How to Set Up Screen Sharing on Mac: A Guide for Beginners

Jason

By Jason

Update on

Screen Sharing Mac

Sharing your PC or Mac computer’s screen can be really convenient. Perhaps you’re working remotely and want to show your colleagues something, or maybe you want to explain how to set up a program to your friend.

The point is, that knowing how to share screens on Mac is a handy skill to know.

The problem is that Macs don’t have this feature active by default. Most Mac users won’t even be aware that their computer is capable of screen sharing.

On the other hand, you might be one of those users who want to share their screen and knows that their Mac can do so, but you also have no idea where to begin.

We’re here to help, and after reading through this article, you’ll learn exactly what to do to fix how to share screens on Mac.

Click to learn the best fixes for the Mac lock screen.

Set Up Screen Sharing Mac

Before you start screen sharing on mac, you have to set it up. Again, Macs don’t have this feature active, and if you haven’t set this up before, you’ll have to use this guide now.

#1 – At the top of your Mac’s screen, click on the Apple icon at the top-left.

System Preferences

#2 – From the drop-down menu, click “System Preferences” and locate the “Sharing” setting icon.

sharing on system preferences

#3 – On the left side of the window which appears, check the box next to “Screen Sharing.” You must also uncheck the “Remote Management” box if it has a tick.

Check Screen Sharing

That’s all there is to it, but your average computer user might not know how to enable this setting. Here are a couple of notes to take into consideration when you are enabling screen sharing on Mac:

  • While you’re on the “Sharing” menu, you can define which users can use the screen-sharing feature. Either add more users to the list, leave it as only the “Administrators,” or check the box “All Users.”
  • If you decide to share your screen with another Mac computer, the other user will be able to use yours remotely. This means they can see, access, edit, and control your Mac.
  • When you are on the “Sharing” menu, click on the “Computer Settings” button. With the pop-up menu, you can change two settings in regard to users controlling your screen.
Screen Share Computer Settings

Once you read each of these points and you’re happy with the settings, you can move on. You’ll now learn how to share screen on Mac and see it in action.

How to See Another Mac’s Screen

Remember that unless the other Mac user enables the screen-sharing Mac feature like we’ve shown you above, you won’t be able to see the screen. But when they have, use the steps below.

#1 – Start by opening up a “Finder” window, and from the left of the window, under the “Shared” section, all available computers will be on a list.

Note: if you don’t see the target Mac on this list, hover your cursor over the Shared text and click “Show” when it appears.

#2 – Locate the other Mac on the list of available computers and double-click it to continue.

#3 – You’ll now see a bar at the top of the Finder window with the two buttons: “Share Screen” and “Connect As.” Press the “Share Screen” button for this method.

#4 – A notification box will now appear, prompting you to sign in with a username and password. These details must be the account details of a Mac user from the other computer who is authorized to share the Mac’s screen.

Note: you won’t see a box requesting login details if you use the same iCloud/Apple account on both Macs.

#5 – Finally, the screen sharing will begin on the other Mac computer, and users can cease the screen share at any point.

Things get a bit trickier when multiple Macs start requesting a screen share from the same computer, but it isn’t difficult. If you’re having difficulties learning how to share screen on Mac using this guide, another method is available.

However, remember that this is the easiest and quickest way of screen sharing Mac’s display.

Alternative Solution to Screen Sharing Mac

This approach is a bit more technical but is a great way to remotely see the screen of a computer. You’ll need the IP address of the Mac you want to connect to and the DNS address.

#1 – On the Mac, that’s the screen you want to see; guide yourself to “System Preferences.”

#2 – Select the “Network” icon; at the top-right, you’ll see the IP Address. Take note of this IP address, as you’ll need it soon.

#3 – Click on “Advanced” at the bottom right of this same menu. When the popup window appears, press the button “DNS” to view the DNS Address.

#4 – Now that we have both addresses, you must open a “Finder” window.

#5 – Click the drop-down menu from the bar at the top and locate the “Connect to server” option from this list.

#6 – In the window which appears, type one of the following entries into the “Server Address” box:

VNC://[IPAddress]
VNC://[Name.Domain]

A connection will now be made, and screen sharing Mac will now be a possibility. You may need to repeat these steps every so often because IP addresses change periodically. But that aside, this can make sharing screens remotely a very easy job.

