How to share your screen in Windows 10 (with or without internet)

(Image credit: Rami Tabari)

It's a common occurrence. You need to show other people the contents of your computer screen, but you can't necessarily have them look over your shoulder. There are several ways to screen share on a Windows PC, and the method depends on whether you're working with people who are anywhere on the internet or just on your local network.

We'll start with local screen sharing, because there are so many ways to share using Internet-based tools (see below) and it's relatively easy. But, if you and your viewers are on the same local network, it doesn't make sense for you to all go onto the Internet and you may not have the bandwidth to do so. For example, a reader recently asked how to share their screen with several people who are all connected to the same hotspot. As long as you're all on the same local network / router / hotspot, these steps will work, even if you have no Internet connection at all.

1. Download ScreenTask and launch it.

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2. Select the correct address from the IP menu. If you're connected to the network via Wi-Fi, it's your Wi-Fi card. If you're on an Ethernet connection, choose that.

3. Click the Start Server button.

4. Tell your viewers to go to the URL from the URL box.

tell the visitors to go to the URL from the URL box

As long as they are on the same network as you, viewers should be able to see the screen cast at that address in their browsers. It will work on any device that has a web browser, even phones.

If you're using a chat program of any kind, chances are that it has a screen sharing option. Skype allows screen sharing as do Google Hangouts, Hipchat / Stride and GoToMeeting. I really like Join.me, because it's so simple to setup and use. Join.me is available in both free and paid versions (with a 14-day free trial of the Pro version). The free version, unfortunately, only supports three concurrent users.

To use Join.me.

1. Navigate to http://join.me.

2. Sign up by entering your email address and a password.

3. Choose a custom URL and enter profile information or hit the skip button a few times.

4. Download the join.me application and open it.

5. Click the Start button.

How to Share Your Screen in Windows (With or Without Internet)

6. Tell your visitors to go to either your custom URL or one-time code. They'll see the whole thing in their web browsers.

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The official Geeks Geek, as his weekly column is titled, Avram Piltch has guided the editorial and production of Laptopmag.com since 2007. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram programmed several of LAPTOP's real-world benchmarks, including the LAPTOP Battery Test. He holds a master's degree in English from NYU.