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Direct sharing in Zoom Rooms

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Participants in Zoom Rooms can use one-click direct sharing from a Zoom Desktop Client (macOS or Windows). Ultrasonic sound proximity detection enables the Zoom Room controller to generate an ultrasonic signal that can be detected by the Zoom Desktop Client.

  • If the Zoom Desktop Client detects the signal in a Zoom Room, it automatically connects to the Zoom Room when the attendee clicks Share Screen.
  • If proximity detection is not available, participants can activate direct sharing by entering a Sharing Key, which consists of a string of letters.

Note: Direct sharing with proximity detection uses the microphone on your laptop to detect the Zoom Room controller. There are many factors that determine if proximity detection can work like the quality of the controller's speaker and laptop's microphone. If proximity detection is not working, you can use direct sharing without proximity detection. You can also use these methods to share content to a Zoom Room:

This article covers:

Prerequisites for direct sharing in Zoom Rooms

* Direct sharing with proximity detection for Android controllers is supported on the following devices: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1" SM-T580, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0" SM-T350, Crestron Mercury, Polycom Trio 8800, Polycom Trio 8500, Poly Trio C60, Poly TC8, Neat Pad, Logitech TAP IP, and Crestron TSW-1060.

How to enable direct sharing for Zoom Rooms (admin)

Account

To configure all Zoom Rooms in your account to use direct sharing:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. In the navigation menu, click Room Management then Zoom Rooms. 
  3. Click Account Settings.
  4. Click the Meeting tab.
  5. Find the Automatic direct sharing using ultrasonic proximity signal option and click the toggle  to enable it. Once the verification dialog displays, click Enable to verify the change.

Group of rooms

To configure a set of Zoom Rooms in your account to use direct share with proximity detection:

  1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
  2. In the navigation menu, click Room Management then Zoom Rooms.
  3. Click the level in the hierarchy that you want to enable for automatically starting and stopping meetings. For example, to enable all rooms in a specific building, click the name of the building.
  4. Click the Settings option for the location you selected and then click the Meeting tab.
  5. Find the Automatic direct sharing using ultrasonic proximity signal option and click the toggle  to enable it. Once the verification dialog displays, click Enable to verify the change.

How to use direct sharing with proximity detection (user)

  1. Start or join a meeting using the Zoom Rooms controller.
  2. Sign in to the Zoom desktop client.
  3. In the Zoom desktop client, click Share Screen.
    Your desktop will be shared to the Zoom Room display. You can also access screen share controls.
  4. (Optional) If you do not want to share your desktop by default, click your profile picture in the desktop client, then click Settings. Click Share Screen, then select Show all sharing options.
    You will be prompted to select a screen or application the next time you click Share Screen.

Note: You can also use proximity detection to switch a Zoom Phone call to a Zoom Room.

How to use direct sharing without proximity detection (user)

Desktop client or mobile app

To share your screen from a Windows or macOS laptop when proximity detection is not available:

  1. Start or join a meeting using the Zoom Rooms controller
  2. Tap the Share Content button on the Zoom Rooms controller.
  3. Find the Desktop heading, and follow the instructions listed under Use Zoom App. 
    Note: Participants can share using either the Zoom desktop client or a browser.
  4. In the Zoom desktop client or mobile app, click or tap Share Screen.
  5. Enter the sharing key and meeting passcode, then click Share Screen (desktop) or tap OK (mobile).
    Your desktop will be shared to the Zoom Room display. You can also access screen share controls.
    Note: If you share using one of these methods, Zoom will automatically share your entire screen. Use direct sharing with proximity or share.zoom.us if you want to select what you want to share.
  6. (Optional) If you do not want to share your desktop by default, click your profile picture in the desktop client, then click Settings. Click Share Screen, then select Show all sharing options.
    You will be prompted to select a screen or application the next time you click Share Screen.

Web client

If you do not have access to the Zoom desktop client or mobile, follow the steps to share your screen using a browser.

  1. Visit share.zoom.us.
  2. Enter the meeting ID and click Share Screen.
  3. Click join from your web browser.
  4. Enter your name and click Join.
  5. Follow the instruction to share your screen using the Zoom web client.

Troubleshooting

Here are some common issues when direct sharing within a Zoom Room:

  • Confirm that the devices, particularly the controller, meets the prerequisites and is running the latest version of Zoom Rooms.
  • Confirm that the necessary ports are open on your firewall.
  • macOS laptops from 2018 or newer utilize a T2 security chip that disable the microphone when the lid is closed. Direct sharing will not work on these devices when closed. 
  • Follow the instructions (page 26) to restore your Crestron TSW-1060 if it continually disconnects and reconnects during Zoom meetings. 

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