How to share screen with sound in Skype

How often do you make Skype video calls with friends or clients and feel the need to share your system’s audio? The audio can be anything; It could be an audio clip from your latest podcast or even a video file on your system.

In this article, we’ll show you how you can share your screen with sound on a variety of devices.

What is system sound?

System sound is the sound produced by the speakers built into your device. When you listen to music, for example, the sound comes out of these speakers. When sharing your screen on Skype, your contact can hear your voice, but they can’t hear your system sound automatically, at least not on all devices. If you play a video, there’s a good chance your contact won’t hear what’s being said in the video right away. To share your system sound, you may need to give your device quick commands to do so.

But don’t we have some solutions? Of course, you can try turning up the volume so your contact can hear your clip through the microphone, but this will most likely drown out your own voice and create a lot of noise. Such a scenario could quickly degenerate into a shouting match.

How to share screen with sound in Skype?

Let’s now see how you can share screen with sound on specific devices. First on the list is an iPad.

iPad

Screen sharing on your iPad during a Skype call is a great way to show someone what you’re up to. Sometimes the visual can be more important than the audio, but when it isn’t, you want both! Here’s how you can share a screen with audio on your device:

1. Sign in to your account (or open a new account if you don’t have one yet).
2. Tap “Calls” and scroll through your contacts until you reach the contact you want to call.
3. Tap “Video” to start the call. If there’s a chance another of your contacts will join the call later, forego the “Video” button and instead tap “Meet Now.” This will give you the ability to invite other contacts to the call.
4. As soon as the video call starts, you will need to start screen sharing through the iOS control center accessible in the top right corner of the screen. To do so, swipe down and then tap and hold the screen recording icon. On the latest iPad models, the screen recording icon is circular in shape, with two white circles in the center.
5. Tap “Skype” and then select “Start Broadcast.”

And that is!

It is important to note that as soon as you start screen sharing, a red banner will appear at the top of the screen. This sign will remain posted throughout the session. It’s basically a reminder that your contact can see everything you’re doing on your screen.

A few moments after you start screen sharing, Skype displays the “Do Not Disturb” message right below the red banner. Be sure to check the box next to this message if you don’t want unexpected notifications to appear on your screen during the call.

Mac

If you share your screen with someone on Skype, they can hear what you say, but they won’t hear sounds from your system. Skype for Mac is designed to disable system sounds by default as they can be a source of distraction. But what if you really want your contact to hear the sound from your system? You may want to play a video for them. Here’s how you can make that happen:

1. Enter your credentials to log in to your account. If you don’t have an account, follow the on-screen instructions to create one.
   
2. Select the contact you want to call from your contact list.
   
3. Click the video icon at the top of your screen.
   
4. Once the call starts, click on the two overlapping squares in the bottom right corner. At this point, you will start sharing your screen with your contact.
   
5. Check the box next to “Share computer sound” to share your system audio.

windows 10

Sharing your screen while using Skype in Windows 10 is as easy as it gets. If you want your contact to also hear your system sounds, here’s what you need to do:

1. Sign in to your account (or open a new account if you don’t have one yet).
   
2. Select the contact you want to call from your contact list.
   
3. Click “Video Call” or select the video icon at the top of the screen.
   
4. Once the call starts, click on the two overlapping squares in the bottom right corner. At this point, you will start sharing your screen with your contact.
   
5. Check the box next to “Share computer sound” to share your system audio.
   

As soon as you start screen sharing, a solid yellow line will appear around your screen. This line will be visible throughout the session. It’s basically a reminder that screen sharing is currently enabled and your contact can follow what you’re doing.

