I've been using Discord for almost five years now, and it's made group gaming sessions far simpler to manage. But Discord does more than let you yell at your buddy Dave when he sets your house on fire in Minecraft. Maybe you have another buddy, a non-gamer, who wants to watch you get your virtual revenge on Dave. Or maybe you use Discord for work and you need to present a deck. That's where Discord's screen sharing function comes in.
With screen sharing, you can let your friends or coworkers watch live footage of your entire desktop, an individual browser tab, or a program window. It's easy to set up and use, but if you're new to the platform, it's tough to find the feature.
Here, I'll show you how to screen share on Discord using the desktop and mobile apps—and give you tips on how to navigate it.
Table of contents:
How to screen share on Discord using the desktop app
To use the screen share feature, you need to be a member of at least one Discord server or have a friend or coworker online. On PC and Mac, you can share your screen with the Discord desktop app or the browser version. Both options work the same way, but the screenshots below show me on a Mac.
Open Discord, and select a server from the left-hand side of the screen. (If you aren't in a server, you'll need to join or be invited to one first.)
Under Voice Channels, select General (or another voice channel if there are several options). This will connect you to that channel.
Click the Share Your Screen button, which looks like a computer monitor with an arrow on it.
You'll be given the option to share a specific open application, like Discord, an internet browser, or something else. Click the one you want to share. (You can also share your entire screen by selecting the Screens tab.)
In the next window, you can choose whether or not to share audio, notify your friends when your stream begins, and adjust video quality settings.
When you're ready to screen share, click Go Live.
Your screen share feed will open in picture-in-picture mode. Double-click it to expand.
To end your stream, click the Stop Streaming button at the bottom of the screen, which looks like a computer monitor with an X on it. (You can also click the bright red disconnect button.)
There's not much else to it, but if you want to explore every Discord screen share feature, scroll down for more tips.
How to screen share on Discord mobile
If you like having an audience on the go, you can also share your screen from the Discord mobile app. This works basically the same way on Android and iPhone, but my screenshots are from the iOS version.
Open the Discord app.
Pick a server, then select General (or another voice channel) under Voice Channels.
Tap Join Voice.
Swipe up on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
From the new set of options that appear, tap Share Your Screen.
Tap Start Broadcast.
You'll now be sharing your entire phone screen on Discord. To end your stream, tap Stop sharing or use the red button on the toolbar.
When sharing on mobile, you won't get access to video quality options. Audio sharing is also on by default, though it works on a per-app basis.
How to screen share on Discord in a private chat or call
If you don't want to let everyone in a server tune in to your screen sharing session, you can also share your screen with specific people from a private chat or call. Here's how.
Click the Discord icon in the top-left corner to open your direct messages.
In the Friends tab, click the person you want to share your screen with.
You'll need to start a voice or video call in order to share your screen. Click the Start Voice Call button, which looks like a phone receiver, at the top right of the screen.
Once you're on the call, click the Share Your Screen button, which looks like a computer monitor with an arrow.
Select whether to stream a program window or your entire screen.
When you're ready to screen share, click Go Live.
This method works whether you're in a private chat with one person or a group DM. When you're ready to stop screen sharing, you can click the Stop Streaming button or just disconnect from the call.
Tips for screen sharing on Discord
Now that you've learned the basics, we can get into the nitty-gritty of Discord's screen share features.
How to share screen on Discord with sound
Discord's screen sharing has sound on by default, but you can toggle it in the screen share settings window that pops up before you go live. If you're sharing your screen from a browser window, be aware that you can only stream audio when using Google Chrome.
How to share your screen and webcam stream at the same time
On PC or Mac, Discord allows you to share your screen and your webcam feed at the same time (if you want people to see your reactions while you game, for example). To do this, just click the Turn On Camera button, which looks like a video camera with a line through it, while you're screen sharing. Both feeds will be visible to anyone in your server or voice call.
How to change video quality while screen sharing
You'll be able to select your stream's video quality before you go live, but if you want to change it while sharing, click the little arrow attached to the Stop Streaming button. This will pull up the Stream Quality option.
If you aren't subscribed to Discord Nitro ($9.99/month), you'll only be able to choose between 480p and 720p. Nitro gets you access to 1080p, 1440p, and source quality options (plus a 60 frames per second mode).
How to change layout while screen sharing
In the top-right corner of the screen share interface, you'll see a three-block icon. Click this to select the Focus layout.
This layout will show a larger view of your screen share feed. It's great if you want to get a clearer look at exactly what your audience is seeing.
You can click that same button (it'll be a four-block icon now) to go back to the Grid layout, which will let you see other feeds from users in the same server or call.
Automate Discord with Zapier
Discord may have an especially good reputation with gamers, but workplaces have adopted it, too, as an alternative to Slack. Whatever you use the platform for, Zapier lets you connect it with thousands of apps, so you can do things like automatically share new YouTube videos to a Discord server or set reminders in Discord for Google Calendar events.
Learn more about how to automate Discord with Zapier, or get started with one of these pre-made workflows.
Send new YouTube videos in Discord channel messages
Zapier is the leader in workflow automation—integrating with thousands of apps from partners like Google, Salesforce, and Microsoft. Use interfaces, data tables, and logic to build secure, automated systems for your business-critical workflows across your organization's technology stack. Learn more.
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