Sharing Your Screen

Owned by Sara Yasrebi
Last updated: Mar 18, 2020
3 min read

Zoom allows for screen sharing on desktop, tablet and mobile devices running Zoom.

  • The host and attendee can screen share by clicking the Share Screen icon.
  • The host does not need to grant screen share access for another participant to share their screen.
  • The host can prevent participants from accessing screen share.

Sharing your screen:

  • Click the Share Screen button located in your meeting controls.


  • Select the screen you want to share. You can also choose an individual application that is already open on your computer, the desktop, a whiteboard, or an iPhone/iPad.



  • (Optional) Enable these features:
    • Check Share Computer Sound: If you check this option, any sound played by your computer will be shared in the meeting. For example, if you have videos on your screen you want to share with participants.


    • Check Optimize for full-screen video clip: Check this if you will be sharing a video clip in full-screen mode. Do not check this otherwise, as it may cause the shared screen to be blurry.


  • Click Share.
    • Zoom will automatically switch to full screen to optimize the shared screen view. To exit full-screen, click Exit Full Screen in the top-right corner or press the Esc key. 
    • To disable automatic full screen when viewing a shared screen, disable this option in your desktop client settings: Enter full screen automatically when a participant shares the screen.

Share screen menu:

When you start sharing your screen, the meeting controls will move into a menu that you can drag around your screen.


More: Hover over more for additional options.


Note: Do not enable this setting if you are not sharing a full-screen video clip, as it will blur your screen share.


End Meeting:  Leave the meeting or end the meeting for all participants.


Using dual monitors:

If you are using a dual monitor set-up, you can turn on the Use Dual Monitors feature to see the screen sharing on one monitor and participants on the second.

Note: On Mac OS 10.15 Catalina, you need to allow Zoom access to screen recording to share your screen. You can do this in your System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording.