How to use Hangouts Meet to share your screen in video meetings

Learn how to use Hangouts Meet in G Suite to share screens from the web and from iOS devices while in video meetings.

Image: TechRepublic/Andy Wolber

People who use Hangouts Meet, the G Suite video meeting app, may present the contents of their screen in a meeting. The app is a great way for organizations that use G Suite to discuss documents, spreadsheets, slides, apps, or websites during a meeting. As of June 2019, screen sharing to Hangouts Meet not only works from dedicated meeting room hardware, but also from the Chrome browser on laptops and desktops, as well as from the Hangouts Meet iOS app. Shared screens display to all meeting participants, including on the web, Android, and iOS apps.

When you share your screen from Chrome on the web, Hangouts Meet shows both your video camera and shared screen, so people can see your expressions and your content. On an iPhone or iPad, when you broadcast your screen to the Hangouts Meet iOS app, the app displays the contents of your screen with your audio. In every case, you can continue your video meeting after you stop presenting your screen.

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The meeting organizer will need access to Hangouts Meet; if you use G Suite and can't access Meet on the web or sign in to the app, contact your G Suite administrator, who may enable Hangouts Meet.

Otherwise, here's what you need to know to share your screen to Hangouts Meet with an iOS device or with the Chrome browser.

How to present to Hangouts Meet on iOS

You'll need the Hangouts Meet iOS app installed on your iPhone or iPad.

Before you can share your screen from an iOS device, you'll need to enable Screen Recording From Control Center. This is something you'll need to do just once on each iOS device from which you want to present.

1. Open the Settings app (Figure A).

Figure A

Tap to open the iOS Settings app.

2. Tap Control Center (Figure B).

Figure B

Next, tap Control Center.

3. Tap Customize Controls (Figure C).

Figure C

Next, tap Customize Controls.

4. If you see Screen Recording listed in the More Controls section, tap it. This will move Screen Recording to the Include section, which allows you to access and enable screen sharing during a Hangouts Meet session (Figure D).

Figure D

If Screen Recording is not already in Control Center, you can tap to add it to the Include list in Control Center.

Then, take the following steps each time you want to screen share to Hangouts Meet on iOS.

1. While in a meeting, access Control Center. On most iOS devices, you'll do this by swiping down from the upper right corner area.
2. Touch and hold on the Screen Recording icon in Control Center to access Screen Recording options (Figure E).

Figure E

Touch and hold Screen Recording in Control Center.

3. Tap Meet, and then tap Start Broadcast to share your screen to the Hangouts Meet app (Figure F).

Figure F

Tap Meet, then tap Start Broadcast to share your screen.

Note: Only use Start Broadcast after you've started or joined a Hangouts Meet session. If you select Start Broadcast to share your screen before you have joined a meeting, the broadcast will stop and display a message: "Live Broadcast to Meet has stopped due to: You haven't joined a meeting."

4. When done, switch back to the Hangouts Meet app, and tap Stop Presenting (Figure G). The system will display a message that screen recording has stopped.

Figure G

When finished, switch to the Hangouts Meet iOS app, then tap Stop Presenting to end screen sharing from your device.

5. Switch to the Hangouts Meet app. If you wish, tap the video camera to share your video with the meeting.

How to present to Hangouts Meet in Chrome

To present content from a desktop or laptop computer, you'll need to be in an active Hangouts Meet session (e.g., https://meet.google.com) in the Chrome browser.

1. In the lower right corner of your screen, select Present Now (Figure H).

Figure H

In Hangouts Meet in Chrome, select Present Now in the lower right corner.

2. After you select the Present Now button, you may see the choice to present either Your Entire Screen or A Window. Select an option (Figure I).

Figure I

On Chrome OS, select whether you want to present the entire screen or only a window.

3. Once you select the option, another window will display (Figure J).

Figure J 

Select either the entire screen or specific window you wish to share to Hangouts Meet.

If you selected Your Entire screen, select Share and then a message indicating that you're sharing your screen will display. If you select A Window, available windows to share will display: Select the window you want to share to the meeting, then choose Share (Figure K).

Figure K

Select Share to confirm your screen or window share selection choice in Hangouts Meet.

4. When you present, Hangouts Meet can show both your shared screen and your web camera (Figure L).

Figure L

When screen sharing in Hangouts Meet from Chrome, both you and your screen will be shown.

5. To stop screen sharing, return to the Hangouts Meet tab, then choose Stop Presenting (Figure M).

Figure M

Select Stop Presenting to end screen sharing.

Your experience?

If you use Hangouts Meet, do you use the screen sharing features often? Do you find the ability to display both your web camera and screen contents simultaneously helpful? How has screen sharing from an iOS device worked for you? Let me know what your experience has been, either in the comments below or on Twitter (@awolber).

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