Discord does not have permission to share screen on Mac: the two permissions to check

When Discord on a Mac says it does not have permission to share your screen, there are two different permissions it could mean, and they live in two different places. The first is the macOS permission that lets an app record the screen, set in System Settings under Privacy & Security. The second is the Discord server permission that lets a member stream in a voice channel, set by the server's owner or an administrator. The fix for one does nothing for the other, which is why people toggle settings for an hour and get nowhere. This guide shows how to tell which one is blocking you in under a minute, then walks through each fix with the exact names Apple and Discord use, and covers the browser version of Discord, missing audio, and a common mix up with Apple's own Screen Sharing feature.

Tell the two permissions apart first

The quickest test is to try a different place. Start a call in a direct message with a friend, where server roles do not apply, and try to share your screen there.

What you see	Likely cause	Who can fix it
Sharing fails everywhere, including direct message calls	macOS has not granted Discord screen recording	You, in System Settings
The share picker shows blank or empty previews	macOS has not granted Discord screen recording	You, in System Settings
Sharing works in direct messages but not in one server	The server's Video permission is off for your role or that channel	The server owner or an administrator
Sharing works in one voice channel but not another	A channel level Video permission override	The server owner or an administrator
Video shares, but nobody hears the app's sound	macOS version or client type	You, by updating macOS or switching client

If the problem follows you into a direct message call, it is the Mac. If it only happens in one server, it is the server. Everything below is sorted by that split.

Fix the macOS permission

Apple's guide on controlling access to screen and system audio recording gives the current path:

1. Choose the Apple menu, then System Settings.
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
3. Click Screen & System Audio Recording.
4. Find Discord in the list and turn it on.

Apple's guide also notes that apps can be allowed to record both screen and audio, or audio only. For screen sharing, Discord needs the screen permission, not just audio.

The name of the setting depends on the macOS version

On macOS Ventura 13, Apple's guide for that version calls the list Screen Recording, and the step reads "Click Screen Recording." Later versions of the guide use the longer name Screen & System Audio Recording. If you are following an older tutorial and cannot find "Screen Recording," look for the longer name instead. They are the same list.

Restart Discord after changing it

If Discord was open while you flipped the switch, quit it completely with Command Q, not just by closing the window, and open it again so it starts fresh with the new setting. Closing the window leaves Discord running in the Dock, so a restart has not actually happened.

When Discord is missing from the list

Apple's guide explains that you can add an app manually: click the add button below the list, then navigate to the app. Choose Discord from the Applications folder. If Discord was moved or installed somewhere unusual, it is worth reinstalling it from the official Discord download page into Applications, then adding it again.

If the switch is already on and sharing still fails, turn it off, quit Discord, turn it back on, and open Discord again. This forces a fresh grant.

Fix the server's Video permission

Discord's help article on Go Live and Screen Share states that the ability to share your screen in a voice channel is enabled by default, and that screen sharing on a channel is locked behind the Video permission. A server owner or someone with Administrator permission can change it in two places.

For a role

1. Open Server Settings, then the Roles tab.
2. Select the role to edit.
3. Scroll to Voice Channel Permissions and enable Video.

For a single channel

1. Right click the voice channel and choose Edit Channel.
2. Open Permissions and scroll to Voice Channel Permissions.
3. Under Video, allow or deny streaming for a specific role.

A channel override can deny Video even when the role allows it everywhere else. That is the usual reason sharing works in one voice channel and not the next. If you are not an administrator, nothing on your Mac will fix this. Send the server staff the exact channel name and ask them to check the Video permission for your role there.

Discord's article on how to screen share on macOS describes the normal flow once both permissions are in place: join a voice channel you have permission to screen share in, click the Screen Share icon, choose the entire screen, a window, or an app, set quality, then click Next. macOS then asks you to make a selection of what to share. If that macOS picker never appears, go back to the first fix.

If you use Discord in a browser

Discord also runs in the browser, and there the permission question moves. macOS grants screen recording to the app that is actually capturing the screen. In a browser, that app is the browser. Discord on a Chrome tab needs Google Chrome turned on under Screen & System Audio Recording. Discord on Safari needs Safari's permission. Turning on Discord.app in the list does nothing for a browser tab.

