Fix: Teams Audio Stops Working When Sharing Your Screen

We had a customer call in frustrated because every time they shared their screen during a Teams meeting, the other participants could no longer hear them. They were having to unplug and reconnect their Bluetooth headset mid-meeting just to get the audio working again. It turned out to be a common issue with how Bluetooth audio profiles switch when screen sharing starts, and the fix was straightforward. Here is what we found.

Symptoms

• Your voice cuts out as soon as you share your screen in a Teams meeting
• Other participants report they cannot hear you after you start screen sharing
• Your headset appears to switch audio devices automatically when screen sharing begins
• Teams displays a notification: “Permission to access your mic? Teams needs permission to access your device. Go to your privacy settings to allow it, then leave and rejoin the meeting.”
• You need to manually disconnect and reconnect your headset each time the issue occurs

Cause

This issue commonly occurs when a headset is connected via Bluetooth and the audio profile switches when Teams starts screen sharing. Bluetooth headsets typically have two audio modes:

• Stereo/Music mode (high quality audio output, no microphone)
• Hands-free AG Audio mode (lower quality audio with microphone support)

When you begin sharing your screen, Teams may trigger the headset to switch profiles, causing the microphone input to drop. This can also happen when a headset is connected to multiple devices (e.g., a tablet and a desktop) and the audio routing changes during the screen share.

In some cases, Windows privacy settings may also block Teams from accessing the microphone after the device switch, which triggers the “Permission to access your mic” notification.

Resolution

1. Check Your Audio Device Settings in Teams

1. During a Teams call, click the three dots (…) menu at the top of the meeting window
2. Select Settings then Device settings
3. Under Microphone, confirm your headset is selected as the input device
4. Under Speaker, confirm your headset is selected as the output device
5. If the devices have changed after starting screen share, manually reselect your headset

2. Use a Wired or USB Connection Instead of Bluetooth

If your headset supports both USB and Bluetooth, connect via USB to avoid Bluetooth profile switching issues. USB connections maintain a consistent audio profile and do not switch between stereo and hands-free modes.

3. Fix Windows Microphone Privacy Settings

1. Open Windows Settings (Win + I)
2. Go to Privacy & security → Microphone
3. Ensure Microphone access is turned On
4. Ensure Let apps access your microphone is turned On
5. Scroll down and ensure Microsoft Teams has microphone access enabled
6. If you changed any settings, leave the meeting and rejoin for the changes to take effect

4. Include Computer Sound Setting

When sharing your screen, check whether the “Include computer sound” toggle is enabled at the top of the screen sharing picker. This setting can affect how Teams handles audio routing during screen share.

5. Clear the Teams Cache

1. Close Microsoft Teams completely (right-click the Teams icon in the system tray and select Quit)
2. Press Win + R, type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams and press Enter
3. Delete all files and folders inside this directory
4. Restart Teams and sign in again

6. Update Audio Drivers

1. Open Device Manager (right-click the Start button and select it)
2. Expand Sound, video and game controllers
3. Right-click your audio device and select Update driver
4. Select Search automatically for drivers
5. Restart your computer after the update completes

Verify the Fix

After applying the fix, start a Teams test call (Settings → Devices → Make a test call) and try sharing your screen during the test to confirm your microphone continues working.

Important Notes

• If your headset is connected to multiple devices simultaneously (e.g., a phone and a PC), try disconnecting it from all other devices before joining the Teams meeting.
• This issue is more common with Bluetooth headsets than wired or USB headsets. If the problem persists, switching to a USB connection is the most reliable fix.
• Ensure you are running the latest version of Microsoft Teams. Teams updates often include audio-related bug fixes.

Related Resources

• Microsoft Support: My speaker isn’t working in Microsoft Teams
• IR: Top 10 Ways to Fix Microsoft Teams Audio Not Working

If you need help resolving Microsoft Teams audio issues or configuring your devices, get in touch with our team.