Fix Teams Cannot Give Control While Sharing in Microsoft Edge

When you share your screen in Microsoft Teams and try to give control to another participant, the option may be grayed out or do nothing. This problem often appears when you are sharing a browser window, especially Microsoft Edge. The root cause is usually a missing browser extension or a Teams policy that blocks remote control. This article explains why the issue happens and gives step-by-step fixes for both desktop and web versions of Teams.

The Give control feature lets another person move your mouse and type on your shared screen. For this to work, Teams needs permission from the operating system and, in some cases, from the browser itself. When you share a Microsoft Edge window, Teams may not detect the correct window if the extension is missing or if the browser is running with elevated permissions. Follow the steps below to restore the Give control option and share your screen without interruption.

Why Teams Cannot Give Control While Sharing in Microsoft Edge

The Give control feature works by sending your mouse and keyboard input to the shared screen. For this to happen, Teams must have the correct permissions to read your input devices and to inject events into the shared window. When you share a Microsoft Edge window, the browser runs as a separate process with its own security boundary. Teams cannot inject input into that process without a helper extension.

Microsoft provides the Microsoft Teams Meeting extension for Edge. This extension acts as a bridge between Teams and the browser. Without it, Teams can only share the screen as a static image, and the Give control button remains disabled. Additionally, if you run Edge as an administrator, the browser runs with a higher integrity level than Teams. This prevents Teams from sending input events, even if the extension is installed.

Another common cause is a Teams meeting policy that disables control for external participants. If the person you are trying to give control to is outside your organization, the policy may block the action. The default policy allows control, but your administrator may have changed it.

How the Give Control Feature Works

When you click Give control, Teams sends a request to the participant. The participant accepts the request, and Teams starts forwarding mouse movements, clicks, and keystrokes to your shared screen. The feature requires that both you and the participant have stable network connections and that the meeting is running on the Teams desktop app or the web app with the extension. The web version of Teams does not support Give control when you share a browser tab, because the extension cannot inject input into the same browser process.

Steps to Fix Give Control in Teams with Microsoft Edge

Follow these steps in order. Test the Give control option after each step to see if the issue is resolved.

1. Install the Microsoft Teams Meeting extension in Edge
   Open Microsoft Edge and go to the Edge Add-ons store. Search for “Microsoft Teams Meeting” and select Add to Edge. After installation, restart Edge completely. The extension works only with the Teams web app, not the desktop app. If you use the desktop app, skip this step.
2. Run Edge without administrator privileges
   Right-click the Edge shortcut and select Properties. Under the Compatibility tab, uncheck “Run this program as an administrator.” Also close any Edge windows that you opened as administrator. Teams cannot give control when Edge runs at a higher privilege level.
3. Restart Teams and Edge
   Close Teams completely by right-clicking the Teams icon in the system tray and selecting Quit. Close all Edge windows. Reopen Teams first, then open Edge. This resets the connection between the two apps.
4. Share a window instead of a browser tab
   When you share your screen, choose Window instead of Tab. Select the Edge window from the list. This sometimes bypasses the extension requirement because Teams can inject input directly into the window process.
5. Check the meeting policy for external participants
   If the person you are giving control to is outside your organization, ask your Teams administrator to open the Teams admin center. Go to Meetings > Meeting policies and select the policy assigned to you. Under Content sharing, set “External participants can give or request control” to On. Save the policy and wait up to 30 minutes for it to apply.
6. Use the Teams desktop app instead of the web app
   If you are using Teams in a browser, switch to the desktop app. Download it from the Microsoft 365 portal or the Teams website. The desktop app natively supports Give control without needing the Edge extension.

If Teams Still Has Issues After the Main Fix

Teams Shows “Give Control” Grayed Out for All Participants

If the button is grayed out for everyone, the problem is likely a policy or a permission issue. Check your meeting policy in the Teams admin center. Under Content sharing, make sure “External participants can give or request control” is On. Also verify that your device has a working microphone and camera, because Teams sometimes disables control features when it cannot access input devices.

Participant Cannot See the Control Request

When you click Give control, the participant receives a notification. If they do not see it, they may be using the Teams mobile app. Give control is not supported on mobile devices. Ask the participant to join from a desktop or laptop. Also check that the participant is using the latest version of Teams.

Control Works but the Mouse Moves Erratically

This happens when the shared screen resolution is higher than the participant’s screen. The participant’s mouse movements are scaled to your screen, which can feel unresponsive. Ask the participant to use a mouse instead of a touchpad and to move slowly. You can also reduce your screen resolution temporarily to improve the experience.

Edge Crashes When You Give Control

This is often caused by a conflicting extension. Disable other browser extensions, especially those that modify mouse or keyboard behavior, such as password managers or screen readers. Then restart Edge and try again.

Teams Desktop App vs Teams Web App for Give Control

Item	Teams Desktop App	Teams Web App
Give control support	Full support	Limited to screen share, not tab share
Edge extension required	No	Yes
Works with external participants	Yes	Yes
Best for sharing a browser window	Yes	No

The desktop app is the recommended option for any scenario that involves giving control. The web app is useful for quick meetings but lacks the deep integration needed for remote input.

After applying these fixes, you can share your screen and give control to any participant without errors. Start by installing the Edge extension if you use the web app, then check your meeting policy. If the issue persists, switch to the desktop app for the most reliable experience. Remember that the Give control feature is a powerful tool for collaboration, so test it with a colleague before a critical presentation.