Use a screen reader to share your screen in Microsoft Teams
Use a screen reader to share your screen in Microsoft Teams
Applies ToMicrosoft Teams
This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Windows tools or features and Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Accessibility help & learning content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use your keyboard and a screen reader to start and stop sharing your desktop, a PowerPoint presentation, Microsoft Whiteboard, or a program window in a Microsoft Teams for Windows meeting. We have tested it with JAWS and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to give control of your shared content or screen to someone else and to zoom in to the shared content.
Notes:
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
To quickly access the keyboard shortcuts list from within Microsoft Teams, press Ctrl+E, type the forward slash character followed by the word keys, and then press Enter.
Share your desktop, a program window, or Microsoft Whiteboard
Note: What you can share and how the sharing works depends on the organization hosting the meeting, so all the features and functionality described below may not be applicable in your meeting.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Open sharing options button, and press Enter.
Do one of the following:
To share your entire desktop, press the Tab key until you hear "Desktop list," and then press Enter.
To share a program window, press the Tab key until you hear: "Share window list." Press the Down or Right arrow key until you hear the program window you want to share, and press Enter.
To share a Microsoft Whiteboard, press the Tab key until you hear "Share Microsoft whiteboard," and press Enter.
To stop sharing, press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar to access the screen sharing toolbar. Then press the Tab key repeatedly until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, press B or Shift+B until you reach the Open sharing options button. Press Enter.
Do one of the following:
With NVDA, to share your entire desktop, press L until you hear "Desktop list," and then press Enter.
With JAWS, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Desktop list," and then press Enter.
With NVDA, to share a program window, press L until you hear "Share window," and press Enter. Then press the Down or Right arrow key until you hear the program window you want to share, and press Enter.
With JAWS, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Share window," press the Down arrow key until you hear “List box," and then press Enter. Press the Down or Right arrow key until you hear the program window you want to share, and press Enter.
With NVDA, to share a Microsoft Whiteboard, press L until you hear "Share Microsoft whiteboard," and press Enter.
With JAWS, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Share Microsoft whiteboard," press the Down arrow key until you hear "List box," and then press Enter.
To stop sharing, press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar to access the screen sharing toolbar. Then press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Enter.
Share a PowerPoint presentation
If you're sharing a PowerPoint file, the participants can move around to different slides without interrupting the main presentation. They can also sync their view back to the presenter's view.
Note: If you don't want people to independently navigate through a PowerPoint file you're sharing, press the Tab key until you hear "Toolbar," followed by an item on the toolbar. Press the Left or Right arrow key until you reach the Prevent participants from independently navigating a shared PowerPoint file button, and press Enter.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Open sharing options button, and press Enter.
Do one of the following:
To share a PowerPoint presentation that you've worked on recently, press the Tab key until you hear: "Share a PowerPoint presentation." Press the Down or Right arrow key until you hear the presentation you want to share, and then press Enter.
To browse for more PowerPoint presentations, press the Tab key until you hear "Browse PPT files," and press Enter. Press the Down or Up arrow key until you hear the file location and press Enter. Find your file in the selected location, and press Enter.
To stop sharing, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Enter.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, press B or Shift+B until you reach the Open sharing options button. Press Enter. You hear: "Desktop list."
Do one of the following:
With NVDA, to share a PowerPoint presentation that you've worked on recently, press L until you hear: "Share a PowerPoint presentation." Press Enter. Press the Down or Right arrow key until you hear the presentation you want to share, and then press Enter.
With JAWS, press the Down arrow key until you hear: "Share a PowerPoint presentation." Press the Down arrow key until you hear "List box," and press Enter. Press the Down or Right arrow key until you hear the presentation you want to share, and then press Enter.
To browse for more PowerPoint presentations, press B until you hear "Browse PPT files," and press Enter. Press the Down or Up arrow key until you hear the file location and press Enter. Find your file in the selected location, and press Enter.
