How to Share Your Screen on Telegram (Mobile and Desktop)

You can share your screen on Telegram during a one-to-one video call, a group video chat or a channel live stream. Start or join the call, open the video options, and choose to share your screen instead of your camera. On a phone, your system then asks for permission to record the screen; on a computer, you pick the whole screen or a single window.

This guide covers where screen sharing is available, the steps on each platform, how to keep private things off screen while you share, and what to do when it does not work.

Where you can share your screen

Telegram has several kinds of live calls, and screen sharing works a little differently in each. Knowing which one you are in tells you who will see your screen.

• One-to-one video calls. A private call between you and one other person. Only they see your screen.
• Group calls. Telegram can turn a call into a group call with more people, and newer versions support group calls that start without creating a group chat first. Everyone in the call can see what you share.
• Video chats in groups. A group can run a live audio and video session that members join from the chat. Everyone who joins can see shared screens.
• Live streams in channels. A channel's live stream is a broadcast. Admins can share a screen, and every subscriber who opens the stream can watch it.

Telegram's blog announced screen sharing for group video calls and later for one-to-one calls, and Telegram has expanded calling features several times since. Exact limits, such as how many people can join with video, have changed over time, so check Telegram's FAQ or the call screen itself rather than relying on an old number.

For the calling basics that sit underneath all of this, see how to make video calls and group video calls.

Before you start

A few minutes of preparation saves embarrassment and failed attempts.

1. Update Telegram on the device you will share from. Screen sharing options appear in newer versions, and older ones may hide them.
2. Decide what to share. On a computer, sharing one window is safer than sharing the whole screen. On a phone, everything on screen is shared, including notifications.
3. Turn on Do Not Disturb or Focus mode on the device. Message previews can pop up in the middle of your share.
4. Close what you do not want seen. Email, banking, password managers, private chats and other tabs.
5. Check your connection. Screen sharing sends a lot of data. Wi-Fi is usually more stable than mobile data.
6. Plug in or charge. Sharing a screen uses more battery than a voice call.
7. On a Mac, allow screen recording for Telegram in advance. The steps are in the macOS section below.

How to share your screen on Android

On Android, the phone itself asks you to confirm before any app can capture the screen. Telegram cannot skip this step.

In a one-to-one call on Android

1. Start a call with the person, or answer theirs.
2. Turn on video if you are in a voice call. The call controls show a video button.
3. Look for the screen sharing option among the video choices. Depending on your version, you may find it by tapping the video button, or by opening a menu next to it.
4. Android shows a permission prompt explaining that the app will see everything on your screen. Confirm it.
5. Switch to the app or screen you want to show. A small indicator shows that sharing is active.
6. To stop, return to Telegram and turn screen sharing off, or use the stop control in the notification shade.

In a group video chat on Android

1. Open the group and join its video chat, or join the call link you were sent.
2. In the call controls, open the video options.
3. Choose to share your screen rather than your camera.
4. Confirm Android's permission prompt.
5. Leave Telegram and open what you want to show.

Some newer Android versions let you choose between sharing the whole screen and sharing a single app in that permission prompt. If you see that choice, sharing a single app is the safer option, because notifications and other apps stay private.

If the option is missing on Android

• Update Telegram from the Play Store, or from Telegram's website if you installed it from there.
• Check whether you are in a voice-only setting. Some calls show video options only after video is enabled.
• In a group video chat, admins may limit who can turn on video. Ask an admin.

How to share your screen on iPhone and iPad

On iPhone and iPad, screen sharing uses Apple's screen broadcast system. Telegram hands the job to a broadcast tool, and iOS shows a red indicator while it runs.

In a one-to-one call on iPhone

1. Start or answer the call and turn on video.
2. In the call controls, open the video options and choose to share your screen. The exact label varies by version.
3. iOS opens a broadcast sheet. Make sure Telegram is selected as the destination, then tap Start Broadcast.
4. After a short countdown, everything on your screen is shared. Go to the app you want to show.
5. To stop, return to Telegram and turn sharing off, or tap the red indicator at the top of the screen and stop the broadcast.

In a group video chat on iPhone

1. Join the video chat or call.
2. Open the video options in the call controls and choose screen sharing.
3. Confirm Telegram in the broadcast sheet and tap Start Broadcast.
4. Switch to the content you want to share.

