Last updated: 2026-01-15

For most creators in the U.S., the fastest, least stressful way to share your screen while streaming is to open StreamYard in your browser, click Present → Share screen, and pick the window, tab, or entire display you want to show. When you need very granular, per-application capture and complex scene setups, desktop tools like OBS or Streamlabs become useful as a secondary option.

Summary

• Use StreamYard in your browser for quick, reliable screen sharing with guests and flexible layouts.
• Share Chrome tabs when you need to include system audio; share a window or screen when you only need visuals. (StreamYard Help Center)
• Consider OBS or Streamlabs if you want per-app capture, advanced scenes, or tightly controlled game overlays.
• Focus on what your viewers actually need to see and hear, then choose the simplest workflow that delivers that.

How do you share your screen while streaming with StreamYard?

If you want screen sharing that “just works,” StreamYard keeps the workflow simple.

Basic host workflow

1. Open StreamYard in Chrome (or your main browser) and enter the studio for your show.
2. Make sure your mic and camera are set up.
3. At the bottom of the studio, click Present.
4. Click Share screen.
5. Choose what to share:
   • Entire screen – everything on one monitor.
   • Window – just a single app.
   • Chrome tab – a specific browser tab.
6. Click Share. Your screen appears in the backstage area.
7. As host, click that screen tile to add it to the layout for viewers.

The same flow works for guests—both hosts and guests can initiate a share from inside the studio, and the host decides when it goes on screen. (StreamYard Help Center)

A few practical tips from real-world use:

• Keep your presentation, notes, and StreamYard studio on separate windows or monitors so you don’t get lost.
• Use StreamYard’s presenter notes so you can see key talking points without exposing them to the audience.
• Combine screen share with branded overlays and logos to keep your show looking professional instead of like a raw screenshare call.

For most business demos, webinars, and teaching sessions, this browser-based flow is faster than installing and configuring a desktop encoder.

How do you share system audio when screen sharing on StreamYard?

Audio is where many streams fall apart—viewers can’t hear the video you’re playing, or music sounds distorted. In StreamYard, there’s one key rule:

StreamYard’s help docs note that screen sharing with audio is supported only when you choose a Chrome tab in the share dialog. (StreamYard Help Center)

Practical workflow for sharing audio:

1. Open your video, music, or web app in a Chrome tab.
2. In the studio, click Present → Share screen → Chrome tab.
3. Select the tab that’s playing audio and ensure the “Share tab audio” checkbox is enabled.
4. Keep your mic on if you want to talk over the content—StreamYard gives you independent control of mic and screen audio levels.

If your content isn’t browser-based (for example, a desktop app):

• See if that content can be opened in Chrome (a web player, YouTube, Vimeo, web app version, etc.).
• Or, pre-record the content and play it as a video file directly from StreamYard; video sharing is available on all plans and the docs describe no file size or length limits. (StreamYard Help Center)

This approach keeps your audio routing simple—no virtual cables or advanced mixers required.

How can you share a video with audio while live streaming (StreamYard vs OBS vs Streamlabs)?

If your main goal is “play a video and talk over it,” you have a few options.

With StreamYard (default for most people)

You can either:

• Share a Chrome tab that plays the video (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) with tab audio; or
• Upload the video file and play it directly inside StreamYard, which the docs describe as available on all plans with no listed file-size or length limit. (StreamYard Help Center)

This keeps your setup minimal and lets you mix camera, overlays, and the video in one place, while still getting local multi-track recordings for post-production.

With OBS

OBS gives you detailed, per-source control if you’re comfortable with more configuration.

Typical workflow:

1. Add Display Capture to show your whole monitor, or Window Capture to show just the video player window. (OBS Knowledge Base)
2. Add an Application Audio Capture or other audio input source so the video’s sound goes into the OBS mix; OBS Studio 28+ on Windows 10/11 supports per-application audio sources. (OBS Knowledge Base)
3. Balance your mic and video levels in the audio mixer.

OBS is powerful, but you’re responsible for routing and balancing every source.

With Streamlabs Desktop

Streamlabs Desktop follows a similar pattern to OBS, with a more guided UI:

1. In your scene, click + under Sources.
2. Choose Window Capture to capture a specific video player, then Add Source. (Streamlabs Getting Started)
3. Configure audio sources and levels in the mixer.

Streamlabs can be appealing if you want desktop-level control plus monetization tools, but it’s still a local, resource-intensive app.

How to decide:

• If you’re hosting webinars, interviews, or client demos: StreamYard’s in-studio video sharing is faster and easier.
• If you’re producing complex, game-heavy scenes: OBS or Streamlabs can make sense—just know you’re trading time and hardware for that extra control.

How do you screen‑share an iPhone or mobile device during a StreamYard stream?

StreamYard’s native screen sharing dialog does not support mobile devices like phones or tablets directly. (StreamYard Help Center) That said, you still have practical options that keep StreamYard as your main studio.

A simple approach that works well:

• Use a computer as the primary host.
• Mirror your iPhone or iPad to that computer using AirPlay or a wired mirroring app.
• In StreamYard on the computer, share the window or display that shows the mirrored device.

This way, you keep all the advantages of StreamYard—no guest downloads, multi-participant layouts, branded overlays—while getting your mobile screen on stream.

When does it make sense to use OBS or Streamlabs instead of StreamYard for screen sharing?

For most U.S.-based creators, the mainstream needs are: high-quality streams, reliable recordings, easy guest onboarding, and branded layouts—not ultra-technical control.

That’s where StreamYard’s browser studio, cloud encoding, and guest workflows tend to be a better default than desktop tools that require more setup and stronger hardware.

You might reach for OBS or Streamlabs when:

• You’re building very complex scene layouts around gameplay or capture cards.
• You need deep audio mixing with VST plugins and per-app audio routing.
• You’re okay investing time to tune encoder settings and troubleshoot.

OBS is completely free and open source, with no paid tiers or watermarks. (OBS Help) Streamlabs Desktop is also free, with extra features such as multistreaming and add-ons in its paid Ultra membership. (Streamlabs FAQ)

For many creators, though, the hardware cost, learning curve, and ongoing maintenance of those tools outweigh the savings versus StreamYard’s time-to-value and browser-based simplicity.

How do layouts, guests, and recordings change the way you share your screen?

Screen sharing is rarely just “show my desktop.” In real shows, you’re juggling guests, slides, demos, and recordings.

With StreamYard, screen sharing slots into a broader live production flow:

• Multi-participant screen sharing means co-hosts and guests can share their own screens, and you decide who’s live at any moment.
• Flexible layouts let you put the screen front and center, picture-in-picture, or side-by-side with hosts.
• Branded overlays and logos keep the stream looking like a polished show instead of a raw conference call.
• Local multi-track recordings in high quality give you reusable footage for clips, courses, and marketing.

Alternatives like OBS and Streamlabs can match or exceed some visual control, but they don’t naturally solve the “grandparent test” of getting a non-technical guest to share their screen live without installing anything.

When you’re running client demos, internal town halls, faith services, or interview shows, that difference in friction is often what actually matters.

What we recommend

• Start with StreamYard in your browser as your everyday way to share screen while streaming—especially when guests are involved.
• Use Chrome tab sharing whenever you need to include system audio, and prefer uploading video files for longer clips.
• Reach for OBS or Streamlabs only when you have a clear, advanced need for per-app capture or highly customized scenes and are comfortable managing the extra complexity.
• Design your workflow around viewer experience and reliability first; pick the tool that lets you hit “Go Live” with confidence, not the one with the most knobs.