How to fix Teams not allowing to share files on my screen from

Hi @Emma Kemp,

Thank you for your response.

As mentioned earlier, this feature currently supports sharing only Excel files and PowerPoint Live presentations. If you search for another file type, such as the PDF you shared above, Teams will display it as unavailable and grey it out because that file type is not supported for Live Share.

So, in general, the feature has not been removed. The limitation is that Teams Live Share supports only certain file types.

To help bring this to the attention of the product team, I recommend submitting feedback directly to Microsoft via the Feedback Portal to help prioritize this feature in future updates. 

Sharing your experience through this channel is the most impactful way to advocate for a change that would benefit you and other users.     

Note: As community moderators, we kindly ask for your understanding that our access to internal development details is limited. Our primary role is to guide users toward the appropriate resources and support channels. While we may not have  influence product design decisions and have limited access to internal development details , we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.        

Once you’ve submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here. I’d be happy to upvote it to help increase its visibility.  Moreover, if you are unable to submit feedback, please inform me at your convenience. In that case, I will gladly assist by submitting it on your behalf to ensure your request is properly captured.             

Additionally, as other users have raised similar concerns and may not be aware of where to share their feedback, I hope this response helps clarify the situation and suggests a potential next step. Upvoting this information can make it more visible to others in the community who may be facing the same issue, making it easier for them to find guidance and contribute their feedback as well.       

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.       

Wishing you a smooth rest of your day.       

Hi @Emma Kemp,

Thank you for the additional details and the screenshot. 

This helps clarify the behavior. Since the issue is happening inside a Teams meeting, it appears you are opening the meeting Share picker rather than using standard screen or window sharing. In Teams meetings, that picker is designed for live sharing specific content types such as PowerPoint, Excel, and Whiteboard. Word documents and PDF files are not listed in the Microsoft guidance as supported live share file types there, which is why they can appear greyed out. Also, when Excel is selected, Teams uses Excel Live, which shares the workbook itself in the meeting rather than showing it as a regular on screen view. 

If the goal is to show the content exactly as it appears on your screen, the best approach is to open the file first on your Mac, then in the meeting select Share and choose either the specific window or your screen, instead of selecting the file from that picker. 

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow the steps above and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can continue working together to resolve the issue.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out so I can continue to support you. If you found the response useful, please consider marking it as accepted, as this may help other community members who are looking for similar guidance.  

I look forward to continuing the conversation.  

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Hi @Emma Kemp,

Good day, I hope you are doing well.

Thank you for sharing the details. To better understand the issue and provide the most accurate guidance, could you please share the following details?

1. Are the files greyed out when you try to send or attach them in a chat or channel message, or when you try to present content during a Teams meeting?
2. Are you trying to send or share the file with an external user?
3. If this happens while presenting in a meeting, what is your role in that meeting? For example, are you the organizer, presenter, or attendee?

In the meantime, please also try the following steps on your Mac:

1. Quit Teams completely.
2. Open System Settings.
3. Go to Privacy & Security.
4. Check that Microsoft Teams is enabled under:
   1. Screen Recording
   2. Files and Folders
5. Reopen Teams and test again.

If possible, please also include a screenshot of what you see, with any personal information removed.

Once those details are confirmed, it will be easier to narrow down whether the issue is related to chat file sharing, meeting presentation permissions, or external sharing behavior.

I hope this helps. Thank you for your time and patience during the process. I'm looking forward to your response.

On macOS, when files or screen-sharing options are greyed out in Teams, the most common cause is missing or incorrect screen recording permissions for Microsoft Teams.

To fix this on a Mac:

1. In the Teams meeting, select Share in the meeting controls.
2. If a pop-up appears asking to allow screen recording, select Allow.
3. If Teams directs to settings, select Open System Settings in the pop-up.
4. In macOS, go to Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security.
5. Under Screen & System Audio Recording, make sure the Microsoft Teams toggle is turned On.
6. If using Teams in a browser, also grant screen recording permission to the browser in the same Screen & System Audio Recording section.
7. Return to the meeting, select Share again, and choose the window, screen, or file to share.

If using the native macOS sharing experience in Teams and options are limited, verify this setting:

1. In Teams, go to Settings and more > Settings.
2. Under General > Screen sharing, check whether Use macOS content sharing is enabled. If giving/taking control is needed, be aware this is not supported in the native macOS sharing experience.

After adjusting permissions, retry sharing the screen or specific windows; previously greyed-out options should become available once Teams has the required macOS permissions.

References:

• Present content in Microsoft Teams meetings