How to Share Your Screen on Skype

Show friends or co-workers what’s on your screen

If you use Skype, you don’t need an expensive conferencing service to show your friends or colleagues something on your screen. The original video-chat service has long supported a screen-sharing feature, provided you launch it from a desktop version of the app.

Note: Instructions in the article apply to Skype on Windows 10, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Skype for Business is also addressed on the platforms where it’s available. Additionally, While Skype is available for web browsers, the Screen Share feature is not.

What to Know About How to Share a Screen on Skype

There’s one common requirement when you want to share your screen. You must be engaged in a voice call with your contact. You don’t need the sound, but it’s useful to explain what’s happening on the screen.

When you’re in a voice call, you can show someone what’s on your screen, though your sharing capabilities vary by platform:

–> Windows, macOS, and Linux: One person can share a screen with everyone on the call.
–> Android and iOS: You can take still snapshots, but not share the screen.

How to Share Screen on Skype for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Recent versions of Skype have come a long way to make the application consistent across desktop operating systems. When you’re connected to a call, Skype provides a one-click process to share your screen that’s similar across all platforms.

–> Select the Share screen icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.

–> If you have more than one monitor or display, select which one you’d like to share. Click Share Screen to start.

–> Confirm what’s being shared. Skype places a yellow border around the screen.

–> To stop sharing, either select the Share screen icon again or hang up the call.

How to Share Screen on Skype for Business for Windows and macOS

Skype for Business is Microsoft’s corporate version of Skype. It comes from their previous messenger called Lync. The process to share your screen is similar to the consumer version of Skype, as you need to be in a voice call, but the on-screen controls are slightly different.

–> In a video call, select the Share Content icon at the bottom of the screen, second from the right.

–> Select Share your Desktop to share the entire desktop or select Share a Window to share a single window.

–> Use this menu to stop sharing or end the call.

How to Share Snapshots on Skype for Android and iOS

Mobile devices can’t share live screencasts in calls, but these devices can share screenshots.

Note: Screen sharing is the equivalent of video. If you’re on a mobile network, it uses your data rapidly. Unless you’re only text chatting while using Skype, access a Wi-Fi network to avoid overage charges.

–> On iOS or Android, tap the Plus when you’re on a call. This tap displays the actions you can take during a call.

–> Tap Snapshot.

–> Skype takes a snapshot of your screen and automatically inserts it into the call’s text chat.

Tip: You may not notice it with the voice call taking up the full screen, but the chat indicator in the lower-left corner of the screen shows a new message. That’s where you’ll find the picture of your screen.

–> Others in the call can view or download the screenshot, so be careful what else is on the screen when you capture it.

Tip: While you can’t send your screen to other callers, you can receive shared screens on a mobile device. It appears in the center of the screen but might be too small to be useful.

Troubleshoot Skype Screen Sharing

Like most high-throughput internet features, screen sharing doesn’t always work as planned. Here are some common problems and solutions:

–> If you start screen sharing and your callers report nothing appears, turn the feature off then back on again. This toggling is also the fix to a frozen screen, for example, when you move around the screen but callers report they don’t see any changes.

–> If starting and stopping the screen share doesn’t work, exit the call and then reconnect.

–> Screen sharing over the internet makes it subject to traffic spikes and other network barriers, meaning it’s not the best option to share something that requires a high quality of service. There’s not a fix for this one, only a caveat to not use Skype to stream, for example, a video game if you want to maintain high quality.