How to Share Screen on Mac

Mac to Mac screen sharing. Enable screen sharing on macOS. Allow Mac screen sharing permissions. Screen sharing with macOS built-in screen sharing, Zoom, or Google Meet.

You probably see your Mac as a tool for solo work—Steve Jobs famously called the personal computer "a bicycle for the mind"—but most work today requires communication and collaboration. Screen sharing isn't the first tool you'll install on a new computer, but maybe it should be. Screen sharing transforms a purely personal tool into a collaborative workspace, bridging the gap between "what I can accomplish alone" and "what we can achieve together."

There’s no single best screen-sharing tool on macOS. Your specific use case should drive your tool selection, not the top pick of a best of list or just using Zoom or Meet. The "job to be done" for each tool is different. Here are tasks where screen sharing can be handy or even essential:

a presentation for a client
tech help for a team or family member
collaborating on AI work
pairing with another programmer on coding or code review

This article highlights the differences among screen sharing tools and suggests the best tool for common use cases.

In case you don't have time to read the full article, here's my suggestion, based on what I actually use. For anything that requires actual collaboration, like programming tasks or sharing AI conversations, where we need a second cursor and shared text input, I use the purpose-built Tuple application. Check it out—there's a free 14-day trial available at Tuple's website.

Or, for quick screen sharing, where you don't need true collaboration, just use Apple's built-in FaceTime. What's important here is minimizing the complication of set up and connection.

This guide begins with a short history of screen sharing to introduce the technologies involved, then shows how to set up screen sharing for common use cases, starting with:

FaceTime for simple screen viewing
Tuple for true collaboration
Video call screen sharing with Google Meet, Zoom, and others
Legacy built-in Apple screen sharing

There are a lot of choices for screen sharing, but this guide will help you pick the right one for your needs.

A short history of screen sharing

1984 - X11: Network commands → Unix GUIs → Lightweight, but chatty
1990s - VNC: Pixels → Cross-platform → Universal, bandwidth heavy
2000s - RDP: Smart graphics → Enterprise-grade → Efficient, smooth
2010s+ - WebRTC: Video streams → Browser-native → Low-latency, encrypted

Screen sharing evolved through four eras: X11, VNC, RDP, and WebRTC. The technology progressed at each stage. Knowing this history will help you understand the differences between screen sharing applications.

Screen sharing began in 1984 with X11, designed for Unix systems where drawing commands were sent over the network to render Unix GUIs remotely. X11 was lightweight—sending individual drawing commands across the network rather than entire screen images—but it was "chatty" (requiring constant back-and-forth communication) so it worked best on fast, local networks. You won't use X11 on a Mac unless you connect to a Unix server.

VNC arrived from research labs in the 1990s. VNC transmits actual pixels rather than drawing commands, making it truly cross-platform and universal—any computer can share its screen with any other, regardless of operating system. The trade-off is bandwidth: sending entire screen images is data-intensive and laggy when there's screen motion like video. MacOS has a built-in free Screen Sharing app as well as a paid Apple Remote Desktop app, which are VNC-based. The apps are optimized to reduce bandwidth between Macs but they rely on the older VNC technology which is fine for a "quick peek" at another screen but not ongoing collaboration.

Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) emerged in the 2000s, primarily for Windows enterprise environments. RDP sends compressed graphics data efficiently and smoothly, though it remains Windows-focused. You might use an RDP client on a Mac to view a Windows desktop.

The 2010s brought WebRTC as a web standard, embedding screen sharing directly into web browsers. This browser-native approach gives web apps low-latency, hardware-accelerated, encrypted connections. WebRTC treats screen sharing as video streaming, leveraging decades of video compression advances to deliver smooth, real-time collaboration that works across any modern device. It's the basis for Google Meet, Zoom, and dedicated screen sharing apps such as Tuple.

Knowing this history helps you match your use case to the right tech: You'll probably use apps based on WebRTC for realtime collaboration. You might use VNC for built-in screen viewing between Macs or RDP for accessing a Mac from Windows.

