1. Rejoin the Meeting

You can leave the meeting, completely close the browser, and use the Google Meet invite link to join the meeting again. A glitch with your preferred browser on the desktop may prevent you from starting screen sharing. Before we move to any advanced solution, try rebooting the browser and joining an ongoing meeting.

2. Check Network Connection

If you have a spotty internet connection at home or office, screen sharing may not work as expected in Google Meet. Before starting a team meeting, you should connect to a 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency or establish an Ethernet connection for fast internet speeds on your desktop.

  1. Open Control Center on your Mac.
  2. Enable Wi-Fi and connect to a 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency. Windows users can follow the steps below check Wi-Fi properties.
  3. Press the Windows + I keys to open the Windows Settings menu.
  4. Select Network & internet from the sidebar and confirm the Connected status. You can use the fast.com website to confirm a double-digit (in MBPS) internet speed and start Google Meet screen sharing without any problem.

3. Enable Screen Recording Permission

You should enable screen recording permission on your preferred browser on Mac. Follow the steps below.

  1. Click the Apple icon in the menu bar.
  2. Open System Settings.
  3. Select Privacy & Security in the left sidebar.
  4. Open Screen Recording.
  5. Click the + icon and authenticate yourself. It will open the Finder menu.
  6. Select Applications from the left sidebar. Click the browser and select Open. Open your preferred browser, join the Google Meet meeting and start screen sharing without any problem.

4. Lower Screen Resolution

Sometimes, Google Meet fails to share the screen in native resolution. You can lower the display resolution on Windows and try again.

  1. Open Windows Settings by pressing Windows + I keys.
  2. Select System from the sidebar and open the Display menu.
  3. Lower display resolution from the same menu.

5. Ask the Host to Enable Screen Sharing

Google Meet host has the option to disable screen sharing for participants. That way, you can prevent chaos in the meeting. If you are a participant in a Google Meet and want to share screen, you must ask the host to enable screen sharing permission for others. By default, Google Meet disables screen sharing for participants. If you are a host, follow the steps below to enable it.

  1. When you are in a Google Meet meeting, select the lock icon in the bottom right corner.
  2. Enable the Share their screen toggle and let everyone share the screen.

6. Stop the Current Presentation and Start Again

Google Meet lets only one person start screen sharing at a time. If another participant is already sharing the screen, you can’t share your screen. You must wait for the person to stop the presentation and try again. During screen sharing, if you want to switch to another tab or app, end the current screen sharing and try again. Also, when someone starts screen sharing when you are presenting, they will overtake you as the main presenter.

7. Don’t Minimize Window

If you minimize the shared window tab, Google Meet shows a black screen to the participants. You should keep the app or tab in focus for flawless screen sharing.

8. Enable Hardware Acceleration

An active hardware acceleration moves CPU tasks to the GPU and resolves processing issues in resource-sensitive tasks. Google Chrome – the most popular web browser, disables the option by default. Follow the steps below to enable it.

  1. Launch Chrome on the desktop.
  2. Click the kebab menu (three-dot) in the top right corner. Open Settings.
  3. Select System from the left sidebar and enable the Hardware Acceleration option.  

9. Update Your Browser

An outdated browser build may lead to issues like Google Meet screen sharing not working. Here’s how you can update your browser. Note: We will use Google Chrome as an example here.

  1. Head to Google Chrome Settings (refer to the steps above).
  2. Select About Chrome from the left sidebar and update it to the latest version.

Share Your Presentation in Style

When Google Meet screen sharing isn’t working, you can temporarily move to another video conferencing app, but it’s not convenient for everyone. You can also try another web browser to enjoy an error-free Google Meet experience. The app is also available on mobile platforms. Read our dedicated guide to using Google Meet on Android and iPhone.