Share content during an Adobe Connect meeting

Hosts, Presenters, and participants who are given appropriate rights, use the Share pod to display content to attendees.

When you share content in the Share pod, attendees see your pointer move in the Share pod window. All activities you perform in a shared window, application, or document are visible to attendees. The file formats supported in the Share pod are JPG, PNG, PPT, PPTX, PDF, MP3, MP4, and ZIP.

Content you can share:

• Selected items on your computer screen, including one or more windows, one or more open applications, or the entire desktop. See Share your screen.

• A document, such as a presentation, Adobe PDF file, a JPEG, or other file format. See Share a document or PDF.

• A whiteboard with various writing and drawing tools. You can share a stand-alone whiteboard, or a whiteboard overlay that appears on top of other shared content. See Share a whiteboard.

Attendees can view all documents shared in the Share pod but cannot download them. To enable attendees to download documents, a host or presenter must share them through the File Share pod instead.

Currently, attendees who join a meeting using the HTML client can view your screen, windows, or open applications that you share in the Share pod. They can also view shared whiteboards and all supported files in the Share pod. Connect also supports native views of PDF, PPT, MP3, MP4, Presenter, Captivate, and Whiteboard in HTML client. In MP3 and MP4 videos, Hosts can hide the play bar for HTML Participants. Due to the Autoplay policy introduced in all browsers, HTML Participants must allow the playback of shared video and audio files.

Install the Adobe Connect application for desktop

The stand-alone Adobe Connect application replaces the old add-in. It is compatible with Adobe Connect 9 and later versions. If you do not have the required Adobe Connect application or add-in installed, Adobe Connect prompts you to download and install it. You can install the latest Adobe Connect application (and other updates) from the Downloads and Updates page. 

Use Share pod to share content

The Share pod controls let Hosts and Presenters share content in various ways. You can maximize the pod to make contents larger.

When you share content in the Share pod, attendees see your pointer move in the Share pod window. All activities you perform in a shared window, application, or document are visible to attendees. The file formats supported in the Share pod are JPG, PNG, PPT, PPTX, PDF, MP3, MP4, and ZIP.

Change the content displayed in a Share pod

In the upper-right corner of the Share pod, select the menu options  , select Share, and choose My Screen, Document, or Whiteboard. You can also share items that you recently shared.

Using My Screen option, hosts and presenters can choose to share their entire desktop, the open applications, or some or all of the currently open windows.

Using the Document option, Hosts and Presenters can share whiteboards, previously uploaded files, content from the content library, and content shared with them.

Display in Full Screen mode

You can maximize the pod to make contents larger or share in full screen mode. To display the Share pod at full screen size, click Full Screen in the upper-right corner of the pod. Click the button again to return to normal display size.

Hide the title bar of the Share pod

To prevent attendees from switching Share pod to full screen or change the view, hide the title bar. To hide the title bar of a Share pod, Hosts and Presenters can click the menu options   and select Hide. 

Display changes in the presenter’s Share pod to all participants

If you choose to display changes in the presenter’s pod to all attendees, the presenter controls the pod size for attendees. For example, if the presenter sets the Share pod to Full Screen mode, the pod also fills the screen of attendees.

Turn off sharing but keep the Share pod open

Display recently shared content

Use a pointer in a Share pod

When content is displayed in the Share pod, you can use a pointer to beckon users to focus on particular areas.

Content support in HTML client

Connect displays only hybrid Captivate and Presenter content to HTML client users. As a meeting Host, if you upload new non-hybrid Captivate and Presenter content, Connect shows a warning message that the content will not be displayed to HTML users. If you reshare previously uploaded PPTs, Connect prompts to run the conversion process to make the content visible to HTML and Flash participants. If you reshare existing non-hybrid Presenter and Captivate content, a warning message informs that the content will not be visible to HTML participants.

New Presenter and Captivate content is supported for versions Presenter 11 and Captivate 9 onwards. As a Host, if you upload unsupported content versions, Connect displays an error message. If you reshare existing content in unsupported versions, Connect displays a warning message.

Share your screen

As a host or presenter in a meeting, you can share windows, applications, or your entire desktop. Your account administrator can restrict the applications and processes that you can share. As a participant in a meeting, to share your screen, a host must give you permission or promote you to a presenter or host. If users have a dual monitor setup, upon clicking Share My Screen, users get an option to share either of the two monitors. However, only one screen can be shared at a time.

When you share anything on your computer screen, actions you take in the shared region are visible to all participants in the meeting. Participants follow the progress of your cursor as you move it across your screen. When starting a screen share, the hosts and the presenters can enforce their settings for the participants. The Share pod can be opened in full screen mode for all attendees for a better viewing experience.

The region or regions that you share must be visible on your desktop to be visible in the Share pod to other participants. Overlapping windows on the desktop appear as a blue crosshatched pattern in the Share pod. If you are sharing an application and showing the native cursor of the application, you can enable the Show Application Cursor option in the Screen Share tab in the Preferences dialog.