Top choices for screen sharing

For true collaboration, dedicated WebRTC-based apps are the best choice across devices. I recommend Tuple in this category. Beyond the Tuple free trial period, a paid subscription is required, but this is the application used by programmers and other professionals who collaborate remotely in real time.

For quick and easy screen sharing, such as client presentations or family technical help, just use Apple's free FaceTime app. It's built into macOS and iOS, no permissions are needed, and it's easy to add screen sharing to any video call. Unlike other video calling apps like Google Meet or Zoom, there's an option for both people to type into and control the shared screen (with permission, but it's cumbersome!).

If you're in a meeting with Google Meet or Zoom, you can use the built-in screen sharing feature. Google Meet is web-based, so there's no need to install any software. You'll just share a link to get started. Zoom requires software installation for both callers, but many people already have it installed.

Apple offers an older VNC-based built-in screen sharing app, named Screen Sharing, but it's complicated to set up with permissions and hostname or Apple ID, so just use FaceTime instead.

Screen sharing permissions

For video calling and screen sharing applications (except FaceTime), you will need to grant macOS permission the first time you try to share your screen. If you know you need to share your screen during a call, it's best to set up screen sharing permissions before you begin the call in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. Quit and reopen the app to apply the change.

Also, before you start your call or share your screen, close anything private and turn on Control Center → Focus → Do Not Disturb to hide notifications. Notably, Tuple provide an "App Veil" feature that allows specific applications to stay hidden from others by default.

Screen sharing with FaceTime

The advantage of using FaceTime is that it is built into macOS and iOS, making it easy to share your screen with anyone who's also using FaceTime. There are no permissions needed.

Open FaceTime using command-space (Spotlight search) and type "FaceTime".
You can "Create Link" for a link to send to someone to start a FaceTime call or click "New FaceTime" to start a call using a phone number or email address of anyone in your Mac Contacts. Wait for the person to join.
In the FaceTime controls (at the bottom left of the screen) click Share and either "Share My Screen" or "Ask to Share".
You can share your entire screen (a button in the screen's upper right) or hover over any open window and click the button "Share This Window".
Look for the purple FaceTime icon in the menu bar and click the purple "Share" tab to see what you are currently sharing. This is where you can "Stop Sharing."
In the menu bar dropdown, there's an option for "Allow Control" to let the other person request to control your screen. It's a little complicated and doesn't always work as expected. Clicking "Allow Control" doesn't immediately give the other person control of your screen, instead it enables a cursor icon that lets them request control, which you must grant from a pop-up dialog.
In the menu bar dropdown, there's also an option for "Presenter Overlay" which adds a small "talking head" window to the shared screen. Or it floats the shared screen next to you with a "Large" option. This is a nice way to "show and tell" at the same time.
In the menu bar dropdown, click "Stop Sharing" to end the screen share without ending the call.

Advantages: FaceTime is free, comes on all Macs, and is easy to use without any software installation or permissions hassles. The "Presenter Overlay" feature is a nice bonus.

Limitations: Text is not always readable, appearing too small when zoomed out or blurred when zoomed in. The "Allow Control" feature is clunky which hinders seamless collaboration.

Screen sharing with Tuple

Tuple is the dedicated screen sharing app that developers and other professionals use most often, with very little lag and dual cursor support so it feels like using the same computer. It's particularly suited for crisp text rendering and seamless shared control.

Visit Tuple's website and create an account for the 14-day free trial. Download and install the app on your Mac (there's also a version for Windows).
Launch the application. You will click to sign in and then open the app from your browser.
You'll be prompted to grant system permissions for Microphone, Camera, Accessibility, and Screen Recording. These enable Tuple's collaborative features. You'll need to relaunch Tuple once the permissions are granted.
After launch, Tuple appears in your menu bar as a double screen icon.
A contacts list appears first. Enter an email address or get a link to send to your collaborator. The other person must create a Tuple account and install the app. You will appear as a contact in their Tuple menu bar app.
After an initial call, you will appear in each other's contact lists so you can start a call with a single click.
Start a call. When your collaborator joins, you or your collaborator can control the session from the Tuple menu bar app.
When you or your collaborator begins screen sharing for the first time, there's a macOS system message requesting "bypass the system private window picker".
During screen sharing, there are now two cursors. One is yours and the other is your collaborator's. You both can interact with the shared screen seamlessly.
Text in documents is very legible, even when sharing a large desktop screen with a smaller laptop. The person viewing the shared screen can zoom in to magnify the text if it's too small.
The screen sharing top bar has controls for handy features:

