Microsoft Teams: Give Control and Request Control in a Meeting

To give control in Microsoft Teams, share your screen or a window, select Give control on the presenter toolbar, and choose a participant. To request control, select Request control while someone is sharing, then wait for approval. The presenter can take control back whenever needed.

Before you start

Both people should join through the Teams desktop app. Microsoft's policy reference says giving and requesting control is unsupported when either person uses Teams in a browser. Being able to view a screen share does not mean you can control it.

Agree on what the other person will do before handing over your mouse and keyboard. For example, ask a colleague to demonstrate one setting rather than explore your computer freely. Close confidential documents and notifications first.

How to give control and take it back

1. Start sharing. Join the meeting in Teams and select Share in the meeting controls.

   

2. Choose the content. Select Screen for your desktop or Window for an individual application. Prepare the content before handing over control.

   

3. Choose a participant. Move your pointer to the top of the shared screen to reveal the presenter toolbar. Select Give control, then the person's name. They do not need to request it first.

   

4. Take back control. Select Take back on the presenter toolbar when their task is finished. Select Stop sharing if you also want to end the presentation.

   

Confirm the intended person's name before selecting it, especially when several participants have similar display names. Explain which document or setting they should work on so everyone understands the handoff.

How to request control of a shared screen

5. Request access. While viewing another participant's screen share, select Request control.

   

6. Wait for permission. The person sharing can approve or deny your request. Asking does not automatically give you access.

   

7. Complete the agreed task. After approval, make the necessary selections or edits on the shared content. Tell the presenter before changing anything consequential.

   

8. Hand control back. Select Release control when you are finished.

   

These labels follow Microsoft's meeting presentation instructions. The illustrations show the actions to look for; toolbar placement can vary.

Why Give control or Request control is missing

Check your organization's meeting policies

For work or school accounts, an administrator manages availability under Teams admin center > Meetings > Meeting policies > Content sharing. The relevant setting is Participants can give or request control. If the assigned policy disables it, the control option is unavailable.

Guests and people from another organization may also be restricted by External participants can give or request control. Microsoft's reference lists this external setting as off by default. Cross-organization use can require approval in both organizations. Ask IT to check the applicable policies rather than assuming a meeting invitation grants remote control.

The organizer's Who can present option governs presenting privileges; changing it does not replace the separate control policies. See Microsoft's presenting and control policy guidance.

Check the sharing mode and computer

• Mac: Microsoft's native macOS sharing experience does not support giving or taking control. Check Settings > General > Screen sharing > Use macOS content sharing; use the standard Teams sharing experience for this task.
• Unresponsive menu: Microsoft documents a hardware-acceleration issue that can prevent the Give control menu from opening or requests from being approved. Ask IT to check graphics support using its Give control troubleshooting guidance.

Use remote control carefully

Only give control to someone you trust. Microsoft warns that commands issued by a person with control can affect your system or other applications. Sharing one window is useful for limiting what you present, but do not treat it as a guaranteed security boundary.

Stay at the computer during the handoff. Avoid entering passwords, opening private messages, or approving unexpected changes while someone else has control. Afterward, check the edits together before continuing the meeting.

Using a personal account? Microsoft's Teams personal screen-sharing guide describes the same Give control handoff, but labels the request action Take control. It also states that mobile does not offer giving or taking control.