How to Enable Screen Sharing on Zoom (2023)

Before you start your Zoom call, you might want to learn how to allow screen sharing on your Mac.

By Rachel Needell Updated 01/25/2023

What to Know:

To enable Zoom screen sharing on a Mac, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen Recording, and then toggle Zoom on.
To screenshare while on a Zoom call, start your call, and on the bottom navigation menu, tap the green Share Screen button. Choose an option for sharing your screen, and then click Share.

The first few times you use the Zoom app on any given device or after an update, you may not have allowed Zoom to share your screen on the Mac. Additionally, sometimes when you click the button to go to Settings to fix the issue, it doesn't open to the proper settings menu to enable screen sharing on your Mac. Here's a step-by-step guide for how to share screen on Mac during a Zoom call.

How to Allow Screen Sharing on Zoom

Before you start your call and go to share your screen only to find you cannot, follow these steps to allow Zoom to share your screen on Mac. If you like tips like this about how to use your Apple devices, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day!

Open System Settings on your Mac.
Click Security & Privacy.
Click Screen Recording.
Then, toggle Zoom on (the toggle will be blue when enabled). It will alert you that it will automatically close the Zoom app and reopen it with the new settings enabled.

You have now given Zoom access to share your screen, and you should be ready to go when the time comes for you to use the screen share feature on Zoom.

How to Share Screen on Mac with Zoom

Now that you've enabled the screen-sharing feature via the settings of your Mac, let's walk through how exactly to share your screen with Zoom.

Join or start your Zoom meeting.
Click the green Share Screen button at the center of the bottom navigation bar.
You will see a list of options to share any single open window, or you can choose to share your whole desktop. This is a way to keep some of the things on your desktop private if you'd prefer.
If you'd like to share audio, click Share Sound in the bottom left corner.
Then, tap Share to begin sharing.

And that's how you successfully share your screen on a Mac with Zoom!

FAQ

Why can't I share my screen on Zoom?

If you're having trouble sharing your screen on Zoom, it's probably because you need to alter the settings of the Camera, Microphone, Screen Recording, or Accessibility. If you repeat the steps in section 1 of this article with any of those settings, it should allow access for Zoom to share your screen.

What are the prerequisites for screensharing on Zoom?

You will need to have an Apple device with software later than iOS 5.0.0 or macOS 5.0.0 or later. For PC and Android users, you will need Android 5.0.0 and Windows 5.0.0 or later, although it is highly recommended to have software on all devices that is as close to up-to-date as possible.

Do I have to share my whole screen while screensharing on Zoom?

No! If you're giving a presentation or simply don't want anyone to know how many tabs you have open, you have the option with Zoom to only share a specific window.

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Author Details

Rachel Needell

Rachel Needell is a Feature Web Writer at iPhone Life, a published poet, and a longtime Apple enthusiast. Before graduating in the spring of 2021 with her Master’s degree in Literature, specializing in early 20th-century American and British Modernism, she was a college writing tutor and University English professor. Her latest piece, "Temporizing: Self Portrait" can be found in the Winter '21 edition of New Note Poetry. Although an enthusiastic traveler, you can most often find Rachel curled up under a blanket with a glass of red wine, reading a book with her cat Blue in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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