Zoom guide
Marta Kowalczyk writes about design and creative apps for Appcyclopedia, working on a MacBook Air, an iPhone 16 Pro and a Galaxy A55.
- Windows
- macOS
- iOS
- Android
Short answer
In the meeting, click Share in the toolbar, pick your screen or one app window, and click Share. Tick Share sound first if you are playing a video. Click Stop share on the floating toolbar to finish. On a phone, tap Share, then Screen.
Free meetings may be host-only: on Basic accounts, only the host can share by default, so participants may need the host to allow it.
Below: the steps on a computer and a phone, sharing sound and video, and the Mac permission Zoom needs.
How to present your screen in a Zoom meeting
To share your screen on Zoom, use Share in the meeting toolbar. The first group covers Windows and Mac, the second phones, and the last covers the settings that most often stop a share working.
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On a computer
Click Share in the meeting toolbar
In the meeting, click Share in the toolbar at the bottom of the window. A window opens with tabs for Screens, Documents and Advanced.
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Choose your screen or one app window
On the Screens tab, pick your whole screen or a single app window. To share several apps, hold Ctrl on Windows or Shift on a Mac and select them.
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Tick Share sound if you are playing audio
Under the share options, tick Share sound to send your computer’s audio into the meeting, for a video or music. Tick Optimize for video sharing only for a full-screen video clip; it can blur other content.
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Click Share, then Stop share when you finish
Click Share. A banner shows when people can see your screen. When you are done, click Stop share on the floating toolbar at the top of the screen.
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On a phone
Tap Share, then Screen
In the meeting, tap Share in the toolbar and choose Screen to show your whole phone screen, or photos or documents instead. On an iPhone, follow the prompt to start the broadcast. On Android, tap Share Audio after starting if you want sound. Tap Stop Share to end.
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If sharing will not start
On a Mac, allow Zoom to record the screen
macOS needs to let Zoom record your screen. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Screen Recording (or Screen & System Audio Recording), and turn on zoom.us. Restart Zoom and share again.
Showing holiday photos to family on a Zoom call: click Share, choose the Photos app window rather than the whole screen, and click Share. Messages that pop up on your computer stay off everyone’s screen.
Pick one app window, not the whole screen, unless you need to switch between apps: everything else on your computer stays private.
More about Zoom
Video meetings and calls, free for meetings of up to 40 minutes.
When Zoom will not let you share your screen
- The Share button is greyed out or missing
The host controls who can share. On Basic accounts, sharing is host-only by default. Ask the host to allow participants to share.
- People see a black screen on a Mac
Zoom does not have screen recording permission. Turn on zoom.us in the screen recording settings under Privacy & Security, then restart Zoom.
- Nobody hears the video you are playing
Share sound was not ticked. Stop sharing, tick it in the share window and share again.
Screen, window or something else
What you choose decides how much of your computer everyone sees.
| You share | People see | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| A window | Only that app | Slides, a document, a browser tab |
| Your whole screen | Everything, including notifications | Moving between several apps |
| Several windows | Only the apps you picked | Two documents side by side |
| Computer audio only | Sound, no picture | Playing music to the meeting |
Share a window by default: if you open something private while presenting, it stays off everyone’s screen.
Sharing a video so it plays smoothly
Videos are the hardest thing to share well. Tick Share sound so people hear it, and Optimize for video sharing when the video plays full screen. Leave the second option off for slides and documents, where it makes text look blurry.
If the video still stutters, close other apps that use the internet, or send people the link to watch on their own.
What to do before your next screen share
Most problems show up in the first moments: the host has not allowed sharing, the Mac blocks it, or there is no sound. A quick test share before an important meeting catches all three.
Click Share, pick a window, tick Share sound for video, and click Stop share when done. If you host the meeting, the guide to scheduling a Zoom meeting covers setting it up.
Sharing your screen on Zoom: what to know
- Can people see my notifications when I share?
- Yes, if you share your whole screen. Sharing one app window keeps notifications and other apps private.
- Can I share my screen on the free plan?
- Yes. The host can always share. Participants can share if the host allows it, which on Basic accounts is off by default.
- Can I share two apps at once?
- Yes, on a computer. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Shift on a Mac and select both windows before clicking Share.
- How do I share a video with sound?
- Tick Share sound before you start. For a full-screen video, also tick Optimize for video sharing.
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Test log
Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.
- Worked Every step, start to finish · Elias Brandt and Daniel Okonkwo Team
I tested this
Steps performed and confirmed 6 days ago
When you need this
If you want to show something on your screen in a Zoom meeting, click Share in the toolbar and choose a screen or one app. Tick Share sound when there is audio to play.
- Describes
- Zoom Workplace app for Windows and Mac · Zoom Workplace app for iPhone, iPad and Android
- Takes
- A few seconds to start sharing
- Platforms
- Windows · macOS · iOS · Android
- Published
- 17 October 2026
- Facts checked
- 10 October 2026
Steps repeated and verified by 
Elias Brandt and 
Daniel Okonkwo
on
- Elias Brandt: the Windows steps on a ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Windows 11 Pro).
- Daniel Okonkwo: the Mac steps on a MacBook Pro (macOS 27.0.1), the iPhone steps on an iPhone 15 (iOS 27.0.1) and the Android steps on a Pixel 9 Pro (Android 17).
Part of How to schedule and run an online meeting .
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