How To Share Your Screen On FaceTime.
Screen sharing allows you to access someone else’s computer without being near it. There are tons of problems that can be solved by sharing your screen and different situations when you might need it.
When it comes to professional collaboration and remote teamwork, screen sharing can save you time and effort when reviewing your work or making edits. If you get the same error message over and over again, you can share your screen with a colleague when you ask for help.
Screen sharing is also important when you’re teaching online, whether it’s your own online course or teaching your grandparents about technology. Finally, you might want to share your screen with someone if you decide to play a game that doesn’t have a multiplayer mode
Sharing your FaceTime screen on Mac is easy. There are several ways to do this. Here, we’ll go over some of the simplest options. Also watch our short YouTube video below from our partner site Online Tech Tips.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU21ouRj3Pk?feature=oembed]
How to Share Your Screen to FaceTime
For the Mac user, FaceTime is the best video calling app. While it may not be the best video conferencing app, Apple users still prefer FaceTime over other tools. It’s easy to use, delivers great quality, and your contacts are always just a few clicks away.
However, once you start using FaceTime for more than just calling a friend quickly, you might want to get more out of it. For example, when you’re hosting a group meeting and need to share your FaceTime screen with everyone, you might be surprised to find that there’s no obvious screen-sharing option.
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Use your webcam to share your screen on FaceTime
If you are using a physical webcam, you can set it up to look at the computer screen and not at your face.
This way, your contacts will see your screen, but with very limited functionality, not to mention the quality of such a video session. So if you need to properly share your screen on FaceTime so that your contacts can see your online activities and can take them when needed, choose the following method instead.
Use messages for screen sharing
You can share your screen with FaceTime using the Messages app, which is also preinstalled on your Mac. No need to download anything or create new accounts. Just follow these steps:
- Open the Messages app and sign in to your Apple ID.
- Find a chat with the user you want to share your screen with. Or start a new chat with them.
- In the upper right corner of the chat, find the “Details” button and click on it.
- Click on the double screen icon.
- You can now select Invite to Share My Screen and Ask to Share Screen.
You can also find screen sharing options right at the top of the chat. Click the recipient’s name and choose Share your screen from the drop-down menu.
Another way to do this is by using the app’s ribbon menu. At the top of the screen, select Friends from the menu. There you will find the same “Invite to share my screen†and “Ask to share my screen†options to choose from.
- When you click on one of the options, the other person will receive a pop-up prompt on their screen. They can choose “Accept” or “Decline”, after which you can continue the video call.
Use Messages to Access Your Mac
Sometimes just showing your screen to another user isn’t enough. If you want to make it more interactive, you can invite them to control your computer or ask them to give them access.
If you want to access someone’s Mac, wait until they show you their screen in FaceTime, find the mouse icon in the upper left corner of the screen and click it.
If someone wants to access your Mac: Share your screen with the user, find the dual screen icon in the menu and click it.
Before letting someone else access your computer, make sure it’s someone you trust. Remember that they will have full control over your computer, the ability to view your files, including your sensitive personal data.
To revoke control, click the dual screen icon again and disable this feature.
How to share your screen offline
Even when there is no internet access, you can use the built-in Screen Sharing app to connect to another Mac remotely.
To start sharing your screen, open Spotlight search and type in screen sharing.
The app will ask you for the hostname or Apple ID of the user you want to connect to. Using Apple ID, you can connect directly to their computer. Just enter their Apple ID and hit Enter. Leave the rest to your Mac.
The only drawback of this method is that there is no room to exchange messages or discuss issues during a screen sharing session. However, you can use Facetime or Messages for this.
Share your FaceTime screen with anyone
Your Mac makes it pretty easy to share your screen with others and even with yourself. There are many ways to get remote access to your computer if you ever need to.
If you find that the built-in tools available on your Mac aren’t enough, you can always turn to third-party tools to connect to any computer remotely.
Do you use screen sharing frequently on Mac? What application or tool are you using for this? Share your experience with us in the comments below.
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