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Sharing Screen Contents in a Zoom Meeting

Zoom allows for screen sharing on desktop, tablet and mobile devices when participating in a meeting through the Zoom app.

  • Both hosts and attendees are able to share screen content.
  • 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.
  1. Connect to a Zoom meeting.
  2. Select Screen Share located in the meeting controls toolbar t the top of the Zoom window.
  3. Select the screen you want to share. You can also choose an individual application that is already open on your computer, the desktop, or a whiteboard (for on-screen annotation).
    • Optional Features:
      • Share Computer Sound: If you check this option, any sound played by your computer will be shared in the meeting.
      • 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.
  4. Select Share.

Zoom will automatically switch to full screen. To exit full-screen, select Exit Full Screen in the top-right corner or press the Esc key.

Share Screen Menu Options

When you start sharing your screen, the meeting controls will move into a menu that you can drag around your screen with the following options:

  • Mute/Unmute: Mute or unmute your microphone.
  • Start/Stop Video: Start or stop your in-meeting video.
  • Participants/Manage Participants: View or manage the participants (if the host).
  • New Share: Start a new screen share. You will be prompted to select which screen you want to share again.
  • Pause Share: Pause your current shared screen.
  • Annotate or Whiteboard: Display annotation tools for drawing, adding text, etc.
  • More: Additional options:
    • Chat: Open the chat window.
    • Invite: Invite others to join the meeting.
    • Record: Start recording locally or to the cloud.
    • 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.
    • Live on Workplace by Facebook: Share your meeting or webinar on Workplace by Facebook. Learn more about live-streaming a webinar. Learn more about live-streaming a meeting.
    • Optimize Share for Full-screen Video Clip: Start optimizing for a video clip in full screen mode. 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.

Restricting Screen Sharing for Participants

  1. While in a meeting, select Security from the Zoom toolbar.
  2. Select Share Screen to disable (unchecked) participants ability to share their screen during a meeting.
Have Questions?