Share your Mac screen in Google Meet

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To share in Google Meet using a Mac laptop or desktop, you have to do two things:

  1. Give macOS sharing permissions to your browser...before you meet!
  2. Actively share your screen inside Google Meet

You can read through the steps below or jump straight to the click-through tutorial(s).

Part 1: macOS Screen Recording Permissions

Due to Apple’s security architecture, web browsers cannot capture your desktop without explicit operating system permissions.

Before your meeting in Google Meet, use the click-through tutorial below to give these permissions:

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Tutorial too small? Hover-click the bottom right corner to expand ↗️
  1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your desktop and select System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS versions).
  2. In the sidebar, click Privacy & Security.
  3. Scroll down the right pane and click on Screen Recording (on macOS Sequoia and later, this may appear as Screen & System Audio Recording).
  4. Locate your browser (e.g., Google Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge) in the list and toggle the switch to the On position.
  5. If prompted, enter your Mac administrator password to authenticate the change.
  6. A dialog box will appear stating that the browser must quit to apply these settings. Click Quit & Reopen.

Part 2: Sharing Your Screen in Google Meet

Once the browser permissions are active, you can share content during a live call.

  1. Open your browser, navigate to Google Meet, and join your video meeting.
  2. In the control toolbar at the bottom of the screen, click the Share screen icon (represented by a rectangle with an upward-pointing arrow).
  3. A pop-up menu will present three distinct sharing choices:
  • A tab: This shares only one specific browser tab. That's it!
  • A window: Shares a single application (i.e. a slide deck or spreadsheet). Other applications & background notifications are hidden.
  • Your entire screen: Broadcasts everything visible on your monitor. Essential if you need to switch fluidly between multiple applications.

4. Select the specific content or screen you wish to present from the preview window.
5. If you selected Your entire screen or A window and wish to share audio output from your computer, ensure the Also share system audio toggle is enabled.
6. Click Share.
7. To stop the broadcast at any point, click Stop presenting within Meet, or click Stop sharing on the floating system banner.

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Tech moves fast! Info out of date or you need more guidance? This official Google documentation might help. (If our info is out of date, please let us know in comments so we can update.)