Optimize screen sharing quality

Share your screen (Host or Presenter)

Share your screen (Participant)

Screen sharing options

Shares the contents of your desktop. If you have more than one monitor connected to your computer, a desktop appears for each monitor. Choose the desktop that you want to share.

The Secure Desktop Sharing option appears only if the account administrator has restricted the applications and processes that you can share. The Desktop option allows you to share authorized contents on your desktop.

Shares an authorized application and all its related windows that are open and running on your computer. Choose the application or applications that you want to share.

Shares one or more authorized windows that are open and running on your computer. Choose the window or windows that you want to share.

Using the mini-control palette while sharing screen (in Standard view applications)

Hosts and Presenters who share their screen can share, collaborate, and take some in-meeting actions directly from a Mini-Control palette displayed only for the user sharing the screen. You can use a new set of tools in a redesigned palette to move to either side of the screen.

Returns to the main room without having to stop the screen share.

When sharing an application, window, or desktop, the host can see a preview that shows what participants see in their Share pod.

Controls the meeting volume using the slider. This controls the telephony bridge, VoIP audio, and the chat sounds. To mute, drag the volume slider all the way to the left.

Allows you to connect to a microphone. If the meeting does not have a telephony built-in and is not connected to a microphone, it would use the computer’s internal microphone, by default. However, if connected to an audio bridge, the telephony icons are also displayed. You can quickly mute and unmute by clicking on the icon.

Allows to access your webcam and view the other participants' camera. The host also has the ability to start sharing, pause the meeting, and stop sharing.

Displays the attendee list. The host can drag-and-drop the participants to change their roles.

Allows the host to view the chat sent by any participant. However, the host cannot initiate the chat using the palette. If the host receives any new chats, the chat icon displays a red dot. You can click the icon to view all the chats.

Allows to view and take action on the in-meeting notifications. If you have any new notifications, for example, start or stop recording, any new user waiting for the access, etc. the bell icon displays a red dot. You can click the icon to view all the notifications.

Pauses your current screen share and allows using whiteboard tools to annotate the screen. The host can then resume or stop sharing the screen from the palette itself.

Manage the screen share from the System Tray

An Adobe Connect icon appears in your system tray (Windows) while you are sharing your screen. Click on this icon to view a menu where you can access the available options, like pause sharing and annotate, choosing which window to share and stop sharing.

Share screen in Compact mode using the MiniControl (in Standard view applications)

Hosts and Presenters who share their screen, can share, collaborate, and take some in-meeting actions directly from a Mini-Control that opens in the Compact mode. The palette is displayed only for the user sharing the screen.

The presenter can take multiple actions from the MiniControl and can access some pods, like the Chat pod and the Attendees pod. If a pod is not available in the meeting room, its icon in the MiniControl is disabled. The presenter can also see the in-meeting notifications in the palette.

You can perform the following actions from the palette, depending on your access permissions:

• Switch to the traditional meeting room by clicking Switch to Meeting Room in the upper right corner of the MiniControl.

• Start and stop screen sharing and preview your screen being shared.

• Pause and annotate the screen being shared.

• Control the camera, speaker, and microphone options in the meeting room. View the webcam feeds available in the meeting room in Grid or Filmstrip layout and switch the primary feed.

• Access and use the Attendees pod.

• Access and use the Chat pod.

• View and take action on the in-meeting notifications.

You can disable the MiniControl from the Meeting Preferences. In the Meeting Preferences, select Screen Share, and deselect Enable MiniControl panel for Screen Share. By default, this option is selected.

Share control of your screen

While screen sharing, you can transfer control of the shared desktop, window, or application to another host or presenter.

Request control of a shared screen

Hosts and presenters can request control of the screen. They can take control once they receive the necessary permissions.

Release control of a shared screen

Change the view of a shared screen

If another presenter is sharing a screen with you, you can scale the screen to fit entirely within the Share pod. In addition, you can zoom in for a clearer image.

Screen sharing on a browser

Hosts and presenters joining from browsers in Immersive A/V Experience-enabled rooms can share their screen without requiring the Adobe Connect desktop application. 

Share the entire screen

On the Share pod, click Screen. You can see the following options:

The number of screens depends on the number of monitors/display devices that you are connected to. Select any screen and click Share. 

Share an application

When you click Window, you can see the list of all active applications that you can share over the browser.

If you are on a macOS, you must provide permissions to the browser to access all the applications. Navigate to the System Preferences and grant access to all the applications. See the section below.

Share a browser tab

When you click the browser tab option, you can see a list of all browser tabs that are open for a particular screen. Choose the tab that you want to share.

Grant permission to browsers on macOS

Screen sharing settings

An Administrator can disable screen sharing from the browser. 

In Administrator > Compliance and Control > Share Settings, the screen sharing feature can be disabled.

When the option is enabled and a participant tries to share the screen on the browser, there is a prompt that asks the participant to launch Adobe Connect, and then share the screen via the application. 

