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How to Screen Share With Audio — Chrome, Edge, Firefox (2026)

Updated April 25, 2026 · ~7 minute read

"I can see the video but I can't hear anything" is the single most common thing people report the first time they try a watch party. The problem is almost always the same: system audio sharing requires ticking an extra checkbox that appears for only a moment during the screen-share setup, and it's easy to miss. Here's exactly what to do in each browser.

The key concept: "Share tab audio" vs "Share system audio"

When you share a browser tab specifically, browsers offer to share that tab's audio. When you share an application window or your whole screen, some operating systems offer to share all system audio instead. These are different options and they appear in different places. Knowing which you're looking for saves a lot of confusion.

⚠ You cannot add audio to a share that's already running. If you started a share without audio, you must stop it and start a new one — and tick the audio checkbox this time.

Chrome on Windows

Sharing a specific browser tab (recommended for streaming)

  1. In WatchTogether, click Share Screen.
  2. In the Chrome dialog, click the Chrome Tab section at the top.
  3. Select the tab that has Netflix / YouTube / your streaming service open.
  4. At the bottom of the dialog, find the toggle labelled "Share tab audio" and make sure it is on.
  5. Click Share.

The "Share tab audio" toggle is on by default in newer versions of Chrome, but it's worth checking every time — it sometimes resets after browser updates.

Sharing your entire screen or a window (fallback)

  1. Click Share Screen.
  2. In the Chrome dialog, select Entire Screen or Window.
  3. Look for the checkbox labelled "Also share system audio" or "Share audio" at the bottom — tick it.
  4. Click Share.

If you don't see an audio option when sharing a Window on Windows, update Chrome to the latest version — this was added in Chrome 105+.

Microsoft Edge on Windows

Edge behaves almost identically to Chrome for tab sharing, with one advantage: it tends to handle DRM-protected content (Netflix HD, Disney+) better than Chrome when sharing a tab.

  1. Click Share Screen.
  2. In the Edge dialog, select the Tab option.
  3. Select the streaming tab.
  4. Confirm the "Share tab audio" toggle is on.
  5. Click Share.

If you're having the black-screen DRM problem with Chrome, try Edge as the host browser — it frequently solves it without any other changes.

Firefox on Windows

Firefox does not support tab-specific audio sharing. It only supports sharing the entire screen or a window, with system audio.

  1. Click Share Screen in WatchTogether.
  2. Firefox will show a dialog asking what to share — select Entire Screen.
  3. Firefox on Windows automatically captures system audio when you share the whole screen. There is no separate audio checkbox — audio is included by default.
  4. Click Share.

The downside of whole-screen sharing in Firefox is that viewers see your entire desktop, including any notifications that pop up. You can minimise this by closing notification apps and using Do Not Disturb / Focus Assist before sharing.

Chrome and Edge on macOS

macOS is the awkward case. Apple's sandboxing model does not allow browsers to capture system audio from other applications without additional software. As of 2026:

For most watch parties on a Mac, sharing the specific browser tab with the streaming service open is all you need. Open Netflix in one Chrome tab, share that tab with audio on, and it works.

Safari (any platform)

Safari does not support sharing system audio or tab audio in the Screen Capture API as of 2026. If you are on macOS and want to host a watch party, use Chrome or Edge instead of Safari for the sharing tab. Friends can still join and watch using Safari — it's only the host who needs Chrome or Edge.

Mobile browsers (iOS and Android)

Mobile browsers cannot capture system audio when screen sharing due to OS-level restrictions on both iOS and Android. This means you cannot host a watch party with sound from a phone browser. Mobile users can join as viewers — they'll see and hear the stream from the host just fine. The host role requires a desktop or laptop.

Quick diagnosis: "I can see picture but no sound"

  1. Stop the current share.
  2. Start a new share.
  3. This time, read the dialog carefully — look for "Share tab audio" toggle or "Share audio" checkbox.
  4. Enable it before clicking Share.
  5. Test by playing 5 seconds and asking in chat if others can hear it.

Quick diagnosis: "I can hear it but nobody else can"

Confirm the audio checkbox was ticked when you started the share. If yes, check that the streaming tab is actually playing out loud on your computer — if your system is muted or the tab itself is muted (look for a speaker icon in the browser tab bar), the capture will be silent too. Un-mute and try again without stopping the share first, since mute state changes are picked up live.

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