Using the Mac Screen Share Features

Finally! You’ve got the screen-sharing feature working, and you’re starting to get the hang of the different features. Here’s a quick introduction to some of the features for anyone new to using Mac screen sharing.

1. Screen Share Multiple Displays

If you have more than one monitor for your Mac computer, you can change which monitor you’re sharing. This allows you to use one monitor for private use and another for sharing with others.

2. Screen Sharing Video Quality

Just like watching YouTube videos or live streams, screen sharing on Mac is stressful for computer networks. Fortunately, some settings allow you to decrease the video quality to prevent network problems.

Note that a “Full Quality” setting is available. That said, most home networks cannot support this setting, so we recommend that you avoid using it.

3. Clipboard Sharing

Do you want to share text, images, or websites with the Mac whose screen you are sharing? Instead of uploading files and then downloading them on the target Mac, screen sharing also allows clipboard sharing.

4. Fullscreen Viewing

Like watching Netflix, you can put screen sharing on fullscreen. Doing this hides the border of the screen-sharing window and makes it look like you’re sitting in front of the Mac with which you’re sharing the screen.

5. Screen Scaling

Another useful feature is screen scaling. When you enable this setting, it will “squash” or stretch the target Mac’s display to fit into the screen-sharing window’s size.

If you choose to turn this feature off, the display could be too small or too big for you to look at properly. Thus, enabling this is ideal.

Mac’s built-in screen-sharing solution has quite a bit of customizability. Even just having control over the video quality is great, especially if you don’t have the best internet speeds.

A More Effective and User-Friendly Solution

Now, all of this is a lot to take in. Unlike on a Windows computer, discovering how to share a screen on Mac is quite the ordeal.

As such, we recommend looking into some third-party options which yield a more user-friendly experience. One particular option is Dead Simple Screen Sharing which offers a lot of benefits to the user:

Screen Sharing Mac with Dead Simple Screen Sharing
  • It doesn’t require an install (it’s a complete online solution)
  • Users can access and view a screen from any type of device, including smartphones
  • It is free to use, and you won’t need to sign up for an account either

This is a free alternative, so you won’t have to take out your wallet if you prefer to use Dead Simple Screen Sharing. Another free screen-sharing solution for both Mac and Windows computers is Join.me.

Again, it’s free to use this, so if the built-in Mac screen-sharing tools don’t work for you, check these out.

Troubleshooting Screen Sharing Issues

If you encounter any issues while setting up or using screen sharing on your Mac, here are some common troubleshooting steps:

  1. Ensure both Macs are connected to the same network.
  2. Verify that screen sharing is enabled on both Macs.
  3. Check for any firewall or security settings that may be blocking screen sharing.
  4. Restart your Mac and try again.
  5. Update your Mac to the latest macOS version to ensure compatibility.

If the problem persists, you may need to seek further assistance from Apple Support or online forums dedicated to Mac-related issues.

FAQs

Q1. Can I screen share with someone who is not using a Mac? Yes, you can screen share with someone using a compatible device or software. However, the steps and methods may vary depending on the platform they are using.

Q2. Is screen sharing secure? Screen sharing on Mac incorporates security measures such as authentication and password protection. It is generally considered secure, but it’s always recommended to exercise caution and share your screen only with trusted individuals or in secure environments.

Q3. Can I control the shared screen during a screen sharing session? Yes, if the screen sharing session allows remote control, you can control the shared screen as if you were physically using the remote Mac.

Q4. Can I share only a specific application window instead of the entire screen? Yes, Mac provides the option to share either the entire screen or specific application windows during a screen sharing session. You can choose the desired option based on your requirements.

Q5. Is there a limit to the number of participants in a screen sharing session? The number of participants may vary depending on the screen sharing software or platform you are using. Some applications may have limitations on the number of concurrent participants, while others may offer larger capacities for virtual meetings or webinars.

To Conclude

Screen sharing is great in many situations. Lots of businesses are using screen sharing for training purposes and letting their employees work remotely. But the benefits aren’t just to businesses – there are a lot of perks to individuals too.

Screen sharing on Mac can take a bit of work, and if you have a Windows computer, you’ll know that it’s not a cakewalk on the Windows platform either. Whether you go for the built-in option or choose a third party, hopefully, this guide helps.

Jason
Jason

Skilled software testing specialist with expertise in comparisons and research, passionate about blogging, reviews, and creating video tutorials.

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