Starting from Control Centre

You can also start a Telegram screen broadcast from iOS Control Centre, as long as screen recording is in Control Centre. Press and hold the screen recording button, choose Telegram from the list, and start the broadcast. This is handy if the in-call option is hard to find. You must already be in a Telegram call for it to have anywhere to go.

If it does not start on iPhone

• Check Screen Time settings. Content restrictions can block screen recording.
• Make sure there is no other screen recording or broadcast running.
• Restart the iPhone if the broadcast sheet does not list Telegram.
• Update iOS and Telegram.

How to share your screen on Windows

Telegram Desktop lets you share either your entire screen or one window. That choice is the main advantage of sharing from a computer.

1. Open Telegram Desktop and start or join the call or video chat.
2. In the call window, find the screen sharing button. In some versions it sits beside the camera button, and in others it appears as an option when you click the camera.
3. A picker shows your screens and open windows. Select what you want to share.
4. Confirm. A border or indicator shows what is being shared.
5. To stop, click the screen sharing button again or switch back to your camera.

Choosing between screen and window

• Share a window when you are showing one program, such as a document, a slide deck or a browser tab. Other windows, including notifications, stay private, even if they appear on top.
• Share the whole screen when you need to switch between several programs during the share. Close or hide everything else first.

Multiple monitors

If you have two or more screens, the picker lists each one. Share the screen that only shows what you want others to see, and keep chats and email on the other.

How to share your screen on a Mac

The Mac version works much like Windows, with one extra step: macOS requires your permission for any app that records the screen.

Allow screen recording first

1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS), then Privacy and Security.
2. Open Screen Recording (on some versions, Screen and System Audio Recording).
3. Turn on Telegram. If it is not listed, try sharing once from Telegram, which usually adds it to the list.
4. Quit and reopen Telegram. macOS applies the permission only after a restart of the app.

If you skip this, viewers see a blank or wallpaper-only image even though Telegram says you are sharing.

Share during the call

1. Start or join the call in Telegram for Mac.
2. Use the screen sharing control in the call window.
3. Choose the screen or window you want to share.
4. Stop sharing from the same control when you are done.

There are two Telegram apps for Mac, one built specifically for macOS and the cross-platform Telegram Desktop. Both are official, and both support calls, but buttons may sit in different places. If you cannot find an option in one, check its settings or try the other.

What about Linux and Telegram Web?

On Linux, Telegram Desktop supports screen sharing, but how it captures the screen depends on your desktop environment. On newer systems that use Wayland, the system shows its own picker to approve the capture. If nothing appears, your system may need its screen-sharing portal component, which is a matter for your Linux distribution's documentation.

Telegram Web focuses on chats, and call support in the browser versions is more limited than in the apps. If you need to share your screen, use the phone app or Telegram Desktop.

Sharing sound along with your screen

If you want people to hear what is playing, such as a video, a game or a presentation with audio, you need to share audio too. Telegram has added sharing device sound with screen broadcasts, but whether you get that option depends on your platform and version.

1. Look in the screen sharing controls for an option to include sound.
2. If there is one, turn it on before you start playing audio.
3. Ask a viewer to confirm they can hear it.

If your device does not offer sound sharing, people will hear only your microphone. Holding the phone's speaker near the microphone works poorly and creates echo. For anything where sound matters, such as showing a video with commentary, a computer usually gives better results.

Also keep copyright in mind. Showing a few seconds of something to explain a point is one thing. Streaming films or paid content to a channel is another, and it can get the channel reported and removed.

Protecting your privacy while you share

Screen sharing shows other people exactly what you see, in real time. Most screen-sharing regrets come from forgetting that for a moment.

What can leak

• Notifications. Message previews, emails and two-factor codes can appear on screen.
• Other tabs and windows. Especially when sharing the whole screen and switching programs.
• Your Telegram chat list. If you switch back to Telegram while still sharing, people may see chat names and message previews.
• Personal files. File names on your desktop, photos in a gallery, a browser's history or autocomplete.
• Login screens. Typing a password is usually masked, but codes and email addresses are not.

How to share safely

1. Share a single window or app whenever your device allows it.
2. Turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode for the length of the call.
3. Close or minimise everything you do not need before you start.
4. On a phone, plan your route between apps before you share, so you do not open the wrong one.
5. Stop sharing before you return to Telegram or any other personal app.
6. Never share your screen with someone you do not know at their request.