Android

Android devices are known for their compatibility and ease of use, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to screen sharing system audio during a Skype call. Here’s how you can make that happen:

1. Open Skype and navigate to the contact you want to call.
   
2. Tap the video call icon at the top of your screen.
   
3. By default, Skype turns off your device’s speaker. To activate it, tap “Speaker Off.”
   
4. Tap the ellipsis (three small dots) in the bottom right corner, and then tap “Share Screen.”
   

Once you’ve followed these steps, your contact should see your smartphone screen and also hear any sounds built into your device. If you play a video or even an audio file, Skype will transmit the audio along with your own voice.

iPhone

To start screen sharing with audio on your device:

1. Sign in to your Skype account.
   
2. Tap “Calls” and scroll through your contacts until you reach the contact you want to call.
   
3. Tap “Video” to start the call.
   
4. As soon as the video call starts, swipe down to access the iOS control center in the top right corner of your screen.
5. Press and hold the screen recording icon. The screen recording icon is circular in shape, with two white circles in the center.
   
6. Tap “Skype” and then select “Start Broadcast.”
   

When you start sharing your screen, a red banner will appear at the top of your screen as a reminder that your contact can follow everything you’re doing on their screen.

How to stop screen sharing system audio?

The steps you need to stop sharing screen system audio while using Skype will differ slightly depending on the type of device you are using. These are the specific steps for specific devices.

iPad

Starting a screen sharing session on your iPad is easy, but so is ending it. Here’s how you can stop screen sharing system audio on your device:

1. Tap the red banner at the top of the screen.
2. Tap “Stop.”

Alternatively,

1. Reopen Skype to return to your video call.
2. Tap “Stop Sharing” at the top of the screen.

Mac

When you no longer need to share your system audio, all you need is to toggle the “Share Computer Sound” button to the off position. This will not end the video call, but Skype will stop transmitting sound from your system.

windows 10

To stop sharing your system sound during a Skype call, all you need to do is uncheck the box next to “Share computer sound” at the bottom of the screen. You will be able to continue with the call and your contact will continue to hear your voice when you speak. However, they will no longer hear the sound produced by your device’s speakers.

Android

When you no longer need to share the sound from your device, simply tap “Speaker On.” This will turn off the speaker.

iPhone

To stop screen sharing system audio on your device, you have three options.

Option 1:

1. Tap the red banner at the top of the screen.
   
2. Tap “Stop.”
   

Option 2:

1. Reopen Skype to return to your video call.
2. Tap “Stop Sharing” at the top of the screen.
   

Option 3:

Disconnect the call.

Additional FAQs

How do I stop screen sharing on Skype?

On mobile devices, you need to tap the “Stop Sharing” button in the “Options” menu or at the top of the screen. On Windows and Mac, you must click “Share Screen” at the bottom of the screen.

Screen sharing system audio not working?

If you follow the steps above but still can’t share your system’s audio screen, here are some troubleshooting methods:

Method 1: Check that your current audio device is the default audio device in Settings

To do it:

1. Open Skype and click “Audio & Video” and check if the device currently in use is selected.

2. Adjust the volume if the level is too low.

Method 2: Adjust your computer’s audio settings

When your computer detects active communication, such as an outgoing call, it will sometimes automatically silence all system sounds in an attempt to ensure your call goes as smoothly as possible. However, doing so puts it in direct conflict with Skype’s system sound sharing feature. This is how you can undo actions on your computer:

1. Open the control panel section and click “Hardware and Sound”.

2. Click “Sound”.

3. Click “Communications”.

4. Check the box next to “Do nothing.”

Method 3: Update your audio driver

If none of the above troubleshooting options work, your audio driver could be the culprit. Updating the driver could solve the problem. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the “Device Manager” section and click “Sound, video and game devices”.

2. Click on your audio driver and select “Update”.

Sharing is showing interest

Sharing your screen with system audio in Skype is easier than you think. It’s also incredibly useful for meetings and other video chats, allowing the remote user to listen to files streamed through your device or saved on your hard drive. We’ve shared some tips on how to share system audio over Skype so you never have problems again!

How often do you share system audio? Let’s chime in in the comments below.