Share Screen does not allow choice of application window

JoesDadU

Newcomer

Edited...

I was having the same issue as Mark_D. I also went to that setting and already found it turned off.

Basically, Zoom was forcing me to share my entire screen, or not share at all, and the Screenshare Advanced Settings screen did not show any of my open Windows.

UPDATE:

Resolved my issue, see separate reply, below.

Hint: there are 4 different places where you can affect the behavior of screenshares: account settings, Zoom client app settings, Zoom settings on a separate device*, and finally In-Meeting Controls.

* Separate device...You might use the Zoom app on your smartphone, if you switch back and forth between your PC and your phone (like when you are in a meeting, then you need to commute, then you arrive at your destination), but I'm pretty sure the phone apps don't let you continue screenshares initiated on another device.

My setup at the time of this issue: Windows10Pro, Zoom Version 5.9.6 (3799) (64-bit), 8GB RAM

Mark_DAuthor

Newcomer

Thanks, good to know I am not alone. One thing I did before this happened is that I changed my background. I know I'm grasping at straws, but if you also did that it might be a clue. Thanks again. It hasn't happened since. This is an intermittent bug.

Mark_DAuthor

Newcomer

OK thank you. You mean disable disabling it? It was already in the left-hand position (off), at least when I checked just now.

JoesDadU

Newcomer

EUREKA!

I'm pretty sure that I have figured out the answer to Mark_D's question (and mine).

We've been looking in the right place...Settings. But there are actually 4 different places where you can check and/or change the settings which can affect a Zoom meeting.

Account Settings when you log in via the website (in my case, that's Zoom.us). These are global settings that affect all future meetings, and IF AND ONLY IF you see a popup that says "Setting Changed" it sometimes will affect the settings of a meeting already in progress. I think the "sometimes" here is based on whether anyone in that meeting joined via the website or Android vs. if everyone joined via a desktop client.
This is the part that I think we were missing. The Zoom Desktop Client has it's own settings. If you start your meeting as host using the desktop client (which is how I usually do mine), these settings take precedence over the Account settings, so they override those settings until you close and reopen the Zoom Desktop Client. At that point, I'm not sure, but I think the Account settings MIGHT cause the Zoom Desktop Client settings to revert.
In the Zoom Android app (and probably in the Zoom iOS app, IDK), it's pretty much the same as in #2, above, except my Android app settings definitely do not revert to the Account-controlled settings when I turn off and then restart the Android app.
Finally, there are the in-meeting settings. IF AND ONLY IF a setting is visible/available within the in-meeting settings, that setting can temporarily override the Account and Zoom Client and Android settings, but only for the current meeting.

So, what I figured out is this: Because of my Account settings, certain settings were defaulting to on or off in my Desktop Client. But I wasn't looking there, so here I was, looking at my In-Meeting Settings/Controls, and "suddenly, without explanation" (now explained), I no longer had as many options available in my In-Meeting Controls.

See the attached images for the Zoom Desktop Client settings which fixed my problem. Hopefully this will help you, too!

Mark_DAuthor

Newcomer

Thanks and I think you are right about this having to do with the desktop client. I had started my session and then used the desktop client to change the background. Thank you! But I'm not sure what setting caused my problem. I see that under "When I share my screen in a meeting" the option "Show all sharing options" is checked, but I don't know why that causes me not to see the application windows. Again much appreciated.

Newcomer

I have the same issue, but today it happened during a meeting, in that I was able to share all applications at the start of the meeting, then I stopped sharing for a discussion, and when I went back in to share a new application, I was only given the option to share the screens. It is really acting weird. This problem has occurred only since I upgraded to Windows 11 but not sure if that was merely coincidental.

Mark_DAuthor

Newcomer

Sorry it's happening to you too! For what it's worth, I am running Windows 10 Home, so I don't think it's specific to 11.

Newcomer

Thank you for the tips JoesDadU, but it looks like all settings are correct at my end. I've connected with Zoom support and it's now been upgraded up a tier in the support process. I have two computers with exactly the same zoom settings on both the zoom client and zoom account, and the problem is only happening on one of them. And it is random - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If support resolves this I will let you know.

Jac_W

Newcomer

I have experienced the same issue for the last week and it's driving me mad! Looks so unprofessional when hosting a meeting for work. Seems to happen in larger meetings and I also have a white band keep coming up across the bottom of the laptop where the tool bar usually is.

I'd be grateful if you would share any response you receive from Zoom Support. Many thanks

Newcomer

I haven't had any solutions provided by zoom. One thing I just realized is that when this problem started a few weeks ago, I also started to get the attached icon popping up randomly on my taskbar. I didn't know what it was and thought it was something windows 11 related, but yesterday I figured out it is the Zoom Share Host, and in a meeting yesterday it was not there at the start of the meeting when my sharing apps was working, and then halfway through the meeting when I lost the ability to share apps, that icon had appeared on the taskbar. Is anyone else seeing that icon only when the app share is missing?

Jac_W

Newcomer

For some reason I’m unable to open your png attachment to see, but I’m also experiencing intermittently, a white banner flashing across the toolbar and seems the issue of the disappearing files to screen share happens after that. I was even wondering whether it was a network issue at one point.

Newcomer

Oddly I can't open it either. Trying a jpg this time.