How to Share Screens in Google Hangouts: Step-by-Step Guide

This updated guide explains how to Share Screens in Google Hangouts through clear steps, practical examples, and important checks that help prevent common errors.

Whether you're presenting a school report or providing your team with financial updates, you can use the screen sharing feature of Hangouts to show participants a live presentation on Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Step 1: Load the Presentation Available

Be sure to load the presentation before you start video chat or share screen sharing. Keep the app minimized and run in the background (regardless of whether it's Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides running in a new Chrome browser window or Microsoft Excel spreadsheet).

Step 2: Make Video Calls on Google Hangouts

Start Google Hangouts through the browser or the Chrome extension. When in a video call, to start sharing your screen, you will need to hover over the browser window to view your online meeting.

A menu bar at the top will appear, giving you options to add people, change settings or access more features. You need to click the hamburger menu (including three vertically arranged dots) at the top right of the window.

click Screen Share and a pop-up window will appear asking if you may need to share your entire screen or just an application window. If you're talking to a tech expert and need help diagnosing what's happening on your PC, you'll want to select Your Entire Screen . But if you're giving a presentation, you'll want to select the Application Window tab .

Choose the appropriate sharing option

If you share only one application window, after clicking the Application Window tab, you will be shown a grid of open applications running on the PC at this time.

Click the app you may need to share the screen with, then click the Share button to start sharing. Please note that because this option selects from already running applications, you will need to activate a new browser window with Google Slides loaded or run Microsoft PowerPoint before you start sharing screens, as the article already shows. stated above.

Tip : Alerts and notifications from your PC can cause distraction during presentations. Make sure to turn on Focus Assist mode on Windows 10 or enable Do Not Disturb on Mac to mute any notifications in online meetings for a more professional presentation.

FAQ

Start with the requirements in this guide, then follow each step in order. Check the result after every major change so problems are easier to identify.