Cursor control on and off
Directing attention with a spotlight
A pencil for scribbling (that fades away after a few seconds)
Text entry (that fades away after a few seconds)
Zooming in (when text is too small)
Emojis and animated reactions
A window to enter a web URL that opens a page on the other screen (surprisingly useful!)

You can enable or mute microphones on both computers to have an audio conversation.
You can turn on either webcam for a face-to-face video call or oneway presentation. Before the call starts, you're given a private camera preview to check your appearance. The web cams are turned on and off separately which allows each person to decide if they want to be visible. The video call is in a separate window that can be resized and moved around. This also means you can take screen shots of the shared screen without including the video call window.
From a settings window, you can add applications to an "App Veil" feature. All notifications are hidden from the other person by default. And you can choose to hide any application windows that you don't want to share. This is a great feature so you don't have to remeber to "clean up" your screen before a shared session.
Switch between monitors if needed. If either person has multiple displays, you can easily switch between them or share multiple screens at once.
You can have two or more people in a sharing session if you have a big enough screen or switch between screens.
End the session by closing the screen window or click "End call" to stop sharing and end any voice chat or video call.

Advantages: Exceptional text clarity for code and text editing, true simultaneous control without permission handoffs, built-in voice chat and video calls, and professional-grade performance that eliminates the lag and frustration common with other tools. In general, it's a well-thought-out user interface that makes collaboration easy, so it feels like you are both using the same computer.

Limitations: Requires a paid subscription after the free trial ($30/month per user), and both people must install the Tuple app. It's overkill for simple screen viewing or casual help sessions.

Screen sharing with Google Meet

The advantage of using Google Meet is that it is browser-based, making it easy to share your screen with a web browser on any device. Most people have a Google account so you start a video call just by sending a link.

Before you can share your screen, you need to enable screen recording in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. Use the "plus" symbol to add Google Chrome to the list of allowed applications.

Go to Google Meet and start a new meeting. For an instant meeting, your browser will show your camera view and display a link you can send to others.
Send the link to the person you want to share your screen with. They will need to approve camera and microphone access. Then they can click "Ask to join" the meeting. You'll need to approve the request to join.
Click the "Share screen" button in the bottom bar. It looks like a computer with an arrow pointing upward. The first time, you will be asked to "bypass the system private window picker" to allow Google Meet to access your screen. Click "Allow" to proceed.
Choose what to share. In my experience, new users are often confused by the "choose what to share" interface. Google Meet gives you three options:

A tab. Shares only a browser tab, good for sharing a web page. This is the only option to share the computer's audio output.
A window. Shares just one specific application window, keeping other apps private.
Your entire screen. Shows everything on your display, including your desktop, dock, and any notifications that appear.

Google Meet gives you options to draw on the screen and add notes for the other person to see. You can give permission to the other person to draw on the screen by clicking their video feed window and selecting the three dots ("more options") and clicking "Add as co-annotator". It's good for highlighting document text but it's not really collaborative editing. For that, you have to share a Google Doc.
To stop sharing without ending the call, click "Stop presenting" in Meet's top bar.

Advantages: Google Meet is free and everyone already has a web browser installed. Many people have a Google account and already use Meet.

Limitations: Inexperienced users will have difficulty enabling screen recording for Google Chrome (or another web browser) in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording. Screen sharing in Google Meet works fine for presenting a slide deck but it's cumbersome for editing a document or any other shared work. There's no option for shared control of the desktop or application window.

Screen sharing with Zoom

Zoom’s green Share Screen button lets you pick a desktop or a single app, with extras for video and annotations.