That last point matters. A common scam asks people to share their screen "so support can help", then watches as the victim opens a banking app or reads out a login code. Telegram's support never asks you to share your screen in a call, and neither does any genuine exchange or bank inside Telegram. Read how to spot Telegram scams and never share your Telegram login code for the patterns to watch for.

Screen sharing in channel live streams

If you run a channel, a live stream with a shared screen can work well for tutorials, walkthroughs, market commentary or Q&A sessions with slides.

1. Start a live stream from the channel's menu. Only admins with the right permission can do this.
2. Share your screen from the stream's controls, the same way as in a group video chat.
3. Use a single window so only your content appears.
4. Keep your camera off or on, as suits the format.

For more control, such as overlays, multiple scenes or mixing several sources, many creators stream to their channel from desktop streaming software instead of sharing a screen from Telegram itself. Our guide on how to stream to a Telegram channel with OBS covers that method, and voice chats and live streams covers the basics of running a stream.

Screen sharing and mobile data

Sharing a screen sends a continuous video stream, and watching one receives it. Both use far more data than a voice call, and the amount depends on what is on screen, how much moves and how long the share lasts. There is no fixed figure worth relying on.

If you are on a limited mobile plan:

1. Share or watch on Wi-Fi when you can.
2. Keep shares short and stop them as soon as you finish the point you were making.
3. Show still content, such as a document, rather than video, which changes every frame.
4. Look in Telegram's data and storage settings for call options that use less data. They lower quality to save data, which suits a voice-heavy call with occasional sharing.
5. Check your phone's data usage screen after a long call to learn what your typical session costs.

Our guide on how much data Telegram uses explains how to measure this on your own device.

Getting a clear, readable picture

Screen sharing is compressed to fit the connection, so small text and fast movement can turn blurry. A few habits help viewers a lot.

• Make text bigger. Zoom in on documents and web pages. What is readable on your screen may be fuzzy on a phone.
• Move slowly. Scrolling fast produces smeared frames. Scroll, pause, then talk.
• Share a window rather than a large screen. A smaller area means more detail for the same data.
• Use Wi-Fi or a wired connection on a computer.
• Ask others to turn off their video if quality drops in a group call, so more bandwidth goes to your share.
• Keep the share short if it is not the main point of the call. Turn it off when you are done talking about it.

Checking what your viewers actually see

The biggest uncertainty when sharing is not knowing what the other side sees. Is the text readable? Did the right window appear? Is the sound coming through?

The simplest check is to see it for yourself. If you have a second device, such as a phone next to your laptop, join the same group call or video chat from it with the microphone muted and the speaker turned down. You then see your share exactly as a participant does, with the same compression and delay.

1. Join the call from your main device and start sharing.
2. Join the same call from the second device, logged in to the same or another account.
3. Mute the second device's microphone and lower its volume to avoid echo.
4. Look at the shared screen there. Adjust zoom, window size or font until it reads clearly on the smaller screen.
5. Leave the second device in the call as a monitor, or close it once you are happy.

If you have no second device, ask one participant at the start: "Can you read the text, and can you hear the video?" Ten seconds of checking saves a whole presentation nobody could follow.

Managing shared screens as a group admin

If you run a group or channel, you decide how open your video chats and streams are.

• Who can speak and show video. In a group video chat, admins can mute participants and choose whether new participants may speak. Check the video chat's settings for the current options.
• Who can start a video chat or stream. Only admins with the right to manage video chats can start one. Give that right only to people you trust to run sessions.
• Handling a disruptive share. If someone shares something inappropriate, mute them or remove them from the chat. Then review your group's permissions. Our guide on how to moderate a large Telegram group covers the wider toolkit.
• Pinning the plan. For scheduled sessions, pin a message saying who will share, what, and when. It sets expectations and reduces random shares.

When a recording is better than a live share

A live share is not always the best tool. A short screen recording, sent as a video or file, is often better when:

• The other person is not available right now. A recording can be watched whenever suits them.
• The steps are long. Viewers can pause, rewind and repeat a recording.
• The connection is poor. A recording uploads in full quality once, rather than compressing in real time.
• Privacy matters. You can watch a recording before sending it and cut anything private. A live share gives you no second chance.

Phones and computers have built-in screen recording tools. Record, review, trim and send. For sending clips in good quality, see how to send photos and videos in full quality.

