Zoom allows you to share your screen, desktop, or other content during a meeting, even while your video is on. When you share your screen in a meeting, you can also manage advanced screen sharing settings.

Screen sharing during Zoom meetings is designed with a collaborative environment in mind. This feature gives only the users, who choose to share their screen, full control over their own screen and what other meeting participants can or cannot see. Additionally, meeting hosts cannot monitor your screen activities unless you choose to share your screen.

This article covers:

• Can the host see what I'm doing on my screen?
• What will the host see when I share my screen?
• Can the host open my apps or files during screen share?
• How can I tell if my screen is being shared/what is being shared when I choose to screen share?

Can the host see what I'm doing on my screen?

Hosts and meeting participants cannot see your screen without your permission nor without you knowing. Upon joining a Zoom meeting, the host and other participants cannot see your computer screen. They can only see your video and hear your audio if you do not choose to mute your microphone or turn your video off when joining a meeting.

In Zoom meetings, the host and participants can screen share. If a host or participant shares their screen, only their screen is visible to all meeting participants. To share your screen or content with others, you must click or tap Share Screen , located in your meeting controls. Only the user who wants to screen share has manual control over their own screen.

What will the host see when I share my screen?

Zoom provides multiple ways to share your screen through Basic, Advanced, or Files options.

When you screen share, you can select to share the following:

• Entire desktop or phone screen
• One or more specific applications
• A portion of your screen, using a resizable rectangular window
• Content from a second camera
• Whiteboard
• A locally stored video
• Audio played from device
• iPhone/iPad screen

When you share your entire screen, the meeting participants can see everything that you view on your desktop or mobile device, including if you access applications or open files. When you are not screen sharing, the host and participants cannot view your installed apps on your desktop or mobile device, and they cannot see what you are doing on your device.

Can the host open my apps or files during screen share?

No, the host and other participants cannot open or engage with your applications or files on your desktop or mobile device when you share your screen. Only the user who wants to screen share has control over their own screen; other meeting participants and the host can only view what you choose to share on your screen.

Additionally, if you enable remote control and give remote control access to your device, the remote control feature allows a user to take control of another participant's screen in a meeting. You can either request remote control of another participant's screen or the other participant can give control to you. Once given permission, you can control their mouse and keyboard, and even copy text from their screen to yours. If you need admin functionality, such as the ability to restart another participant's computer, please refer to the Remote Support feature. Only granting remote control access to another participant will allow them to open files and programs, using the remote control feature.

How can I tell if my screen is being shared? How can I tell what is being shared when I choose to screen share?