Open Zoom and join a meeting.
Click Share Screen. Pick Desktop 1/Screen 1 for the whole screen, or select a specific app/window.
(Optional) Check Share sound (and Optimize for video clip) when sharing video.
Click Share. Use the top toolbar to annotate, pause, or switch windows.
Click Stop Share to finish.

Screen sharing with Microsoft Teams

Teams’ Share menu supports screen, single-window, and PowerPoint Live (uploads a deck for crisp slides).

Open Microsoft Teams and join a meeting.
Click Share (rectangle with up arrow). Choose Screen, Window, or PowerPoint Live.
(Optional) Toggle Include computer sound before you pick what to share.
Select the screen/window or upload your PowerPoint, then share.
Click Stop sharing on the toolbar when you’re done.

Apple native screen sharing

Apple offers two free options for screen sharing from Mac to Mac, in addition to screen sharing in FaceTime:

iMessage sharing
a built-in Screen Sharing application

Apple also offers Apple Remote Desktop for purchase, an app used by network administrators in schools or businesses.

iMessage screen sharing

Just like FaceTime, you'll need an email address or phone number to send a message in the iMessage app. If the other person responds to a message, you can start sharing your screen or ask them to share their screen.

The upper right corner of the iMessage application has a camera icon and an info icon. Click the camera icon for a dropdown menu that shows an option for"Share My Screen" or "Ask to Share Screen." Or click the info icon to see a "Share" icon that gives the same choices.

You'll see iMessage screen sharing initiates a FaceTime call. When you've established the FaceTime call, use the Share button in the FaceTime toolbar. You could just open the FaceTime application and start a call for screen sharing but if you're already messaging with iMessage, you can use the built-in shortcut to FaceTime. See the FaceTime instructions above for usage details.

Apple's Screen Sharing application

I don't recommend Apple's Screen Sharing application because it's difficult to set up. Instead, just use FaceTime for simple screen viewing or Tuple for true collaboration. But, for completeness, here are instructions, if you need them.

Apple's Screen Sharing application is a built-in feature that allows you to share your screen with another Mac over a network. Before you can use it, you'll need a hostname or Apple ID for the other computer.

To use a hostname, ask your collaborator to go to System Settings → General → Sharing on the other computer. They'll see "Local hostname" at the bottom of the window. They'll have to authorize access by toggling "Screen Sharing" in the same window.
To use Apple ID, ask your collaborator for their Apple ID. It's under their name at System Settings → Apple Account.

Use command-spacebar (Spotlight search) and type "Screen Sharing" to launch the application on your Mac. Click the "plus sign" to connect for screen sharing. Enter the hostname or Apple ID of the other computer.

With a hostname, enter and click the "Connect" button. Remember, first they have to toggle on "Screen Sharing" in System Settings → General → Sharing. There's an option to "Connect By Requesting Permission" (easiest) or entering the user name and password for the other computer.
With an Apple ID, enter and click the "Connect" button. The other computer will display a notification asking for permission to share their screen. Click the notification and under "Options," select "Accept." Then click "Accept" again in the next dialog box. The remote desktop will appear on your display.

If you've gotten through the setup process, text is sharp and you can edit documents in the remote desktop, but scrolling and video can be laggy.

Screen sharing summary

Use FaceTime for simple Mac screen sharing. It's as easy as clicking an icon once you start a call. With other applications (and many are available) screen sharing can be annoyingly difficult with permission hurdles and clunky interfaces.

Most people haven't had the experience of seamlessly working together on the same computer. Screen sharing can offer a level of productivity and teamwork that's extraordinary. I've only found it using Tuple and yes, it requires a dedicated, paid subscription application to achieve that level of productivity. In work situations, the expense is justified, if you make money as a professional collaborating with others, or if your company covers the expense. Try the Tuple free trial to see if it's right for you.

What's next

My mac.install.guide is a trusted source of installation guides for professional developers. Take a look at the Mac Install Guide home page for tips and trends and see what to install next.