How to Share Multiple Screens in Teams: Your Options

Have you ever wondered how to share multiple screens in Teams?

Screen sharing is one of the most valuable features of many video conferencing platforms. It allows users to bring helpful visual resources into presentations and meetings. Plus, it’s a fantastic way to bring context to conversations and engage your meeting participants.

But what happens when you want to share more than one screen at once? What if you need to provide data from multiple documents simultaneously or show how an application works on different devices? Unfortunately, not every collaboration tool supports this service.

At present, Microsoft Teams doesn’t have a native solution for sharing multiple screens simultaneously. While this might change with the arrival of Teams 2.0, there are some workarounds you can experiment with in the meantime.

Can You Share Multiple Screens on Teams?

Natively, Microsoft Teams comes with many valuable features for communication and collaboration. Companies can use the platform for engaging meetings and webinars to contact center interactions. However, while Teams does support screen sharing, it has some limitations.

Microsoft Teams’ screen sharing feature enables users to share any open app window or full screen in a meeting. There’s even a remote control feature that allows participants to request access and take control of a system sharing its screen.

Unfortunately, if you’re wondering how to share multiple screens in Teams simultaneously, you may have some issues. The platform doesn’t automatically allow users to share multiple screens at once. Instead, you can switch between different windows and apps during a meeting.

How to Share Multiple Screens in Teams Natively

If you’re committed to using Microsoft’s in-built features for collaborative sessions, you’ll have a few options for screen sharing. The first option is switching between screens manually throughout a meeting or presentation.

This allows you to rapidly move between different desktop screens to show various pieces of data. All you need to do is open Microsoft Teams and click the “Teams” tab. Select a channel, start your meeting, and click the “share screen” button. You can choose between sharing an entire screen or a portion of a screen or application.

To switch to a different screen, you can “quit sharing” and select a new one.

Virtual Desktops and Split Screens

Another option, if you’re wondering how to share multiple screens in Teams, is to use the virtual desktop functionality. Once again, you won’t be able to share various screens simultaneously this way. However, you can streamline the process of sharing screens one by one.

To start, click on the “Task View” icon within the taskbar on a Windows device. Click on “New Desktop” to create a virtual desktop. You can give each desktop its own name and include various documents and pages on each desktop.

After creating your desktop windows, return to Teams and start a new meeting. Click your screen’s “share” button, and choose “content only” presenter mode. Next, share the entire screen.

You can then use the Windows + Ctrl buttons and your left and right arrow keys to move between desktops. The process is similar for a Mac OS device. Start a Teams meeting, and switch between desktops using the three-finger swipe.

Another option is to use the split-screen sharing option within Teams. To do this, open the apps or documents you want to share, then split the screen using the Windows button plus the left or right arrow keys.

When you share your screen on Teams, select the “Content only” mode to focus on your content or “Standout” mode if you want to appear on the screen. This way, you can share 2-4 screens simultaneously, depending on each app’s window size.

Can You Share Multiple Screens with the Teams Mobile App?

Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn’t allow users to share a phone screen simultaneously as a desktop screen. However, you can use your phone’s camera to display yourself or show physical documents while sharing your desktop window.

To do this, open the Teams app and make sure you log in using the same account you’d use for your desktop session. Select the meeting you want to join and click the “Join” button. Ensure you grant your video and microphone permission, then select “Join Now.”

This will allow you to showcase your desktop display and yourself in a full-size window.

The Multishare App for Screen Sharing

Since learning how to share multiple screens in Teams simultaneously isn’t possible with the app’s native features, the easiest option is to try an app. Microsoft works with various technology partners to provide additional functionality for Teams.

The apps available on the Teams marketplace can help companies boost productivity and improve the quality of each meeting significantly. Frameable, a software provider working with Microsoft Teams, recently released a new Teams app for screen sharing.

The “Multishare app” is a simultaneous screen-sharing tool that allows multiple users to share screens at the same time. All you need to do is add the app to your existing Microsoft Teams environment.

With Multishare, various users in a Teams environment can contribute naturally to a meeting without interrupting each other. Different people can share their screens simultaneously, and all users can toggle between shared screens. This eliminates the need to manually switch screens or pass screen-sharing permissions to other users.

Multishare can:

Improve meeting efficiency by eliminating the interruptions connected with sharing one screen at a time.
Allow multiple users to share their screens at the same time.
Streamline decision-making with access to plenty of relevant and actionable content

Quick Tips for Sharing Multiple Screens on Teams

Whether using an app like Multishare or manually moving between different screens on Teams, it’s worth following some best practices. For instance, it’s a good idea to configure your screens in advance to avoid complexity when the meeting begins.

It’s also helpful to:

Keep it simple: Organize your screen to ensure different content is easy to see and consume for your audience. Divide each page into specific sections and parts.
Maintain interactivity: Speak to your audience and ask them questions about the session. Ensure you answer any questions your teams have about documents.
Test before the meeting: Test your screen-sharing strategy before the meeting to ensure all the content is easy to navigate for your participants.
Test your microphone and camera: Remember to check your microphone and camera are working well alongside the screen-sharing functionality.
Don’t share too many screens simultaneously: Avoid allowing too many people to share screens simultaneously, as this can lead to confusion in your meetings.

Remember, you can use in-built Teams tools to resize your shared screen and presenter window or change your presenter mode. You can also change the screen position when necessary.