How to Share Your Screen on Discord

Discord lets you show your screen, a single app window or a browser tab to people in a voice channel or a private call. This guide covers how to start a share on desktop, in a browser and on a phone, how to confirm viewers see what you expect, and what to try when the stream is black, silent or blurry.

Before you start

Screen sharing on Discord is not a local recording. Your screen is captured on your device and streamed through Discord's service to the other people in the call, so you need a working internet connection and a signed-in account. Anything visible in the shared area, including notifications and open documents, is sent to viewers. Close or hide private content before you begin.

• A current version of the Discord desktop app, mobile app or a supported browser. Features and labels can differ between versions and platforms.
• Access to a voice channel on a server, or an active direct message or group call.
• On servers, a role that allows streaming. Server admins control this with the Video permission; if the share button is missing or greyed out only in one server, permissions are the likely cause.
• On macOS, permission for Discord to record the screen in the system privacy settings. Without it, viewers may see a black or empty stream.
• On mobile, permission for the app to capture the screen, which the operating system asks for when you first share.

Step-by-step instructions

Desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux)

• 1. Join a voice channel on a server, or start a voice or video call in a direct message.
• 2. In the voice controls panel, select the screen share button (labelled Share Your Screen; on servers it may appear alongside the Go Live option).
• 3. Choose what to share: an individual application window or an entire screen. Sharing a single window keeps other apps and notifications out of view.
• 4. Pick the stream quality settings offered, such as resolution and frame rate. Higher options may require Discord Nitro; the picker shows what your account can use.
• 5. Confirm to start streaming. A preview of your stream appears in the call.
• 6. To stop, select the stop streaming button in the voice controls or in the stream preview.

If you want viewers to hear sound from the shared app, check for a sound or audio toggle in the share window before starting. Audio capture support depends on the operating system and on whether you share a window or a full screen, so confirm it with a viewer rather than assuming it works.

Browser

In the web version, join a call and select the screen share button. Your browser then opens its own picker, where you choose a tab, a window or the entire screen. Browser support and audio sharing vary; Chromium-based browsers generally offer the most complete options, and tab sharing is usually the most reliable way to include audio. If sharing does not appear at all, try the desktop app.

Mobile (Android and iOS)

• 1. Join a voice channel or call.
• 2. Open the voice controls panel, usually by swiping up or tapping the call bar.
• 3. Tap the screen share icon.
• 4. Accept the operating system's screen capture prompt. On iOS this is a broadcast prompt where you start the broadcast for Discord.
• 5. To stop, return to Discord and tap the stop sharing option, or end the capture from the system controls.

Mobile sharing captures the whole phone screen, including incoming notifications. Turning on a focus or do-not-disturb mode first helps keep messages private.

Check the output

The preview tile in your call shows what Discord is capturing, but it does not prove viewers receive the same picture or sound. The simplest check is to ask someone in the call whether they can see the stream, read small text and hear the shared audio. You can also join the same call from a second device on another account to watch your own stream.

• Picture: confirm the correct window or screen is shown and not a black frame.
• Sharpness: text-heavy content such as code or documents benefits from a higher resolution, while fast motion such as games benefits from a higher frame rate.
• Audio: confirm viewers hear the app sound and that your microphone is not duplicated or echoing.
• Stability: stream quality also depends on your upload speed and on each viewer's connection, so one viewer may see a sharper stream than another.

Common problems and next steps

The share button is missing or disabled

Make sure you are actually connected to a voice channel or call, not only viewing a text channel. If the button works in direct messages but not in one server, ask a server admin to check the Video permission for your role or that channel. Updating or restarting the app can also restore missing controls.

Viewers see a black screen

• On macOS, grant Discord screen recording permission in the system privacy settings, then fully quit and reopen Discord.
• Switch between sharing a single window and the entire screen; some apps, especially fullscreen games or protected video players, do not capture well one way or the other.
• In Discord's voice and video settings, try toggling the screen share capture options and hardware acceleration, then restart the app.
• Some streaming services block capture of protected video, which shows up as black on purpose; this is not a Discord fault you can fix.

No sound in the stream

Check that the audio option was enabled when you started sharing and that the app is playing through the output device Discord expects. If audio is unavailable for full-screen sharing on your system, share the specific application window instead. In a browser, share a tab with its audio option selected.

The stream is blurry or choppy

Lower the frame rate to free bandwidth for resolution when showing text, or raise it for motion. Close bandwidth-heavy downloads and other streams during the call. If viewers report lag while your own preview looks fine, the limit is likely network speed on either side rather than your settings.

Your camera or microphone is the real issue

Screen sharing does not use your webcam, but many calls combine both. If viewers cannot see or hear you while your screen share works, test your camera and microphone separately and check which input devices are selected in Discord's voice and video settings.