FAQS

If you have dual screens, it is easy to interact with chat while screen sharing in MS Teams. Simply have chat open on one screen and share content on the other screen. This way you can share an entire screen while also simultaneously monitoring chat on your other screen. 

If you do not have dual screens, there are several options to interact with chat while sharing content.

1. Share a Window. The first option is to share a window versus sharing your screen. Sharing a window allows participants to see the content you are sharing without sharing your entire screen. This allows you to have chat open and visible on your end, without interrupting the participant experience.

When you share a window, the MS Teams application will minimize. Once your window is shared, simply bring it back up and you can re-size MS Teams so you can monitor chat while also seeing your shared content.

The additional benefit to sharing a window is that only that window will be visible to participants no matter what else you have open on your screen. If you need to share another window, you will stop sharing and re-share the new window.

If you have a lot of windows to share during a meeting, this may not be the best option for you as it will require you to un-share and re-share multiple times. In that case, see the remaining options below. 

2. Share your screen & supplement with a Mobile Device. After you initiate your meeting on your computer, you can then also join via your mobile device such as a tablet or cell phone. Essentially this allows you to create a dual screen for yourself. You can reference your mobile device to respond to the chat, view participants, etc. while sharing your desktop with your audience. Be sure to mute your mobile device prior to joining and turn the volume down so the mobile device's audio does not interfere with the desktop application. 

3. Share your screen. You can share your screen and have chat open at the same time. The only issue here is that when you share your screen participants can see everything on your screen, including the MS Teams chat application. Alternatively you can opt to only open the MS teams application periodically to address chat questions or comments so that it is not visible to participants during the entire presentation. 

Depending on your specific needs, you may wish to experiment with the different options available to find the format that best suits you and your participants.