How to Give and Request Remote Screen Control in Zoom

Remote control in Zoom lets one participant operate another person's shared screen with their own mouse and keyboard during a meeting. It is useful for support sessions, demos and pair work. This guide explains both sides: the person sharing who gives control, and the viewer who requests it.

Before you start

Remote control is not a separate remote desktop tool. It runs inside a live Zoom meeting and goes through Zoom's service, so both people must be in the same meeting, and one of them must be sharing their screen. Control only covers what is being shared and lasts only while the share is active.

• The person giving control should use the Zoom desktop client. Remote control is generally not available when sharing from the mobile app or a web browser, so check this for your setup.
• The remote control setting must be enabled for the account. On accounts managed by an organization, an administrator may have turned it off or locked it.
• On macOS, the sharer's Zoom client needs Accessibility permission in the system privacy settings. Without it, the controller's input does not reach the shared screen.
• Update both clients if possible. Button labels and menu placement differ between Zoom versions, so the names below may not match your screen exactly.

Only grant control to people you trust. While they have control, they can click, type and open anything visible in the shared content, including files and messages. Close or hide sensitive windows first, and do not assume that the session is private beyond what your organization's Zoom settings guarantee.

Step-by-step instructions

Enable remote control for your account

Sign in to your Zoom account in a web browser and open the meeting settings. In the in-meeting options, find Remote control and turn it on. If the toggle is grayed out, your administrator has locked it and must change it at the account or group level. You can switch the setting off again at any time.

Give control as the person sharing

• Start a screen share in the meeting. To let someone operate several apps, share your entire screen. If you share a single window, they can only control that window.
• In the sharing toolbar at the top of the screen, select Remote Control. If the option is hidden, look under More in the toolbar.
• Choose the participant who should get control.
• On macOS, approve the Accessibility permission if you are prompted, then restart the share if necessary.
• To take control back temporarily, click anywhere on your own screen. To end remote control entirely, open the Remote Control menu again and stop it, or end the screen share.

Request control as the viewer

• Wait until the other participant is sharing their screen.
• Open View Options at the top of the shared content and select Request Remote Control.
• Confirm the request. The person sharing sees a prompt and can approve or decline it.
• Once they approve, click inside the shared screen to begin using your mouse and keyboard.
• When you are done, open View Options again and choose the option to give up remote control.

Some versions of the desktop client also offer an option that lets the controlling user share the clipboard, so copied text can move between the two computers. Turn it on only if you need it, because clipboard contents can include passwords or other private data.

Check the output

After control is granted, the person sharing should see a notice that another participant is controlling their screen. Ask the controller to move the pointer or click a harmless item, such as a blank area of the desktop, and confirm that the action appears on the shared computer. Then test keyboard input in a text field.

The controller sees the shared screen as a video stream, so expect some delay and reduced sharpness compared with sitting at the computer. The quality depends on the network connection and the shared screen's resolution. Fast motion, video playback and detailed graphics may look choppy. Remote control is suited to clicking and typing, not precise drawing or watching video.

Common problems and next steps

Request Remote Control or the Remote Control button is missing: confirm the setting is enabled in the account settings and not locked by an administrator. Check that the sharer is using the desktop client, not the mobile app or browser, and that a screen share is actually running.

Control is granted but nothing happens on macOS: open the system privacy and security settings, allow Zoom under Accessibility, then quit and reopen Zoom and share again.

Some windows ignore the controller on Windows: system dialogs and apps running with administrator rights, such as permission prompts, may not accept remote input from a Zoom client running with normal rights. The person sharing will need to handle those prompts themselves.

The controller can only reach one app: the sharer probably chose a single window. Stop sharing and share the entire screen instead.

Control keeps dropping: the sharer regains control whenever they move their own mouse or click, so they should keep their hands off the input devices while the other person works. If lag makes control unusable, close bandwidth-heavy apps, stop your camera video for the duration, or move to a more stable connection.

If remote control is blocked by your organization's policy, ask your Zoom administrator whether it can be enabled for your group. Otherwise, use screen sharing with spoken instructions as an alternative.