • Show/Hide Names of Annotators:
        •  Show or hide the participants’ name when they are annotating on a screen share. If set to show, the participant’s name will briefly display beside their annotation.
        • Hide / Show video panel
        • Audio Settings:
        •  Open the audio settings in the client.
        • Video Settings:
        •  Open the video options in the client.
        • Share Computer Sound
        • Optimize Share for Full-screen Video Clip
          Note:
        • Do not enable this setting if you are not sharing a video clip, as it will blur your screen share. This should be enabled/disabled before and after the video you wish to play.
        • End Meeting:
        • Leave the meeting or end the meeting for all participants.

      When using dual monitors

      If you are using a dual-monitor setup, you can turn on the dual monitors feature to see the screen sharing on one monitor and participants on the second.

      Android

      Note:

      Some of these options can be disabled in your account settings, under Integrations.

      How to share content

      To share content:

      1. Tap Share in the meeting controls.
      2. Tap the type of content that you want to share.
      3. Tap one of the following options.
         • Photos:
         •  Share a photo from your file manager or photo apps (e.g. Google Photos). Depending on the apps installed on your Android device, you may see different share options.
         • Documents:
         • Select a locally stored PDF or image to share it.
         • Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Microsoft OneDrive for Business:
         • Select a file to share from the selected file sharing service. You will need to grant Zoom access to your account.
           Note:
         • Only PDFs and images are supported.
         • Website URL:
         • Enter a URL to open a browser and share the website.
         • Bookmark:
         •  Share bookmarks stored in the Zoom app.
         • Screen:
         • Share a view of your phone’s entire screen.
         • Camera:
         • Allows sharing of your video camera or an attached webcam.
         • Share Whiteboard:
         • Share a whiteboard you can annotate on.

      How to share your screen

      To share your entire screen, including any application on your Android device:

      1. Tap Share in the meeting controls.
      2. Tap Screen.
         The Android system will display a notification informing you of what the screen share will have access to.
      3. Tap Start Now to confirm.
         The screen share will start and Zoom will continue to run in the background. You can now choose the app that you would like to share.
      4. At the bottom of your screen, tap Annotate to open the annotation tools or tap Stop Share to stop sharing and go back to meeting controls.

      How to share device audio

      Note:

      Ensure that the sound generated by the app you’re sharing is allowed to be captured by non-system applications. Some apps may block sound from being shared for security and privacy reasons.

      To share device audio:

      1. Follow the instructions to begin sharing your screen.
      2. Tap the Share Audio option, found between the options to Annotate and Stop Share.
      3. Tap again to disable or tap Stop Share to end the share completely.

      iOS

      On iOS, you can share the following options:

      • Screen (requires iOS 11 or higher)
      • Photos
      • iCloud Drive
      • Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Microsoft OneDrive for Business: Select a file to share from the selected file sharing service. You will need to grant Zoom access to your account. Only PDFs and images are supported.
      • Website URLs
      • Bookmark
      • Whiteboard (iPad only)

      Note:

      Some of these options can be disabled in your Account settings, under Integrations. If you need to share your entire screen on an older version of Zoom, see sharing iOS Applications.

      How to share content

      To share content:

      1. Tap Share Content in the meeting controls.
      2. Tap the type of content that you want to share.
         For example, if you select Google Drive, this will bring up a series of documents that can be shared.
      3. Select the document you want to share and then Share in the top right corner.
      4. The content of the meeting has now been shared.

      Notes:

      • You cannot annotate when sharing your entire screen into the meeting through an iOS device. If you need to annotate when sharing an entire iOS screen, see sharing iOS Applications.
      • While sharing your screen, you can hide your self-view of your video by swiping the video preview window towards the edge of the screen.