Facebook Live Screen Share: How It Works, and How To Use It

Wanna show more than just your mug on Facebook Live?

(Not that there's anything wrong with your mug - it's just nice to have options!)

Want to know how to Facebook screen share during a broadcast? Keep reading to find out how you can use this feature to enhance your live streams in 2024.

You could technically Facebook screenshare in the past with a Facebook screen-sharing extension, but since 2017 it's built right in, which means you don't need a 3rd party streaming software to start sharing your screen.

Learning how to screen share on Facebook Live is straightforward:
Once you know how Facebook live works, Facebook live screen share is simple to use:

• Go to live producer and choose 'Go live'
• Go to the startup menu and select a Video Source
• Make sure you enable Facebook access to your webcam and click 'Start screen share'
• Select your screen and click 'Share'
• Go live

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When you initiate your live broadcast, Facebook allows you to choose whether you want to share your entire screen, a specific browser tab, or the entire window of a particular app (like your browser):

And just like they did when they first added live desktop broadcasting in the first place, Facebook just opened some SERIOUS doors for creating and sharing new types of video content.

Speaking of which...

How To Take Advantage of Facebook Live Screen Share

Here are some creative ways to use Facebook Live screen sharing to elevate your content and engage your audience.

Webinars and Presentations

If you're already a pretty serious webinar presenter (webinarer?), you may already use a robust sort of paid program for organizing, presenting, and recording your broadcasts. (Something like GoToWebinar, for example - we've used that one a lot!)

If you're just getting your feet wet in the webinar world, though, Facebook screen sharing just became a great place to try it out.

For starters, Facebook Live's visibility can make finding your audience a lot simpler - both before and after your live broadcast ends.

(Not to mention that live broadcasting on Facebook is fairly intuitive - no complex software to master.)

On top of that, though, if you want to host a webinar, screen sharing is the ideal addition to Facebook's live broadcasting toolkit.

Got a PowerPoint presentation to walk your audience through? Now you know how to share screen on Facebook, just throw it up on the screen, and narrate! Though if you are planning to collaborate and create presentation that could be easily accessed remotely then you can also compare google slides with PowerPoint or similar tools like Visme and choose the right tool for your team.

Got a short video you want to play, pause, and dissect with your viewers? You can watch it together!

Sharing your screen makes it way easier to review these types of educational materials with an audience - especially during a live on Facebook.

But let's say you don't quite have the bandwidth for that sort of project right now.

What are some other ways you can take advantage of this feature?

Demos, Previews, and Exclusives

Facebook Live is a powerful tool for building excitement and making announcements.

Take one of our recent webinars for example!

We didn't host it on Facebook Live, but we used Live to promote it - and that three-minute video has been viewed by 17,000 people and counting:

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(And for what it's worth, a lot of those viewers came after the broadcast ended - so don't worry about not lasting long enough to attract an audience!)

If you've got something exciting coming up, Facebook Live allows you to share it with your biggest fans - and to attract new ones!

Maybe you've got a webinar or an online course coming up, and you want to preview some of the slides and materials.

Maybe you're an author who wants to show off an advance preview of your next book's cover design.

Are you a photographer who wants to reveal a few shots you've chosen for your upcoming Dogs Dressed As Silent Film Stars of the Early '20s calendar?

(We can't wait for that one, by the way.)

If you make it on a computer, you can share it on Facebook Live - and that's a huge opportunity for connecting with audiences both familiar and new!

Speaking of things that you make on a computer…

Behind-the-scenes and Tutorials

Behind-the-scenes and tutorial videos are already huge on Facebook, especially for people like visual artists.

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If your specialty is something you have to create on a screen, though, it hasn't always been easy to translate that sort of thing into a live broadcast - until now.

Facebook Live screen sharing gives you way more options for going behind the scenes, AND for creating teachable moments.

A digital artist can share what they're working on in Photoshop, or teach their fans how to master certain techniques.

A programmer can take you behind the scenes of their preferred methods.

A seasoned GIF-maker can walk you through their favorite way to whip up new images.

Whether you want to share bite-sized tips once a week or broadcast an entire afternoon's worth of work from your desktop, screen sharing is literally made for that sort of thing!

Multi-person Broadcasts

While Facebook Live interfaces with plugins that allow you to do things like broadcast alongside other people - but screen sharing makes it a lot simpler.

It may not be as elegant a solution as one implemented using an externally-made plugin, but screen sharing on live broadcasts opens up the possibility of sharing video calls with other people - perfect if part of your usual strategy is to broadcast or shoot video with a partner or two!

(Just make sure that anybody you call on a screen share knows ahead of time that they're going to be a part of a live broadcast - unless you're doing a whole Candid Camera sort of prank, in which case, just do your thing.)

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Is Facebook Live Screen Sharing Still a Thing in 2024?

Absolutely! Facebook Live screen sharing remains a powerful and relevant tool in 2024. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, live streaming has become an even more critical component of social media strategies for businesses, creators, and educators alike.

Facebook has maintained and even enhanced its screen sharing capabilities to keep up with the growing demand for interactive and engaging content. With more businesses moving online and the rise of virtual events, the ability to share screens during a live broadcast is more valuable than ever. Whether you're hosting a webinar, demonstrating a product, or providing a tutorial, Facebook Live screen sharing offers a seamless way to connect with your audience in real time.

Do YOU plan on screen sharing live? How do you want to make it part of your own Facebook live broadcasts?