How to Share Your Screen and Draw on It in Calls, Meetings and Remote Sessions
Showing is faster than explaining. This guide covers sharing a whole screen or one window, and using a pen and laser pointer so people see exactly what you mean.
Showing someone your screen is often ten times quicker than describing what you see. It is how you walk a colleague through a spreadsheet, help a relative with a settings menu, or present a design to a client. Done well it also needs a way to point: a circle around the button, an arrow at the figure that matters. This guide explains how to share your screen with PeerFlow and how to draw on it.
Three places to share your screen
PeerFlow offers screen sharing wherever you are already talking to someone:
- In a call. During a one-to-one voice or video call, press Share screen. The other person sees a banner saying you are presenting and your picture appears large.
- In a meeting. Press Present and everyone in the meeting sees your screen on the stage, with participants in a strip alongside. Up to 15 people can be in the room.
- In a remote session. Share your screen with a short code so someone can see it, and, if you allow it, control it. See remote desktop.
Read more about the basics on the screen sharing page.
Sharing step by step
- Start the call, meeting or remote session as usual.
- Press the share or present button.
- Choose Entire screen or Window. In the Windows app a picker shows live previews, so you pick the right one at a glance. In a browser, the browser shows its own picker.
- To also share sound from your computer, tick the option in the picker where your system offers it.
- Press Stop whenever you are done. Nothing keeps sharing in the background.
Draw on the shared screen
Pointing is what turns a screen share into a conversation.
- Pen, highlighter, arrow, rectangle and ellipse let you mark up the picture, in colours that stand out.
- Laser pointer leaves no mark: a dot follows your cursor and fades, perfect for "this one here".
- Undo and clear remove your marks, and the person sharing can clear everything or take drawing permission back at any moment.
The person sharing is always in control. Drawing needs their permission in a normal call or meeting, so nobody scribbles on your screen without being asked. In a remote session where you have given control, drawing is allowed automatically, since the helper is already working on your computer. In the desktop app the marks appear on the sharer's real screen too, through a transparent overlay that never gets in the way of the mouse.
Quality tips
- Pick the right mode. For documents and code choose sharp text. For video or animation choose smooth motion.
- Close what you do not want seen. Notifications and private tabs appear on a shared screen, so close them or share one window.
- Use a wired or strong Wi-Fi connection when sharing for a long time.
- Take a screenshot or record on your own computer when you need a copy of what was shown.
Privacy and safety
The picture travels directly between the devices over an encrypted connection and is not stored on a PeerFlow server. In a meeting it is forwarded by the meeting server to the other participants, still encrypted in transit. Only share a screen with people you trust, and stop sharing when you have finished. More detail is on the security page.
Screen sharing methods compared
| Email screenshots | Typical meeting tool | PeerFlow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live | No | Yes | Yes |
| Draw on it | Only after the fact | Sometimes, paid | Pen, arrows, shapes, laser pointer |
| Account for the viewer | No | Often | Not for meetings or remote access |
| Works with remote control | No | Rarely | Yes |
If you mostly want to help someone, you may find our guide to accessing another computer remotely more useful. If you present often, see how PeerFlow works as a free meeting tool. Download the apps to try screen sharing with drawing today.
Frequently asked questions
Can I share just one window instead of my whole screen?
Yes. When you start sharing you can pick your entire screen or a single window. Choose a window if other tabs or apps are private.
Can the other person draw on my screen?
Only if you allow it. Drawing needs your permission in a normal call or meeting, and it is allowed automatically in a remote session where you have already given control.
Does screen sharing work on a phone?
You can view a shared screen on any phone. Sharing a phone screen works in the Android app, which uses the system screen capture.
Is the shared screen stored anywhere?
No. The picture goes directly between devices, encrypted. In a meeting it passes through the meeting server only to be forwarded, and nothing is recorded unless someone records it on their own computer.