Screen Sharing Issues

Who can use it? Host, Moderator, External Speaker

On which plans? All

Can't share your screen in the event room, or does your screen share stay black? Most of the time, your browser or your computer is simply missing a permission. This article walks you through the quick fixes for each browser and for macOS.

Before You Start#

Check these three points first:

  • You're on stage. Only hosts, moderators and speakers on stage can share their screen.

  • You're on a computer. Screen sharing isn't available from a phone or a tablet.

  • Your browser is up to date: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox or Safari.

Then try to share your screen again:

1In the event room, click Share in the dock, then select Share screen.

Livestorm event room dock with the Share screen option

2In your browser's sharing window, choose a tab, a window or your entire screen, then click Share.

Illustration of the browser screen sharing window with the Chrome tab option

Chrome and Edge offer the most options: you can share a single tab, a window or your entire screen.

Allow Your Browser on macOS#

On a Mac, your browser needs a macOS permission to record your screen. Without it, the sharing window shows an error or your screen share stays black.

1Click the Apple menu > System Settings.

2Go to Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording.

3Turn on the toggle next to your browser.

Illustration of the macOS Screen & System Audio Recording setting with the browser toggle turned on

4When macOS asks you to, click Quit & Reopen to restart your browser.

5Join the event room again and share your screen. It now works 👌

macOS may ask you to confirm this permission again after a system update. If screen sharing suddenly stops working, check this setting first.

Livestorm Tip 👉 On older macOS versions, this setting is under System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Screen Recording.

Unblock Screen Sharing in Safari#

1With the event room open, click Safari > Settings for app.livestorm.co in the menu bar.

2Next to Screen Sharing, select Ask or Allow instead of Deny.

Illustration of the Safari website settings with Screen Sharing set to Ask

3Refresh the page and share your screen again. When Safari asks for your permission, click Allow.

Safari can't share a single browser tab. Share a window or your entire screen instead, or use Chrome or Edge to share a tab.

Unblock Screen Sharing in Firefox#

1Click the permissions icon on the left of the address bar.

2Next to Share the screen, click the × to remove the block.

Illustration of the Firefox site permissions with the Share the screen block

3Refresh the page and share your screen again.

Firefox can share a window or your entire screen, but not a single tab.

Troubleshooting#

I get an error saying my devices are unavailable

On a Mac, go back to Screen & System Audio Recording, turn your browser's toggle off and on again, then restart your browser.

My screen share is black

Restart your browser after giving it the macOS permission. Some protected content, like videos from streaming platforms, also appears black when shared: that's expected.

My attendees can't hear the sound of my video

Check out our article on microphone, camera and screen sharing to share your computer's audio.

My screen repeats itself endlessly

That's the infinite screen effect. Check out Infinite Screens & Mirror Effects.

I'm on Windows

Windows doesn't require any system permission for screen sharing. If it fails, update your browser, restart it and try again.

Still stuck? Contact our support team from the Help button in the event room 😊

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