Troubleshooting

Viewers see a black screen

• On a Mac, screen recording permission is missing. Follow the steps in the Mac section, then restart Telegram.
• On Windows, some protected content, such as video from paid streaming services, deliberately shows as black when captured. That is the content protecting itself, not a Telegram fault.
• On any computer, try sharing a different window. If one window is black but others work, the problem is that program.
• On a laptop with two graphics chips, changing which chip Telegram uses can help. Windows lets you set that per app in its display settings.

The screen sharing button is missing

1. Update Telegram.
2. Check you are in a call that supports video. Some calls start as voice only.
3. In a group video chat, check whether admins have limited video.
4. On iPhone, check Screen Time restrictions on screen recording.

Sharing stops after a few seconds

• Battery saver on Android or Low Power Mode on iPhone may limit background capture.
• Switching to an app that blocks screen capture, such as some banking apps, can end or blank the share.
• A weak connection can drop the stream. Move to Wi-Fi.

Others cannot hear the sound

Look for a sound option in the sharing controls, and turn it on before you start. If there is none on your platform, sound from the device is not being shared. Use a computer, or narrate instead.

The call itself keeps failing

If calls fail even without screen sharing, the problem is the call connection, not the share. See our guide Telegram calls not working.

Worked examples

These short scenarios show how to choose the right method. They are illustrations.

Example: helping a parent with a phone setting

Your mother cannot find a setting on her Android phone. Start a one-to-one video call and ask her to share her screen. She confirms Android's prompt, then opens Settings while you guide her. Before you start, ask her to close her banking app, and remind her to stop sharing when you are done. You see only what she chooses to show.

Example: a team review on a laptop

A small team reviews a slide deck in a Telegram group call. The presenter shares only the presentation window from Telegram Desktop, not the whole screen. A team chat that pops up on the presenter's screen stays private, because it is a different window.

Example: a weekly channel tutorial

A channel admin runs a weekly live tutorial. They share a single browser window with large text, keep their camera off and the microphone on, and pin a message with the time of the next session. Viewers who join late can follow along, because nothing small or fast is on screen.

Common mistakes

• Sharing the whole screen when a window would do. It is the main source of accidental leaks.
• Forgetting notifications. One preview of a private message can be seen by everyone on the call.
• Not stopping the share when switching back to Telegram. Your chat list becomes visible.
• Skipping the Mac permission step. Viewers see a blank screen and you assume the call is broken.
• Sharing your screen with a stranger who asked for it. This is a known scam pattern.
• Expecting sound to be shared automatically. It often is not. Check the option, or test with a viewer.
• Streaming copyrighted video to a channel. It can lead to reports and the channel being restricted.

FAQ

Can the other person share their screen at the same time as me?

In group calls and video chats, more than one participant can show video, and Telegram shows the shared screens alongside cameras. In a one-to-one call, either person can switch to sharing their screen. Check the current call screen for how many video feeds it shows at once.

Does the other person get notified when I share my screen?

They see your screen appear in the call in place of, or beside, your camera. There is no separate notification. Your own device shows an indicator while sharing is active.

Can I share my screen without a call?

No. Screen sharing happens inside a call, a video chat or a live stream. To show someone your screen without a live call, take a screenshot or a screen recording and send it as a file.

Is screen sharing on Telegram encrypted?

Telegram's one-to-one calls are end-to-end encrypted, and Telegram describes its newer group calls as end-to-end encrypted too. Video chats in groups and channel live streams are a different setting. For the full picture, see our guide is Telegram end-to-end encrypted.

Can I share only part of my screen?

On a computer, yes: choose a single window instead of the whole screen. On Android, some newer versions offer a single-app option in the permission prompt. On iPhone and iPad, the broadcast covers the whole screen, so close anything private and turn on a Focus mode before you start.

Why is the shared screen blurry for viewers?

Video is compressed to fit the connection. Share a smaller window, zoom in on text, scroll slowly and use a stable connection. In group calls, fewer active cameras leave more room for the shared screen.

Can I record a call where someone shares their screen?

Admins can record video chats and live streams in groups and channels, and participants are shown that the session is being recorded. For one-to-one calls, record only with the other person's agreement, and follow local laws on recording conversations.

Summary

Screen sharing works in one-to-one video calls, group calls, group video chats and channel live streams. On Android and iPhone you confirm a system prompt and everything on screen is shared, so turn on Do Not Disturb and close private apps first. On Windows and Mac you can share a single window, which is the safest choice, and on a Mac you must allow screen recording before it will work. Stop sharing before you return to private apps, never share your screen with a stranger who asks, and zoom in on text so viewers can read it.