The browser version has two documented limits worth knowing before choosing it. Discord's Go Live article says that when streaming through a browser, you cannot adjust the stream's quality. It also says application audio can be captured by the Windows desktop, macOS desktop, Chrome browser, and mobile clients, and that you cannot share application audio on other browsers or Linux. In practice, if you want sound with your share from a browser on a Mac, Chrome is the browser that supports it.

There is a side effect to giving a browser recording permission: every site you open in that browser can then ask to share your screen. Some people prefer to keep Discord's web version in a separate window from their everyday browsing, so the permission prompt only comes up in one place.

Video works but there is no sound

Missing audio is a separate fault from the permission message. Discord's support article on macOS screen share with audio says sharing audio from applications and games is supported on macOS 13 and above, and it encourages users on older versions to upgrade. On macOS 12 or earlier, the share can show your screen while carrying no application sound, and no setting inside Discord changes that.

On macOS 13 or later, check two things. First, that Discord's entry under Screen & System Audio Recording allows screen and audio, not only one. Second, that the viewers have not muted the stream on their side. Discord's Go Live article points viewers to the volume icon that appears while hovering over the stream.

Quality is a different question again. The same article says all users can stream up to 720p at 30 frames per second, while Nitro and Nitro Classic subscribers can stream up to 4K at 60 frames per second. If a share looks soft, that is the default limit, not a permission problem.

Limits that can look like a permission problem

A few documented limits produce symptoms that people read as a permission error, even when both permissions are fine.

The first is the number of people sharing. Discord's Go Live article says up to 50 people can share their video or screen at a time in a voice chat. In a large community event where many members already have cameras on, the next person trying to share can hit that ceiling. The second is the number of viewers. Discord's macOS screen share article notes that any number of users can screen share in a voice call, but only 50 users can watch an individual screen share. If some viewers report they cannot open your stream while others can, the viewer cap is the more likely explanation than anything on your Mac.

The third is the stream preview. Discord lets each user turn Stream Previews on or off under User Settings, then Voice & Video. With previews off, other members see no thumbnail of your stream until they join it, which can look like the share failed when it is actually running.

The fourth is the source you picked in the macOS picker. Discord offers the entire screen, a single window, or an app. If viewers report a frozen or empty frame while you share one window, switch the source to the entire screen and keep the window in view. If the entire screen shares cleanly, the capture choice was the issue rather than a permission, and that is worth knowing before changing settings.

If any of these fit what you see, test again with a smaller call or with the entire screen selected before changing permissions. Changing a permission that was already correct adds a new variable without solving anything.

Not the same thing as Apple's Screen Sharing

Search results for this query include Apple's page titled If you can't share Mac computer screens. That page is about the Screen Sharing feature built into macOS, which lets one Mac view and control another Mac. It asks you to turn on screen sharing or remote management in Sharing settings and check that your account is in the list of users with permission.

None of that affects Discord. Turning on Screen Sharing in General, then Sharing, opens your Mac to remote viewing by other Macs, which is a different security decision. If your goal is streaming to a Discord call, leave Sharing alone and use the Privacy & Security setting described above.

A short checklist in order

1. Try sharing in a direct message call. If it fails there too, the cause is on the Mac.
2. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Screen & System Audio Recording, and turn on Discord.
3. Quit Discord with Command Q and open it again.
4. If Discord is not listed, add it with the button below the list, or reinstall it into Applications.
5. If direct message calls work but a server does not, ask the server staff to check the Video permission for your role and that voice channel.
6. In a browser, grant the permission to the browser, and use Chrome if you need audio.
7. For missing sound, confirm macOS 13 or later.

Most cases end at step 3 or step 5. Knowing which half of the problem you are in saves the time that usually goes into reinstalling Discord for a server setting.

What to change next

Run the direct message test now. It tells you whether to open System Settings or message the server staff. If you prefer Discord's web version kept apart from your main browser, with its own Dock icon and sign in, a site to app tool such as Kagemusha can give it a separate window, and the Guide lists the per app settings.