To screen share on Windows during a call, click Share in Zoom, Teams, Meet or Discord and pick a window or a screen. To show your screen on a TV or projector, press Win + K and pick a Miracast display. For remote help, open Quick Assist and enter the helper's 6-digit code.
Which way of screen sharing on Windows should you use?
| Method | Who sees your screen | How to start | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting app share | People in a Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Webex or Discord call | Share button in the app | The app and an internet connection |
| Share from the taskbar | People in a Teams call | Hover an app on the taskbar > Share this window | Windows 11 and Teams (work or school) |
| Cast (Miracast) | A TV, projector or another PC in the room | Win + K | A Miracast-capable PC and display or adapter |
| Quick Assist | One helper, who can also take control | Ctrl + Win + Q or search Quick Assist | A Microsoft account on the helper's side |
| Project (cable) | A monitor or projector plugged into your PC | Win + P | An HDMI, DisplayPort or USB-C cable |
Nine times out of ten, people searching for this are in a call, so start there.
How do you share your screen in a video call on Windows?
Every meeting app uses the same pattern, with different labels:
- Click the share button in the meeting toolbar. It's Share in Zoom, Teams and Webex, Share screen in Google Meet, the share screen icon in a Slack huddle, and Share Your Screen in Discord.
- Pick a window or a screen. A window shows one app. A screen shows a whole monitor, including notifications.
- Turn on audio if you need it. Zoom calls it Share sound, Teams calls it Include sound, Meet calls it Also share tab audio or Also share system audio, Webex calls it Include computer sound.
- Click Share (Go Live in Discord).
Each app has its own quirks, so we wrote a full guide for each one: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Discord, Slack and Webex.
Under the hood they all ask Windows for frames through the same capture APIs (Windows Graphics Capture or DXGI Desktop Duplication on modern versions). That's why some behaviour is identical across apps: a window protected by its owner shows as black or disappears in all of them, and DRM video turns black everywhere.
How do you share a window from the Windows 11 taskbar?
Windows 11 can share an app straight from the taskbar during a Microsoft Teams call. Hover over the app's taskbar icon and select Share this window. To stop, hover again and choose Stop sharing.
If you don't see the button, open Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > Taskbar behaviors and tick Share any window from my taskbar. It's built for Teams for work or school; other calling apps need to add support themselves, and most haven't.
How do you cast your Windows screen to a TV or projector?
From Microsoft's screen mirroring and projecting help page:
- Turn on the TV or projector. If it needs a Miracast dongle, plug that in.
- Press Win + K. The Cast panel opens in Quick Settings.
- Pick the display from the list of available devices.
- Press Win + P if you want to switch between duplicate and extend while connected.
Two things trip people up. First, a TV that only supports Chromecast or AirPlay won't appear, because Windows casts over Miracast; a cheap Miracast adapter in the TV's HDMI port fixes that. Second, if Windows says the display must be connected with a cable, your PC's Wi-Fi hardware or driver doesn't support Miracast. To receive a cast on another Windows 11 PC (version 22H2 or later), open the Wireless Display app on that PC.
Casting with Duplicate shows the room everything, notifications included. Extend gives the TV its own desktop, and only what you drag onto it is shown.
How do you share your screen for remote help with Quick Assist?
Quick Assist is built into Windows 10 and 11 and is meant for exactly one situation: someone you trust is helping you fix your PC. Per Microsoft's Quick Assist article:
- The helper opens Quick Assist, selects Help someone, and reads you a 6-digit security code.
- You open Quick Assist (Ctrl + Win + Q, or search for it), enter the code and select Submit.
- Select Allow to share your screen.
- If the helper asks for full control, you'll get a separate prompt with its own Allow button. You can take control back at any time.
Microsoft's warning is worth repeating. Scammers use Quick Assist. Only let someone connect if you started the conversation yourself, and never because a pop-up or a cold call told you to.
How do you share audio or one monitor on Windows?
Audio is handled by the app, not by Windows. Turn on the app's sound option before you share (labels are in the meeting section above). It sends everything your PC plays, chimes included.
