How to Share Screen on WhatsApp (Android, iPhone, Desktop)

To share your screen on WhatsApp, start or join a video call, tap the three-dot More button in the call controls (on desktop, click the Share screen icon), choose Share screen, then confirm with Start now on Android, Start Broadcast on iPhone or Share on Windows and Mac. Screen sharing works only in video calls with your camera on, and you can include audio in the share.

This guide covers the steps for each platform, how to share audio along with your screen, what the other people on the call can see and how to fix a missing Share screen button.

How to share screen on WhatsApp on Android

WhatsApp screen sharing on Android runs from the More menu of an active video call and uses Android's own screen capture prompt. Steps:

1. Open WhatsApp and start or join a one-to-one or group video call.
2. Tap the three-dot More button in the call controls at the bottom of the screen.
3. Tap Share screen.
4. Read the Android permission prompt, choose whether to share the entire screen or a single app if your Android version offers the choice, and tap Start now.
5. To end the share, tap Stop sharing on the call screen.

Everything visible on the shared screen goes to the other participants, including notifications that pop up. Turning on Do Not Disturb before you start keeps message previews, codes from banking apps and other private alerts out of the stream. If you share a single app, keep it in the foreground: switching away leaves the others looking at a paused or blank view.

How to share screen on WhatsApp on iPhone

WhatsApp screen sharing on iPhone and iPad uses the iOS broadcast feature, so the last step is called Start Broadcast instead of Start now. Steps:

1. Start or join a WhatsApp video call.
2. Tap the three-dot More button in the call controls.
3. Tap Share screen.
4. Tap Start Broadcast. iOS shows a short countdown before the share goes live.
5. To end the share, tap Stop Broadcast on the call screen.

iOS shares the whole screen, not a single app, so every app you open during the broadcast is visible to the call. Close anything you do not want to show, such as Photos, Notes or a password manager, before you tap Start Broadcast, and enable a Focus mode to hide notification banners.

How to share screen on WhatsApp Desktop for Windows and Mac

Screen sharing on a computer is built for the WhatsApp Desktop app for Windows and Mac. If you use WhatsApp Web in a browser and see no call or Share screen controls, switch to the desktop app. Steps:

1. Open WhatsApp Desktop and start or join a video call.
2. Click the Share screen icon in the call controls.
3. On a Mac, the first time you share, allow WhatsApp screen recording access when macOS asks (System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording, called Screen Recording on older macOS versions) and restart the app if prompted.
4. Choose the entire screen or a single window.
5. Click Share. Click Stop sharing in the call window to end it.

Sharing a single window is the safer option on a computer: other windows, the taskbar and desktop notifications stay private. The desktop app is the better choice when you want to walk someone through a long document, a spreadsheet or a settings page, because the bigger screen stays readable on the receiving phone.

How to share audio on WhatsApp screen share

WhatsApp lets you share your device audio together with your screen, a feature it announced on June 13, 2024 in its better calling across desktop and mobile post, with watching videos together as the intended use. In WhatsApp's own walkthrough, you open the share option during a video call, select Share audio and then pick the window to share.

Audio checklist when the others hear your voice but not the video or music:

• Turn on Share audio before you pick the screen or window; if you forgot, stop the share and start it again with audio selected.
• Raise the volume inside the app you share (the video player, browser tab or music app), not only the system volume.
• Update WhatsApp: the audio option arrived in a later update than screen sharing itself.
• Some streaming apps may block screen capture of protected video, so the others see a black frame even when audio passes.

Share only content you have the right to show, and keep in mind that streaming services' terms usually limit viewing to your own household.

What the other person sees and who can use it

The other participants see a live view of your screen, or only the window you picked, and they cannot control your device or open your files. Screen sharing works in one-to-one and group video calls, and WhatsApp video calls support up to 32 participants across devices, so a whole group can follow a presentation. WhatsApp first rolled screen sharing out to all users on Android, iPhone and desktop in August 2023; you no longer need the beta program.

Key limits:

• Video calls only: the option does not appear in voice calls, and it is greyed out while your camera is off.
• The share stops when you end it or when the call ends.
• Screen sharing uses more data than a normal video call, so use Wi-Fi for long sessions.
• WhatsApp calls are end-to-end encrypted, and the screen share travels inside the encrypted call.
• WhatsApp does not record the share, but anyone on the call can take screenshots or use their own screen recorder, so only share what you are comfortable with others keeping.

WhatsApp screen share not showing: fixes

A missing Share screen button usually has one of four causes: you are in a voice call, your camera is off, the app is outdated or a system permission is denied. Work through these:

1. Switch the call to video, or start a new video call, and turn your camera on.
2. Update WhatsApp from Google Play, the App Store, the Microsoft Store or the Mac App Store.
3. On a Mac, enable WhatsApp under Screen & System Audio Recording in Privacy & Security, then quit and reopen WhatsApp.
4. On a computer, switch to the WhatsApp Desktop app if WhatsApp Web shows no Share screen option.

Related: translating messages in WhatsApp chats, sending large files on WhatsApp, screen recording controls on iPhone