Skip to main content

Screen Sharing in Teams for Linux

Teams for Linux provides robust screen sharing capabilities that integrate seamlessly with the Microsoft Teams web interface while maintaining the security benefits of Electron's contextIsolation and sandbox features.

How It Works​

User Experience Flow​

What You'll See​

  1. Stream Selector Window: When you start screen sharing, a selection dialog appears showing:

    • Available screens (monitors)
    • Open application windows
    • Preview thumbnails of each option

  2. Preview Window: Once sharing begins, a small floating window appears showing:

    • Live preview of what you're sharing
    • Always stays on top (configurable)
    • Resizable but maintains aspect ratio
    • Can be manually closed to stop sharing

Configuration​

Screen Sharing Thumbnail Settings​

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

Disabling Screen Sharing Preview​

To disable the preview window entirely:

{
  "screenSharingThumbnail": {
    "enabled": false
  }
}

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

Preview Window Not Appearing​

  • Check configuration: Ensure screenSharingThumbnail.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

Advanced Configuration​

Custom Stream Selection​

Teams for Linux automatically detects available screens and windows. The selection is handled by Electron's desktopCapturer API, which provides:

  • Screen sources: Each connected monitor
  • Window sources: All visible application windows
  • Thumbnail previews: Small preview images for easy identification

Integration with Teams Web​

The screen sharing feature integrates directly with Microsoft Teams' web interface by:

  1. Intercepting capture requests: When Teams requests screen sharing access
  2. Providing stream sources: Electron's desktop capturer provides available sources
  3. Managing stream lifecycle: Automatic cleanup when sharing ends

Security Considerations​

Privacy Notice

Screen sharing in Teams for Linux follows the same security model as Microsoft Teams:

  • Only selected screens/windows are shared
  • No additional system access is granted
  • Screen sharing can be stopped at any time
  • Preview window shows exactly what's being shared

Development Information​

IPC Integration​

Screen sharing uses several IPC channels for communication between the main and renderer processes:

  • get-desktop-capturer-sources: Retrieves available capture sources
  • screen-sharing-started: Notifies when sharing begins
  • screen-sharing-stopped: Notifies when sharing ends

For detailed IPC documentation, see IPC API Reference.

Code Organization​

app/
├── screenSharing/           # Main screen sharing logic
├── streamSelector/          # Source selection dialog
└── browser/tools/          # Renderer-side integration

Best Practices​

For Users​

  1. Test before important meetings: Verify screen sharing works in a test call
  2. Close sensitive applications: Before sharing your entire screen
  3. Use window sharing: When possible, share specific windows instead of full screen
  4. Monitor the preview: Keep an eye on the preview window to see what's being shared

For Developers​

  1. Handle errors gracefully: Screen capture can fail for various reasons
  2. Respect user privacy: Always show what's being captured
  3. Clean up resources: Properly dispose of media streams
  4. Test across platforms: Screen sharing behavior varies by OS