To stop sharing, press B or Shift+B until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Enter.
Share system audio
Share your system audio to meeting participants through Microsoft Teams. You can use it to play a video or audio clip as part of a presentation. When you share content, all your system audio, including notifications, will be included in the meeting. For more information on sharing system audio, refer to Share sound from your computer in a Teams meeting or live event.
You can start sharing your system audio when you're selecting the item you want to share from the share tray or when you're already sharing content.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, do one of the following
If you're in the sharing options tray selecting the item to share, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Include system audio check box. To fill the check box and share your system audio, press Spacebar.
If you're already sharing content, press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar, press the Tab key until you hear "Include system audio," and press Enter.
Give control to shared content
Note: When you’re sharing an app, only give control to people you trust. People you give control to may use commands that could affect your system or other apps. We've taken steps to prevent this but haven't tested every possible configuration.
If you want another meeting participant to change a file, help you present, or demonstrate something, you can give control to that person. You will both be in control of the sharing, and you can take back control anytime.
Note: Giving control to a shared PowerPoint isn't currently supported. If you want someone to take control of a presentation, go to Take control of a shared PowerPoint presentation for instructions.
In a meeting or call, press Shift+Ctrl+Spacebar to move to focus to the screen sharing toolbar. You hear: "Give control." Press Spacebar. A list of the meeting participants opens.
Press the Down arrow key until you hear the name of the person you want to give the control to, and press Enter.
Microsoft Teams sends a notification to that person to let them know you’re sharing control. While you’re sharing control, they can make selections, edits, and other modifications to the shared screen.
To take the control back, press Shift+Ctrl+Spacebar to move to focus to the screen sharing toolbar. Press the Tab key until you hear "Cancel control," and press Enter.
Request control to shared content
If you'd like, for example, to demonstrate something on the presenter's device or change a file, you can request control of the shared content. The person currently sharing content is notified that you're requesting control, and they can approve or deny the request.
Note: In some organizations, requesting control has been disabled.
In a meeting or call, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Request control," and press Enter. The person currently sharing content receives a notification that you're requesting control and needs to approve the request before you can take control.
If the presenter is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Take control," and press Enter.
Once your request has been approved, you hear: "Stop control." You now have control of the shared content, and you can make selections, edits, and other modifications to the shared screen.
To stop controlling the shared content, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Stop control," and press Enter.
If you controlled a PowerPoint presentation, the presenter needs to take back the control from you.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
In a meeting or call, press the B or Shift+B until you hear "Request control," and press Enter. The person currently sharing content receives a notification that you're requesting control and needs to approve the request before you can take control.
If the presenter is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, press B or Shift+B until you hear "Take control," and press Enter.
Once your request has been approved, you hear: "Stop control." You now have control of the shared content, and you can make selections, edits, and other modifications to the shared screen.
To stop controlling the shared content, press the B or Shift+B until you hear "Stop control," and press Enter.
If you controlled a PowerPoint presentation, the presenter needs to take back the control from you.
Take control of a shared PowerPoint presentation
In a meeting or call where the presenter is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Take control," and press Enter.
The presenter is notified that you have the control of the presentation.
To stop controlling the shared PowerPoint presentation, the original presenter needs to take back the control from you.
Note: In NVDA this is called the browse mode. In JAWS it is called the virtual cursor mode.
In a meeting or call where the presenter is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, press B or Shift+B until you hear "Take control," and press Enter.
The presenter is notified that you have the control of the presentation.
To stop controlling the shared PowerPoint presentation, the original presenter needs to take back the control from you.
Zoom in to shared content
You have several options to zoom in or out in the shared content:
To use keyboard shortcuts to zoom in or out, press Ctrl+Plus sign (+) or Ctrl+Minus sign (-).
If you're using a trackpad, you can pinch out and in on your trackpad to zoom in or out.
If you're using a mouse, press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and scroll up or down with the mouse wheel to zoom in our out.
