You might want to share your Mac screen with someone to make a presentation, work together, explain something, etc. Fortunately, this is super easy to do. What makes it even more convenient is that you can share the screen with contacts from the default Messages app itself. Here are some of the best ways to share your Mac screen with another Mac.
- Share your Mac screen with another Mac using iMessage
- Start screen sharing on Mac using the Screen Sharing app
- Use third-party apps to share your macOS screen
- How to stop screen sharing on your Mac
- In the Messages app, send a message to the contact you want to share your screen with.
- Click the ‘i’ icon at the top right.
- Click the Share button.
- You will now have two options:
- To share your screen, select Invite to Share My Screen.
- To request to view the contact’s screen, select Ask to Share Screen.
When the person at the other end accepts your screen-sharing request, an audio call will automatically begin.
Note: If the other person has ‘Do Not Disturb’ enabled, he/she will not see the screen sharing request alert. Besides, you may face a glitch preventing you from sharing the screen. We have a fix!
In case the Share button within the Messages app on your Mac is greyed out, here’s what you should try:
- Ensure that the person youʼre trying to share with is signed in to iCloud using the same Apple ID that they are using in the Messages app.
- If the person cannot sign in to iCloud and Messages using the same Apple ID, go to your Contacts app and ensure the contact card includes both their Apple IDs—the one they are signed into on iCloud and the one they use in the Messages app.
It should probably work after this. However, if it doesn’t or the person you want to share with doesn’t use Messages, try the method explained below.
Start screen sharing on Mac using the Screen Sharing app
- Open Spotlight by pressing ‘Command + Space’.
- Type ‘Screen Sharing‘ and then open the Screen Sharing app from the results.
- In the dialog box, type in the Apple ID of the person whose Mac you want to connect to. They will receive a notification on their Mac and can choose to Accept or Decline your request.
When screen sharing on macOS, you can also allow the person you’re working with to control your screen. This lets them do anything on your system remotely as if they are physically using it. For instance, they could open apps, manipulate files, etc.
Hence, be cautious when allowing control and make sure you trust the person.
How to allow someone to control your Mac screen
There are two ways to allow someone to control your screen:
- Firstly, if you are the recipient of a screen sharing request, click Accept → select Control your screen or just Observe it.
- Secondly, if you were the one who initiated screen sharing, click the overlapping rectangles icon in the menu bar → select ‘Allow [name] to control my screen.’
To take back control of your system but continue screen sharing, simply click this option again.
Note: Even if you donʼt let someone control your screen, they can still click to highlight on your screen.
What other options you get in Mac screen sharing
Apart from allowing someone to control your screen, as explained above, you have the following options too while sharing screens:
- Mute: This will mute your audio in the call that automatically starts when screen sharing.
- Pause: This will temporarily pause the screen sharing.
- Stop: This will quit the screen sharing.
If you want to enjoy more features and functionality, there are plenty of screen sharing apps for Mac that make life easier. Messages is a convenient and straightforward option for most users, but it’s still worth checking out third party options if you often need to screen share.
To stop screen sharing, do one of the below:
How to stop screen sharing on your Mac
- If you’re sharing your screen: Click the Screen Sharing icon in the menu bar. It looks like two overlapping rectangles. Then choose End Screen Sharing.
- If you’re viewing someone’s screen: Click Screen Sharing → Quit Screen Sharing.
Note: This same process can be used when you want to screen share on Mac via FaceTime.
Screen sharing on your Mac made easy!
Whether you are facing some problem or want to show something to your contact, Mac offers an easy screen sharing way. You can also set up third-party screen sharing software for additional functionalities on your Mac.
Do you have further questions about how to screen share on your Mac? Let me know in the comments below, and I’ll try to help you out. You might also want to check out how to mirror your iPhone and iPad screen to a computer.
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