How to Share Your Computer Screen With Support

How does sharing a computer screen from a browser work?

Sharing a computer screen from a browser uses the browser's built-in screen capture, so there is often nothing to download. When a support page asks to see your screen, the browser opens its own picker and you choose exactly what to share. In Google Chrome the choices are a tab, a window or your entire screen, and when you pick a tab, Chrome shares that tab's audio by default. Options can differ in other browsers. Sharing one window or tab keeps the rest of your desktop private, while the entire screen shows every app and notification you open while sharing. On a Mac there is one more gate: macOS asks you to allow the browser to record your screen, and if you skip that prompt, sharing will not work until you turn the browser on in Privacy & Security settings. Windows works differently, as explained below.

How do you allow screen sharing on a Mac?

The first time a browser tries to share your screen, macOS shows a prompt. Click Allow (some prompts offer Allow While Using the App). If you clicked Don't Allow or never saw the prompt, turn it on yourself:

Open Privacy & Security
Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
Open the recording list
Click Screen & System Audio Recording.
Turn on your browser
Turn on the switch for the browser you use, such as Chrome or Edge. If it is not listed, click the add button below the list and choose the browser.
Try again
Go back to the browser and share again. If it still fails, quit and reopen the browser, then retry.

This permission is per app and does not share anything by itself. You still pick what to share each time, and you can switch the browser off again in the same list.

What about Windows?

On Windows, the browser's own picker is normally the only choice you make. Microsoft's privacy settings page notes that desktop apps, which include the usual desktop browsers, are not affected by the per-app capability switches in Windows privacy settings. If sharing fails on a computer managed by your work or school, check with your IT team, since organizations can restrict apps and settings.

Windows 10 and 11 can also use Microsoft's free Quick Assist app, installed from the Microsoft Store, for help from someone you know. The helper shares a 6-digit code, you enter it and select Allow, and the helper sees your screen; if they select Request control, you choose whether to allow it. Microsoft warns to only allow a helper to connect if you started the interaction yourself. See GuidedView vs Quick Assist.

How do you share your computer screen with GuidedView?

With GuidedView, sharing from a computer happens entirely in a supported desktop browser, with no download and no account. Businesses can read how GuidedView works for the agent side.

Open the invitation on the computer
Open the invitation link on the computer you want to share. If the text arrived on your phone, the agent can send it by email instead.
Confirm the call
Confirm you are on a call with the person who sent it, then choose Share (or Decline).
Pick what to share
Your browser asks which screen or window to share. A single window keeps the rest of your desktop private; pick the entire screen if the agent needs to see more than one app.
Allow on a Mac if asked
Approve the macOS screen recording prompt, or turn on your browser in Privacy & Security as described above.
Talk it through
Stay on your normal phone call. The agent watches and guides, and you do all the clicking and typing.
Pause or stop
Click Pause before passwords, codes or payment details; only you can resume. Click Stop to end the session.

How do you stop sharing your computer screen?

Use the page's control. Click Stop in GuidedView, or Stop presenting in Google Meet.
Close the tab or window. Closing the page that is sharing ends the share.
Turn off the Mac permission. Switching your browser off under Screen & System Audio Recording stops it from recording your screen at all.

Then ask the agent to confirm they no longer see your screen. Troubleshooting tips are on the GuidedView support page, and teams that want a browser-only option can read about screen sharing without downloading an app.

Questions

Do I need to download anything to share my screen with support?

Not always. Browser-based tools, including GuidedView on computers, use the browser's built-in screen sharing, so there is nothing to install. Remote control tools usually need an app on the computer; Microsoft's Quick Assist, for example, is installed from the Microsoft Store.

Why does my Mac say the browser needs permission to record the screen?

macOS treats screen sharing as screen recording and lets you decide which apps can do it. Turn your browser on under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording, then try again. The permission only allows capture; you still choose what to share.

Can the agent control my computer with GuidedView?

No. GuidedView is view-only on every device. The agent sees your screen and talks you through the steps, and you do every click and keystroke. If you need someone to operate your mouse and keyboard, that takes a remote control tool such as Quick Assist, and you should only allow it for someone you trust.

Should I share a tab, a window or my entire screen?

Share the smallest thing that solves the problem. A tab or window keeps your other apps, email and notifications private. Choose the entire screen only when the agent needs to watch you move between apps, such as when installing software or changing system settings.

Will the agent hear my computer's audio?

It depends on the tool and what you pick. In Chrome, sharing a tab shares that tab's audio by default. With GuidedView you talk on your normal phone call, since GuidedView has no in-app voice or video chat.

Sources

Third-party details were checked against these pages as of November 2, 2026. Products change, so confirm current pricing and features with each vendor.