Use Microsoft Teams on Mac with your keyboard and VoiceOver, the built-in macOS screen reader, to start and stop sharing your entire screen, an application window, a PowerPoint presentation, or a Whiteboard while in a meeting. You'll also learn how to take control of the presentation being shared.
Notes:
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in macOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, go to VoiceOver Getting Started Guide.
You can access the sharing options through the share button. Once you’ve selected the button, the options for sharing your entire desktop, a window, a PowerPoint, or a whiteboard open below.
Note: What you can share and how the sharing works depends on the organization hosting the meeting, so all the features and functionality described below may not be applicable in your meeting.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Open sharing options button, and then press Return.
Do one of the following:
To share your entire desktop, press Return.
To share a program window, press the Tab key once, press the Right arrow key until you hear the program you want to share, and press Return.
To share a PowerPoint presentation from Microsoft Teams, press the Tab key three times, press the Right arrow key until you hear the file you want to share, and press Return.
Note: When you're sharing a PowerPoint file, the participants can move between the slides without interrupting the main presentation. They can also sync their view back to the presenter's view. If you don't want people to independently navigate through a PowerPoint file you're sharing, press the Tab key until you reach the Prevent participants from moving through the shared presentation on their own button, and press Return.
To browse for more files, press the Tab key twice and press Return. Press the Down or Up arrow key to navigate to a location, and press Return to select. Find your file in the selected location, and press Return.
To share a whiteboard, press the Tab key until you reach the whiteboard group. To share a Microsoft Whiteboard, press Return. To navigate to other whiteboards, press the Right arrow key until you find the one you want, and press Return to open one.
To stop sharing, do one of the following:
To stop sharing your entire desktop or a program window, press Command+Shift+Spacebar, then press the Tab key until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Return.
To stop sharing a PowerPoint file or a whiteboard, press the Tab key until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Return.
Take control of a PowerPoint presentation
To help with a PowerPoint presentation, an attendee can take control of the presentation in the meeting. Both the organizer and the attendee can be in control of the sharing, and both can take back control anytime.
To take control while another person is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, press the Tab key until you hear "Take control," and press Return.
While you have control, you can navigate the slides back and forward. To move to the Navigate back and Navigate forward buttons, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. To select, press Return. The screen reader focus stays on the button you just selected, so to keep changing the slides just press Return.
Zoom in to shared content
Note: To use the zoom shortcuts, you need to have the Use keyboard shortcuts to zoom option selected in the Accessibility preferences.
To zoom in to the shared content using your keyboard, press Option+Command+Plus sign (+). To zoom back out, press Option+Command+Minus sign (-).
Use Microsoft Teams with VoiceOver, the built-in iOS screen reader, to start and stop sharing your screen, a PowerPoint presentation, photo, or live video in a meeting. You'll also learn how to take control of a shared PowerPoint presentation and to zoom in to the shared content.
Notes:
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in iOS screen reader, VoiceOver. To learn more about using VoiceOver, visit Apple accessibility.
Share a PowerPoint presentation, your screen, or live video
In a Microsoft Teams meeting or call, swipe right until you hear "More calling options," and double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear "Share," and double-tap the screen.
Do one of the following:
To share a PowerPoint presentation, swipe left until you hear "Share PowerPoint," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right to locate the PowerPoint file you want, and double-tap the screen to start sharing.
To share your screen, swipe right until you hear "Share screen," and double-tap the screen. Slide one finger around the center of the screen until you hear "Start broadcast," and double-tap the screen to start sharing.
To share a live video stream from your camera, swipe right until you hear "Share video," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Start presenting," and double-tap the screen to share your video stream.
To stop sharing your content, swipe right or left until you hear "Stop presenting," and double-tap the screen.
Share a photo
You can share a photo either from the camera roll, file location, or straight from the camera app.
In a Microsoft Teams meeting or call, swipe right until you hear "Share photo," and double-tap the screen.