For one monitor, press Win + P and choose Extend. In the share picker, each monitor is a separate option; choose the one you want to show. Move windows between monitors with Win + Shift + Left or Right. Windows itself has no annotation layer for screen sharing, so drawing on your screen is a meeting-app feature (Zoom, Teams, Webex and Slack all have one).
How do you stop screen sharing on Windows?
In a meeting app, use its Stop share or Stop sharing button, usually in a toolbar at the top of the screen. For Cast, press Win + K and select Disconnect. For Quick Assist, close the session from its toolbar. Browsers add their own bar ("sharing your screen") with a Stop sharing button too.
Why is screen sharing not working on Windows?
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Viewers see a black screen | GPU switching on laptops with two graphics chips, or hardware acceleration in the meeting app | Update graphics drivers; turn off the app's hardware acceleration; share a window instead of the screen |
| One app shows as a black box | The app protects its window from capture on purpose | Expected; share a different window |
| Streaming video is black | DRM protection | Can't be shared through screen capture |
| TV doesn't appear in Cast | TV supports only Chromecast or AirPlay, or PC lacks Miracast | Use a Miracast adapter or an HDMI cable |
| Low frame rate | Sharing a 4K desktop on slow upload | Share a window, lower display resolution, use Ethernet |
| Can't see participants while sharing | The meeting app minimises itself | Put the meeting on a second monitor (Extend mode) |
| Notifications appear on the call | Full-screen share with Do not disturb off | Turn on Do not disturb before sharing |
What can others see when you share your screen on Windows?
It depends on the mode, and the difference is bigger than most people expect.
- Sharing a screen sends that monitor as you see it: taskbar badges, notification toasts with message previews, the Start menu if you open it, and any window you bring forward.
- Sharing a window sends one app's content. Toasts and other apps aren't part of it.
- Casting in Duplicate mode is like sharing your screen to a room full of people. Extend mode limits it to the second desktop.
- Quick Assist shows the helper your whole screen, and with full control they can open anything.
Windows 11 can turn on Do not disturb automatically "When duplicating the display" (Settings > System > Notifications > Turn on do not disturb automatically, per Microsoft's notifications article). Note what that rule doesn't cover: sharing your screen in Zoom or Teams isn't duplicating a display, so it won't trigger. You have to switch Do not disturb on yourself, which is what our hide notifications while screen sharing guide walks through.
To keep notes or an AI assistant on screen without sharing them, you've got three options: share a window, keep the notes on a monitor you don't share, or use a window excluded from capture. That last one relies on SetWindowDisplayAffinity with WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE, available since Windows 10 version 2004, which makes Windows leave the window out of every capture that goes through its APIs. Our guide to hiding a window from screen share compares them.
AuraCloak is an AI chat overlay that Windows leaves out of Zoom, Teams, Meet, Slack and Discord shares.
Get AuraCloakAuraCloak is an invisible AI overlay for Windows that sets that flag on its own window. It stays on top, you show or hide it with Ctrl + Alt + Space, and it needs Windows 10 version 2004 or Windows 11. Because Miracast and cable projection send your actual display signal, a capture-excluded window still shows on a TV or projector in Duplicate mode, so keep it on a screen you aren't projecting.
FAQ
Does Windows 11 have built-in screen sharing?
Partly. Windows 11 has Cast (Win + K) for TVs and projectors, Quick Assist for remote help, and a Share this window button on the taskbar during Teams calls. For video meetings, you share from inside the meeting app.
How do I share my screen on Windows 10?
In a video call, click the app's Share button and pick a window or screen. To show a TV, press Win + K and choose a Miracast display. For remote help, open Quick Assist and enter the helper's 6-digit code.
What is the shortcut to screen share on Windows?
Win + K opens Cast for wireless displays, Win + P switches projection modes, and Ctrl + Win + Q opens Quick Assist. Meeting apps have their own shortcuts, such as Alt + S in Zoom on Windows.
Why does my screen share show a black screen on Windows?
The usual causes are graphics driver or hardware acceleration problems, DRM-protected video, or an app that blocks capture of its own window. Update drivers, turn off hardware acceleration in the meeting app, and try sharing a window instead.
Can I share only one monitor on Windows?
Yes. Set Win + P to Extend, then choose that monitor in your meeting app's share picker. The other monitor isn't sent, so it's a good place for notes and the meeting window.