Microsoft has announced screen sharing functionality for the Skype for Web preview. After weeks of silent updates, the company is highlighting this feature in particular, though it currently points to Chrome as the browser of choice.
“Skype has always been the easiest way to share your screen with others and now we’re taking one of our most popular features to Skype for Web Preview on a Chrome browser!” said Microsoft’s Karah. “Thanks to this new feature, you no longer need extensions or plugins, just login to Skype for Web Preview on your desktop through your Chrome browser and start sharing your screen by clicking on the share screen icon.”
The functionality is available on Chrome version 72 or higher. It’s a strange choice for the initial launch, but it’s likely Microsoft is looking at its user’s most popular browser. As the company’s Chromium Edge browser is on a similar infrastructure, it’s possible it’s supported there, too.
Screensharing is an important part of an app’s arsenal these days, so it’s great to see the preview finally getting the functionality. The Skype mobile apps got similar functionality this year, and it pays to be consistent.
However, it’s worth noting that the Skype Preview currently has a major limitation when it comes to screen sharing. As noted by Ruwin.B on the forums, you can’t currently screen share while sending camera video. Sharing your screen will essentially disable your webcam.
That limitation makes it a little less useful, but it should still be enough for most scenarios. It’s early days, so it’s also possible Microsoft is working on a solution to this issue. Users interested in the functionality can test it via the Skype for web preview site.