If Microsoft Teams asks to access your camera and photos, swipe right until you hear "OK," and double-tap the screen.
Do one of the following:
To share a photo from the camera roll, swipe right until you hear "Open camera roll," and double-tap the screen. Locate the photo, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Start presenting," and double-tap the screen to share the photo.
To take a photo and share it directly from the camera, swipe right until you hear "Capture," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Start presenting." Double-tap the screen to share the photo.
To share a photo from a file location such as OneDrive, swipe right until you hear "Files," and double-tap the screen. Locate the photo, and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Start presenting," and double-tap the screen to share the photo.
To stop sharing your content, swipe right or left until you hear "Stop presenting," and double-tap the screen.
Take control of a shared PowerPoint presentation
In a Microsoft Teams meeting or call where the presenter is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, swipe right until you hear "Take control," and double-tap the screen.
If Microsoft Teams asks you to confirm the action. Swipe right until you hear "Yes," and double-tap the screen.
To stop controlling the presentation, ask the presenter to take the control back.
Zoom in to the shared content
To switch on the zoom, locate the Settings button on your device home screen, and double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear "Zoom, Off," and double-tap the screen. The Zoom settings page opens, and the focus is on the Zoom button. Double-tap the screen.
With the zoom on, in the Microsoft Teams meeting, do one of the following:
Double-tap the screen with three fingers to zoom.
Slide three fingers on the screen to move around the screen.
Double-tap with three fingers and slide three fingers on the screen to change the zoom.
Use Microsoft Teams with TalkBack, the built-in Android screen reader, to start and stop sharing your screen, a PowerPoint presentation, photo, or live video in a meeting. You'll also learn how to take control of a shared PowerPoint presentation.
Notes:
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
This topic assumes that you are using the built-in Android screen reader, TalkBack. To learn more about using TalkBack, go to Android accessibility.
Share a PowerPoint presentation, your screen, or live video
In a Microsoft Teams meeting or call, swipe right until you hear "More calling options," and double-tap the screen.
Swipe right until you hear "Share," and double-tap the screen.
Do one of the following:
To share a PowerPoint presentation, swipe left until you hear "Share PowerPoint," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right to locate the PowerPoint file you want, and double-tap the screen to start sharing.
To share your screen, swipe right until you hear "Share screen," and double-tap the screen.
To share a live video stream from your camera, swipe right until you hear "Share video," and double-tap the screen. Swipe right until you hear "Start presenting," and double-tap the screen to share your video stream.
To stop sharing your content, swipe right or left until you hear "Stop presenting," and double-tap the screen.
Share a photo
You can share a photo either from the camera roll, file location, or straight from the camera app.
In a Microsoft Teams meeting or call, right until you hear “More options”, and double-tab the screen.
Swipe left or right until you hear "Share," and double-tap the screen.
Swipe left or right until you here “Share photo”, and double-tap the screen.
If Microsoft Teams asks to access your camera and photos, swipe right until you hear "OK," and double-tap the screen.
Do one of the following:
To share a photo from the camera roll, swipe right until you hear "Insert image," and double-tap the screen. Locate the photo, and double-tap the screen. Swipe left until you hear "Start presenting," and double-tap the screen to share the photo.
To take a photo and share it directly from the camera, swipe right until you hear "Capture," and double-tap the screen. You hear: "Start presenting." Double-tap the screen to share the photo.
To share a photo from a file location such as OneDrive, swipe right until you hear "Files," and double-tap the screen. Locate the photo, and double-tap the screen. Swipe left until you hear "Start presenting," and double-tap the screen to share the photo.
To stop sharing your content, swipe right or left until you hear "Stop presenting," and double-tap the screen.
Take control of a shared PowerPoint presentation
In a Microsoft Teams meeting or call where the presenter is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, swipe right until you hear "Take control," and double-tap the screen.
