Discord is a text and voice chat platform that allows gamers to communicate over a chat. Many people don’t know that apart from chat, it also offers a complete video calling as well as a screen-sharing solution.
At one time, 10 Discord users can use screen sharing which means you and other 9 friends can simultaneously share your screens on the Discord server. To use the feature of screen sharing, you don’t have to install any other software or third-party programs.
The screen share feature has made Discord very useful software, especially for teams that conduct online meetings from remote locations. Discord app supports both mobile and desktop platforms.
In this article, we are going to discuss how to configure and operate the screen share on the Discord server.
The screen sharing feature was introduced in August 2017. Alongside the screen sharing, you can also conduct video calling simultaneously which makes it one of the best built-in features on Discord.
To get started with screen sharing and video calling, you have to make sure that the audio and video hardware is perfectly set at the client-side.
Video & Camera Settings
To access the Discord screen share, you will have to first modify some settings from the settings page.
Step 1: Navigate to the settings page. To do so, on the bottom left corner of the screen, click on the cog icon right to the username.
Step 2: Scroll down to the App Settings, and click on “Voice & Video” to adjust the settings for voice and video call.
Step 3: If you further scroll in the same section, you will find “Video Settings”. From the drop-down menu, select your video camera.
Step 4: In the right section, you can see an option of “Test Video”. Click on “Test Video” to check whether everything is working properly or not.
Note: If you are using a browser instead of an app for Discord, you will need to allow access to a camera and microphone. To enable camera access, a popup will appear at the top left corner where you have to click on “Allow”.
Adding Friends to Your Call List
If you don’t have any friends on your list, then whom would you call. That’s why, to initiate a video call, you will need to first add friends in the calling group on Discord. Once you add all of your friends to whom you want to make a video call, you can start with video calling.
You can start video calling with your friends as follow:
Step 1: Go to the “Homepage” by clicking on the Discord icon (at the top left corner of the app).
Step 2: Click on “Friends” to open the list of added friends.
Step 3: Click on the username of the friend to whom you want to start a video call. A DM window will open on your screen and at the top bar, you will see the icon for “Video Call”.
Note: If you are using the Discord app on your mobile phone (Android or iOS), you can start a video call by clicking on three vertical dots at the top right corner of the app.
Screen Sharing & Video Calling Features on Desktop
There are various features that you can use to arrange things after the call started. Additionally, if you switch to another DM window or a server, your video will pop out to a picture-in-picture view. Then, you can freely move that window all around the desktop screen.
All the features are mentioned below for the desktop version.
Expand Down Arrow
At the leftmost corner on the screen, you will be able to see an expand down arrow. Clicking on the arrow (during a video call) will expand the video screen to the maximum height in Discord.
Swapping from Video to Screen Share
At the bottom of the screen, you will see two icons (after you have started a video call). These two icons help you to swap from a video call to enable screen share. As of now, you know about the “Video Call” icon, but what about “Screen Share”?
The icon to the left of the video call displays the “Screen Share” icon, or the icon representing the monitor with an arrow at the center is the icon of “Screen Share”.
You can swap between the two at any time throughout the call. While swapping between the video call and screen share, you will have an option of which monitor screen or a specific application window you want to share.
The best thing I found is that you can swap to and fro between the monitor screen and application window by clicking the “Screen Share” icon.
Leave Call Button
As the name suggests, clicking on the “Leave Call” icon will drop the video call. Avoid clicking on this button until your conversation gets complete.
Toggle Mute Settings
The “Mute Toggle” icon is represented by the microphone icon and it is present to the right of the “Leave Call” icon. Clicking on “Mute Toggle” will mute or unmute your microphone. Additionally, to the right of that, there is a “User Settings” icon similar to the one available in the Discord Homepage window.
Toggle FullScreen
To fully expand your video call screen regardless of the current view, click on the “Toggle FullScreen” icon. And, to exit full screen, press the “ESC” key.
Video Marquee
During a group video call, if you want to focus on a specific user, then you will have to click on users’ Avatar to pull their video into focus while keeping others in the marquee to the right. However, if you want to change the focus to another user during a video call, then click on another users’ Avatar from the marquee menu.
Screen Sharing & Video Calling Features on Smartphone
The user interface of the Discord app is somewhat different for the smartphone version. Unfortunately, the screen sharing feature is not available for the smartphone version till now, so if you want to share your screen using Discord, then you have to go for its desktop version.
Still, there are some great features that you can use on your iPhone or Android during a call on Discord.
Toggle Mute
At the bottom center of your smartphone screen, you will see the three icons in which the rightmost icon is for “Toggle Mute”. If you click on this button, you will be able to mute or unmute your phone’s mic.
Toggle Camera
At the bottom center of your smartphone screen, the leftmost icon is for “Toggle Camera”. You can tune your camera, start and stop it from functioning at any time during a call.
Switch Camera
Similarly, there’s an option to switch from front to back camera and vice-versa. The icon for changing the view of your camera is represented by a camera with a double-headed arrow.
Audio Output (iOS Only)
The Audio Output is an exclusive feature of the Discord app available for iPhone users only. It is located at the top-right corner (next to the “Switch Camera” icon). Using the feature, you will be able to swap the audio output between your wireless headset or iPhone’s default speakers.
Discord also allows you to enable your sound on the screen while you are sharing your screen with others. If you want to allow other users to hear all the things, then you will need to toggle the “Sound” under the “Application Window”.
This specific feature comes into the picture when you educate other users on a particular application.
Undoubtedly, screen sharing and video calls are great features of the Discord app, but it has been reported to have some bugs. Due to such bugs, you will see a black screen on your Discord app window.
If you also see a black screen in front of your screen, you don’t have to worry. You can fix the problem by following the below methods.
- Restart your PC and open the Discord application again. Start the video call and screen sharing and check whether it’s working smoothly or not.
- Update your GPU drivers to its latest version. In some cases, the screen turns black due to the automatic switching of GPU.
- Clear all the junk files and cache of the Discord app.
- If the problem still persists, then the last option is to uninstall the application and then reinstall it. In case, the flickering of the screen is due to the corrupted application.
Another bug you may encounter is disabling audio during screen sharing or video calling on the chat server. With the latest update of the app, Discord has reportedly fixed the issue, but if you are still facing the problems, then follow the below methods to resolve the issue.
- The most common solution is to confirm whether the sound button (under the Application Window) is toggled ON.
- Clear all the junk files and cache of the Discord app.
- Choosing a specific “Application Window” instead of “Enter Screen” while using the screen sharing feature.
- If the problem still persists, that means the application is corrupted, so the last option is to uninstall the application and then reinstall it.
Wrapping Up
Discord is a great application for gamers to communicate with each other via VoIP audio, video calling, and screen sharing. By following the methods mentioned in this article, you can easily set up the Discord screen sharing and video calling.
In case, you still have some queries related to screen sharing and video calling on the Discord app, let us know in the comment section below.
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