If you’ve been stuck for socially distanced hangout ideas throughout lockdown, you might have decided to binge a TV show or watch a film over a video call. However, figuring out how to share sound as well as your video can be tricky. Here’s the information you need to make your next movie night go flawlessly.
Sharing sound on Microsoft Teams
To share your sound on Microsoft Teams, first you’ll need to go to the ‘Share content’ button within your meeting controls. Then click ‘Include computer sound’. The switch should then move to the right.
At this point everyone on your video call should be able to hear all the audio from your computer. This includes any email or social media notifications, so it might be helpful to close any noisy applications you don’t need.
Still not sharing sound in Teams?
If the sound still isn’t being shared, there’s a couple of things that you can check.
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Using a Mac? For Mac users, you’ll need to install a driver the first time you want to share sound in a video call. You should be prompted to do this within Teams; just follow the instructions to share the audio. If it’s still not working, try pausing and playing the video content.
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Is it a bit quiet? Windows has a feature where it reduces sound from your device when you’re in a meeting, but obviously this isn’t ideal when you’re sharing sound! Head to Sound Control Panel Communications and select ‘Do nothing’ to turn this feature off.
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Bad audio quality? If your computer is working hard and running numerous programs, you might hear the strain it is under in the audio. If your audio is cutting out, or there’s a delay, try closing some of the programs that you have open.
Sharing sound in Zoom
To share sound in Zoom you’ll need the Zoom desktop client for Windows, macOS and Linux, with at least version 5.0.0. You can download the zoom desktop client for free. Once you’ve started your meeting, and clicked ‘Share Screen’ in the meeting toolbar, then select the program or desktop you want to share.
In the bottom left hand corner of the share selection window, you should see ‘Share Sound’. Click Share in the bottom right hand corner to begin sharing the sound from your device. You can even switch between Mono and Stereo if you click ‘More’.
Still not sharing sound in Zoom?
If the sound still isn’t coming through, try these options.
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Multiple screens being shared? If you’re sharing multiple screens over Zoom, then it isn’t possible for computer sound to be shared. Ensure that only one screen is being shared, and then try sharing sound again.
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Is it a bit quiet? Just like with Teams, Windows could be reducing sound from your device when you’re in a meeting. Head to Sound Control Panel Communications and select ‘Do nothing’ to turn this feature off.
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Some people can’t hear you? If some participants can hear your audio, and some can’t, it’s likely a problem on the other end. Get them to restart Zoom, and make sure they’re running the latest version.
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Problems with iPads? If some iPad users can’t hear the shared sound, ask them to click in the upper left hand corner when the ‘X is sharing their screen’ notification pops up. This should enable sound and video.
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