If Microsoft Teams asks you to confirm the action. Swipe right until you hear "Yes," and double-tap the screen.
To stop controlling the presentation, ask the presenter to take the control back.
Zoom in to the shared content
In the Microsoft Teams meeting, pinch out the screen to zoom in. To zoom out, pinch the screen in.
Use Microsoft Teams on the web with your keyboard and a screen reader to start and stop sharing your entire screen, an application window, a PowerPoint presentation, or a Whiteboard while in a meeting. We have tested it with Narrator, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow the common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to take control of the presentation being shared.
Notes:
New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
Recent versions of JAWS no longer have the virtual PC cursor mode set as default for Microsoft Teams. For instructions on how to switch the virtual PC cursor mode on, go to Enable the JAWS virtual cursor.
When using Microsoft Teams on the web, you'll be able to share your screen if you're using Google Chrome.
You can access the sharing options through the share button. Once you’ve selected the button, the options for sharing your entire desktop, a window, a PowerPoint file, or a whiteboard open bbelow.
Note: What you can share and how the sharing works depends on the organization hosting the meeting, so all the features and functionality described below may not be applicable in your meeting.
While in a meeting in Microsoft Teams, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you reach the Open sharing options button, and then press Enter.
Do one of the following:
To share your desktop or an application window, press Enter. The Share your screen dialog box opens. The dialog box contains the Your Entire Screen and Application Window tabs. If you’re using the Chrome browser, you also have the Chrome Tab tab. To navigate to the first tab, press the Tab key once. To move to the following tabs, press the Right arrow key. When you hear the tab you want to select, press the Tab key once and then use the Down arrow key to navigate to the applicable option. To start sharing, press Enter.
To share a PowerPoint presentation that you've worked on recently, press the Tab key until you hear: "Share a PowerPoint presentation." Press the Right arrow key until you hear the presentation you want to share, and then press Enter.
Note: When you're sharing a PowerPoint file, the participants can move between the slides without interrupting the main presentation. They can also sync their view back to the presenter's view. If you don't want people to independently navigate through a PowerPoint file you're sharing, press the Tab key until you reach the Prevent participants from moving through shared presentation on their own button, and press Enter.
To browse for more PowerPoint presentations, press the Tab key until you hear "Browse PPT files," and press Enter. Press the Down or Up arrow key to navigate to a location and press Enter to select. Find your file in the selected location, and press Enter.
To select a whiteboard, press the Tab key until you hear: “Share Microsoft whiteboard.” To share, press Enter. To share another whiteboard, press the Right arrow key until you find the one you want, and then press Enter.
To stop sharing, do one of the following:
To stop sharing your entire screen or an application window, press and hold the Alt key and press the Tab key repeatedly until you hear: “teams.microsoft.com is sharing your screen.” Then press Tab or Shift+Tab key until you reach the Stop sharing button, and press Enter.
To stop sharing a browser tab, press Alt+Shift+A, and then press Enter.
To stop sharing a PowerPoint presentation or a whiteboard, press the Tab key until you reach the Stop presenting button, and press Enter.
Take control of a PowerPoint presentation
To help with a PowerPoint presentation, an attendee can take control of the presentation in the meeting. Both the organizer and the attendee can be in control of the sharing, and both can take back control anytime.
To take control while another person is sharing a PowerPoint presentation, press the Tab key until you hear "Take control," and press Enter.
While you have control, you can navigate the slides back and forward. To move to the Navigate back and Navigate forward buttons, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. To select, press Enter. The screen reader focus stays on the button you just selected, so to keep changing the slides just press Enter.
Zoom in to shared content
You have several options to zoom in or out in the shared content:
To use keyboard shortcuts, press Ctrl+Plus sign (+) or Ctrl+Minus sign (-).
If you're using a trackpad, you can pinch in and out on your trackpad.
If you're using a mouse, press and hold Ctrl+Alt on your keyboard and scroll up or down with the mouse scroll wheel.
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
