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. Note: As of v2.6+, contextIsolation and sandbox have been disabled to enable Teams DOM access functionality.

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