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Screen Sharing in Teams for Linux

Teams for Linux provides screen sharing capabilities that integrate with the Microsoft Teams web interface.

When you start screen sharing, a full-window picker overlay appears showing thumbnails of all available screens and windows. Selecting a source shows a detail panel with a larger preview before you confirm. Once sharing begins, an optional floating preview window shows what you're sharing.

Configuration​

Screen Sharing Thumbnail Settings​

To find your config file see the “Configuration” section

{
  "screenSharing": {
    "thumbnail": {
      "enabled": true,
      "alwaysOnTop": true
    }
  }
}
OptionTypeDefaultDescription
screenSharing.thumbnail.enabledbooleantrueEnable/disable the preview thumbnail window
screenSharing.thumbnail.alwaysOnTopbooleantrueKeep preview window always on top of other windows

Disabling Screen Sharing Preview​

To disable the preview window entirely:

{
  "screenSharing": {
    "thumbnail": {
      "enabled": false
    }
  }
}

Migration note: the legacy flat screenSharingThumbnail key and screenLockInhibitionMethod key were removed in this release. Move any existing values into screenSharing.thumbnail and screenSharing.lockInhibitionMethod respectively before upgrading.

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Preview Window Not Appearing​

  • Check configuration: Ensure screenSharing.thumbnail.enabled is true
  • Window manager: Some Linux window managers may interfere with always-on-top windows
  • Restart: Try restarting Teams for Linux

Screen Selection Dialog Not Showing​

  • Permissions: Check if Teams for Linux has screen capture permissions
  • Wayland: On Wayland, ensure proper screen sharing portal is configured
  • X11: Verify X11 screen capture is working

Poor Performance During Screen Sharing​

  • Resolution: Lower the shared screen resolution if possible
  • Disable GPU acceleration: Try --disable-gpu flag if experiencing issues
  • System resources: Close unnecessary applications

Platform-Specific Notes​

Linux (X11)​

  • Works out of the box with X11
  • No additional permissions required
  • Full screen and window sharing supported

Linux (Wayland)​

  • Requires xdg-desktop-portal-wlr or similar
  • May need additional portal configuration
  • Some window managers have better support than others

macOS​

  • Requires screen recording permissions
  • System will prompt for permission on first use
  • May need to add Teams for Linux to Security & Privacy settings

Windows​

  • No additional configuration required
  • Works with multiple monitors
  • Supports window and screen sharing