7 Best Ways to Fix Microsoft Teams Not Sharing Screen

Microsoft Teams has come a long way since its inception and continues to add new features to its products all the time. However, the old features still often cause problems for users. One of the key features is the ability to share screens, but some users are complaining that Microsoft Teams doesn’t share the screen for them.

As we will discuss below, there can be several reasons behind this issue. A lot will depend on the platform you use to access Microsoft Teams and share the screen. At the end of the article, we’ll cover all platforms so you can share a screen in Teams.

Let’s start.

1. Change Platform

This is for Microsoft Teams users using an old computer/mobile that doesn’t have enough resources. Close all open/background applications in Windows to free up some RAM and CPU. Windows 10 users can close background apps using the Task Manager. Under the Processes tab, right click on the application to select End task to close it.

2. CPU Resources

People using an old computer/mobile with insufficient resources should be mindful of how much Teams consumes. You should close all open/background applications in Windows to free up some memory and processor resources. Windows 10 users can close background apps using the Task Manager. Under the Processes tab, right click on the application to select End task to close it.

Smartphone users can close open applications. Another way to free up system resources is a simple reboot. Remember to save all work before doing this.

3. Active Screen Sharing

A lot will also depend on the screen sharing settings you choose within Teams and the type of app or window you’re trying to share with your colleagues.

Have you made a custom policy? If so, go back to it and make sure screen sharing is enabled in settings like this.

The option is enabled by default for most users regardless of the plan you use, but I recommend checking the settings once.

4. Screen Sharing Options

Microsoft allows you to share your screen in different settings. For example, you may want to share only a particular application or window while keeping other open windows/applications private. There is also a special option for PowerPoint.

Are you sharing a presentation? Select the correct setting from the drop-down menu and see if you can now share the screen in Microsoft Teams. Simply click the Share button to choose the right option and you’re ready.

5. Screen Resolution

As several users have learned recently, there seems to be a resolution issue in the desktop version of Microsoft Teams. Reducing the screen resolution by one notch seems to have fixed the issue for now. Hopefully Microsoft releases a fix soon, but until then, do the following.

Stage 1: Right-click anywhere on your desktop and select Properties. You can now change the resolution under the Display heading.

Make a note of the current settings in case you want to switch again. However, the Recommended option is usually the way to go.

6. Clear Cache and Data

If you’re clearing an app-specific cache, this will log you out of the Teams app right away. In some cases, it logs you out of all open applications. Again, save your work before proceeding.

You can easily clear a single site’s cookies and cache data in Chrome or any Chromium supported browser. You can also do this from settings and work for other browsers like Firefox and Safari. Just search for Teams in the search bar with privacy options.

There is no way to clear cache or data on Apple devices like iPhones and Macs. However, you can clear Teams cache and Android data. Check out the link for more details like what happens when you go through the process.

Windows users, come here.

Stage 1: Press Windows key+E to open File Explorer. Type the following address into the address bar at the top.

%appdata%\Microsoft\teams\Cache

Step 2: You will need to delete all files located in this particular folder. Press Ctrl+A to select them all and press Del to delete them.

Stage 3: You will repeat the same process and delete the files for these Teams folders as well.

%appdata%\Microsoft\teams\tmp %appdata%\Microsoft\teams\databases %appdata%\Microsoft\teams\GPUCache %appdata%\Microsoft\teams\IndexedDB %appdata%\Microsoft\teams\Local Storage

Now check if you can share the screen using Microsoft Teams.

7. Team Policies

Are you part of an organization? In this case, you can only share the screen if your administrator has allowed it under Meeting options > Privacy settings. ‘Who can present’ should be set to ‘Anyone’.

Another point to consider here is the type of screen you can share. The administrator can decide whether users are allowed to share an application or an entire desktop. This is controlled from the Meetings > Meetings policies. The administrator needs to create a new policy by clicking Add, then select the correct option from the ‘Screen sharing mode’ drop-down menu.

Note that there are separate transition options for Whiteboard and PowerPoint.

It is up to your manager to decide who is allowed to do what and how. Let your manager know that you have something important to share at the next meeting.

Teamwork is Important

While working from home is the new normal, apps like Teams are key to helping with the transition. You can host or attend meetings professionally, but you can also meet with colleagues from all over the world.

The teams do a good job, and hiccups are part of the process, as you might encounter from time to time. Hopefully you can now share the screen using Microsoft Teams and everything works fine. Let us know if you find a different fix in the comments below.

Next: Microsoft Teams comes with a clean Whiteboard feature. Here are the details you need to know about how to use the Whiteboard during video calls in Microsoft Teams.