How To Set Up And Use Slack Screen Sharing

You can share your screen on Slack using the web client or the desktop app, but you’ll need to upgrade to a paid Slack plan first. If you’re looking to set up and use Slack screen sharing, here’s what you’ll need to do.

Before you begin to use screen sharing on Slack, you’ll need to be aware of a few things first. Unfortunately, certain features (such as voice calling and screen sharing) are only available on Slack if your workspace is on a paid plan. If you’re the workspace owner or administrator, you’ll need to upgrade to a Standard, Plus, or Enterprise plan with a per-user or individually quoted cost before you (or your users) can screen share. You don’t need a working camera for screen sharing to work, but as screen sharing is a component of a voice or video call, it could help you to present to your audience. At the very least, you’ll need a working microphone to set up a voice call and communicate with the other participants. To use all of the screen sharing features on Slack (such as on-screen drawing), you may need to install the desktop app. While you can participate in a Slack screen sharing call in your browser, only the desktop app for Mac or Windows offer the full set of features for users.

To share your screen in a Slack workspace, you’ll need to initiate a new video call. Once Slack screen sharing is active, a few rules apply. Only a single user can share their screen at any one point, and the user sharing their screen becomes the active user for the duration of the screen sharing, meaning no other camera feeds become prominent.

Sharing your screen allows you to present on-screen information to other callers. If you want to make things more interactive, however, you (and other callers) can draw onto the shared screen directly. This allows you to annotate or point out certain items to your audience.

If Slack’s screen sharing tool isn’t working, you’ll need to troubleshoot the problem. There are a number of reasons why this feature might not work, from missing permissions to misconfigured network ports.

Enabling Permissions on Mac

Mac users, in particular, may find that macOS’ security settings preemptively block any attempt to share your screen. If this is the case, you’ll need to grant Slack access to record your screen in the System Preferences menu.

Opening Slack Network Ports

The Slack desktop app requires certain ports to be open for video calls and screen sharing to work properly. In particular, UDP port 22466 is needed for outgoing traffic. If this isn’t available, Slack will try to fall back onto TCP port 443, the default HTTPS port that should be available on most internet-connected networks. Defaulting to port 443 may cause issues, however. If your Slack calls are low quality, or if you’re having trouble sharing your screen at a reasonable resolution, you’ll need to configure your firewall to open ports 22466 (UDP) and 443 (TCP). Windows users will also need to configure Windows Firewall to allow Slack access to the internet.

Consider Alternatives

If Slack screen sharing still doesn’t work on your PC or Mac, you may need to look at alternatives. A number of screen sharing tools exist, including Facetime for Mac users and Zoom for cross-platform users. You can also share your screen on mobile devices running Android using apps like Google Duo. Most major video conferencing apps support screen sharing, but if you’re having connectivity issues on Slack, you may need to troubleshoot these issues first, including switching to a better internet connection. While Slack and other platforms may use different methods for establishing video and screen sharing calls, it will still require a stable and suitably configured network connection (including open ports) to allow the call to work properly.

Getting Started on Slack

If you’re a Slack workspace owner with an active paid plan, you’ll have full access to all the features that Slack has to offer. There are still plenty of features available for free Slack users, however. For instance, if you want to improve productivity on a free Slack workspace, you could think about adding a Slack bot to your channels. These’ll help you to turn Slack into a second brain, allowing you to make use of calendar integration and note taking (along with other tricks and tips) to get the most out of the platform. If you’re looking for alternatives to Slack, you could give Microsoft Teams or Discord a try instead.

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