Every video call app puts the screen-share button in a slightly different place and calls it something slightly different, which is exactly why people fumble for ten seconds while everyone waits. Zoom calls it “Share,” Google Meet calls it “Present now,” and Microsoft Teams calls it “Share” too but hides different sharing modes behind it.
Table of Contents
This guide walks through the exact steps for each platform, explains the options you’ll be asked to choose (whole screen vs. one window vs. one browser tab), and covers the mistakes that cause the most confusion — sound not playing, the wrong window showing, or a presentation that won’t stop sharing.
Quick Answer
In Zoom, click Share in the meeting toolbar, pick a screen or window, and click Share. In Google Meet, click Present now at the bottom of the screen, choose a tab, window, or your entire screen, then click Share. In Microsoft Teams, click Share in the meeting controls and choose Desktop, Window, or a specific app like PowerPoint Live.
Sharing Your Screen Step by Step on Each Platform
Zoom: During a meeting, click the green Share Screen icon in the bottom toolbar. A window pops up with tabs for Screens, Documents, and Advanced — most people just want the Screens tab, where you pick your whole desktop or a single open application. If you’ll be sharing a video or anything with sound, check “Share sound” in the bottom-left corner before clicking Share, and check “Optimize for video sharing” if you’re playing a full-motion video. Click Share to go live, and Stop Share (top of the screen) when you’re done. If you joined the meeting through a web browser instead of the desktop app (the Zoom Web App), the picker works differently and includes a dedicated Chrome Tab option, just like Google Meet.
Google Meet: Click Present now at the bottom of the meeting window. You’ll be asked to choose A Tab, A Window, or Your Entire Screen. A Chrome tab is the best choice for playing a video or slideshow because it shares that tab’s audio automatically. If you choose a window or your entire screen and need sound to come through, turn on “Also share system audio” before clicking Share. To stop, click Stop Presenting, either in the meeting window or in the small bar that appears while you’re presenting.
Microsoft Teams: Click Share in the meeting controls, usually along the top or bottom of the call window. You’ll see options for Desktop (your whole screen), Window (a single app), or content types like PowerPoint Live, Excel Live, or Whiteboard. Sharing a specific PowerPoint file through PowerPoint Live is usually better than sharing your whole screen for slides, because Teams renders the deck natively and other people can navigate at their own pace if you enable Slide control. If you need sound, turn on “Include computer sound” before or during the share. Click Stop sharing to end it — a red border around your shared content confirms it’s live.
Whole Screen vs. One Window vs. One Tab: Which to Pick
Sharing your entire screen is the simplest option but the riskiest — every notification, open tab, and background app is visible. It’s fine for a quick demo where you’ll be jumping between several windows, but it’s the main source of “oh no, close that” moments in meetings.
Sharing a single window (an app like Excel, a PDF viewer, or your design tool) is the safer default for most presentations. Only that window is visible, so notifications and other tabs stay private. The tradeoff: if you need to reference something in another app mid-share, you’ll have to stop and restart, or switch to sharing the whole screen.
Tab-only sharing is the tightest option of all, since it shows just that one browser tab and carries its audio automatically. Google Meet always offers this as “A Tab.” Zoom’s desktop app doesn’t include a tab-only option in its share picker — only Screens, Documents, and Advanced — but if you join a Zoom meeting through your browser instead (the Zoom Web App), you’ll get a Chrome Tab choice with its own “Also share tab audio” toggle, just like Meet. Teams has no tab-only mode either, so on Zoom desktop and Teams you’ll enable sound manually through “Share sound” or “Include computer sound” when sharing a full window or screen.
Tips and Common Mistakes
Forgetting to enable computer/system audio is the single most common issue — if a video plays silently for everyone else, check the sound checkbox before or during the share (Zoom desktop: “Share sound”; Zoom Web App or Meet: the tab audio toggle when sharing a browser tab; Teams: “Include computer sound”).
Sharing the wrong monitor happens often on multi-monitor setups. Zoom and Teams both let you pick a specific screen when you have more than one connected — double-check the thumbnail before clicking Share.
Test your setup a minute early. Click Share/Present now once before the meeting starts (in a solo test call or the waiting room) to confirm the right window shows and audio comes through, especially if you’re joining from a new laptop or a browser you don’t usually use.
Close anything sensitive before sharing your whole screen — email, chat apps, and browser tabs with saved passwords autofilled are the classic accidental-reveal moment. Sharing a single window or a single tab instead of the full screen avoids this entirely.
Know how to stop sharing quickly. In all three apps there’s a visible Stop Share / Stop Presenting / Stop sharing control, usually in a floating bar or back in the main meeting toolbar — glance for it before you start so you’re not hunting for it mid-call.
Explore more: More technology how-to guides.
Screen sharing on Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams FAQs
Why can’t people hear audio when I share my screen?
You need to explicitly enable system or computer audio sharing, it isn’t on by default. On Zoom’s desktop app, check “Share sound” in the share window; in Teams, turn on “Include computer sound”; in Google Meet or the Zoom Web App, share a Chrome tab and turn on the tab audio toggle, which carries that tab’s sound automatically.
Can I share just a single browser tab instead of my whole screen?
Google Meet always offers this as “A Tab.” Zoom’s desktop app doesn’t have a tab-only option, but if you join the meeting through a browser using the Zoom Web App, you’ll see a Chrome Tab choice too. Microsoft Teams doesn’t currently offer tab-only sharing on any platform.
Can I share my screen from a phone or tablet?
Yes, all three apps support mobile screen sharing. In the Zoom mobile app, tap Share, choose Screen, then confirm the system broadcast prompt (Start Broadcast on iOS, Start Now on Android). Google Meet and Teams have similar in-app sharing options on their mobile apps, though some features like PowerPoint Live are easier to use from a desktop.
How do I let someone else control my shared screen?
Microsoft Teams has a built-in “Give control” button in the presenter toolbar that lets another participant click and type on your shared screen; use “Take back” to reclaim it. Zoom offers a similar remote control option under the meeting controls during a share. Google Meet does not currently support remote screen control.
Make Your Digital Life Better
More practical tech how-tos, tool picks, and guides to upgrade your everyday digital life. More on GTWebs.
Photo: Number 10 / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