Share system audio

While presenting or sharing the screen, you can share system audio in a meeting room 
if joined through the browser (Chrome/Edge on Windows, Chrome on Mac) or the Desktop Application. While sharing from browser, Windows users can share the entire system audio or from a browser tab, Mac users can only share audio from a browser tab. For Mac users who share from Desktop Application, share system audio option is only available if joined from MacOS version 13.0 and above.

Share a document

As a host or presenter, you can share documents that have been uploaded to the Content library, or share documents directly from your computer. Sharing documents from the Content library has the following advantages over sharing your screen:

• Better and higher fidelity viewing experience for participants.

• Lower bandwidth requirement for presenters and participants.

• More navigation options with the Adobe Presenter sidebar.

• Pre-loading and organizing documents in the meeting room.

• Easier presentation when multiple presenters are involved.

If you turn off sharing, change the content in a Share pod, or close the Share pod, the document is still part of the meeting room. It can be displayed again. To edit a shared document, edit the source document and reload it into the meeting.

Adobe recommends

PDF files in Desktop application

In the Content library, PDF files are stored as is. When shared in a meeting room, PDF files are converted to SWF files to enable synchronized navigation and whiteboard capabilities.

From the Share pod, hosts and presenters can download PDF files. Participants can download PDF files if hosts and presenters click the Sync button to turn off display synchronization.

PDF Portfolios and PDF files that are password protected cannot be converted into SWF files, preventing them from being shared in Adobe Connect. In addition, certain PDF features are not supported when sharing PDF files in Adobe Connect. In some cases objects within the PDF are either dropped, or only a simple image preview is displayed.

The following objects are dropped in Adobe Connect:

• Comment text (only the sticky note icon is shown)

• Attachments

• Bookmarks

• Audio clips (only the play button icon is shown)

The following objects retain a simple image preview (an image representing the object) in Adobe Connect:

• Forms

• 3D objects

• Multimedia objects (audio, video, and SWF files)

Download PDF

By default, participants cannot download PDFs from the File Share pod. This feature is only enabled by the host or presenters.

Print PDF

As a host or presenter, you can also print PDFs that have been uploaded to the Content library.

Share documents

As a host or presenter, you can share the supported file types from the Content library or your computer. The Content library is available in Adobe Connect Central. In a meeting, you can share GIF content from the Content Library. However, GIF format is not supported when you share content by browsing to your local file system using the file picker dialog.

Turn off display synchronization for documents

By default, Adobe Connect synchronizes display of documents so that attendees see the frame that the presenter sees. A host or presenter can use the Sync button to turn off synchronization. This functionality lets attendees go through presentations or PDF documents at their own pace.

Share a presentation

For hosts or presenters who share a presentation in the Share pod, special controls are available for navigating and displaying the presentation. A presentation layout has the following areas:

Presentation

The main part of the window, which displays the presentation slides.

Presentation sidebar

Area on the right of the browser window that shows the name of the presentation, Outline, Notes, and Search tabs. If you cannot see the sidebar, click Show Side Bar at the lower left of the presentation.

Presentation control bar

A bar at the bottom of the presentation that gives you control over the presentation playback, audio, attachments, and screen size. The bar is visible to hosts only, unless a host chooses to display it to participants. (To see all presentation toolbar options, load the presentation file to the Content library from Adobe Presenter. If you load the PowerPoint PPT or PPTX file directly into the Share pod from your computer, not all presentation toolbar options are visible. Deselect Sync navigation with participants  at the upper right corner of the presentation. 

Use the presentation Outline tab

Most presentations have an Outline tab on the sidebar. The Outline tab lists the title and duration of each slide. You can use the Outline tab to display information and to move to a specific slide in the presentation. The current slide is highlighted with a glow color, which you can change in the theme. You can choose to display the highlight outline to all attendees or to hosts and presenters only.

Use the Presentation Thumb tab

Presentations can have a Thumb tab on the sidebar. The Thumb tab shows a small picture of each slide, the slide title, and the slide duration. The current slide is highlighted with a glow color, which you can change in the theme. You can use the Thumb tab to see the contents each slide quickly and to move to a specific slide in the presentation.

View Presentation slide notes

When creating a presentation in PowerPoint, you can enter notes for individual slides. If any slide notes exist, they can be displayed in the presentation. Slide notes appear on the right side of the presentation window. You cannot change the size of the slide Notes tab.

Search for text in a presentation

Presentation toolbar options

You can control the presentation appearance and playback by using the toolbar at the bottom of the presentation. (To see all presentation toolbar options, load the presentation file in the Content library from Adobe Presenter. If you load the PowerPoint PPT or PPTX file directly into the Share pod from your computer, not all presentation toolbar options are visible. Delsect Sync navigation with participants  at the upper right corner of the presentation.

Pauses and resumes play of the current slide.

Moves to the previous slide in the presentation.

Moves to the next slide in the presentation.

Shows and controls the playback location within the current slide. The position marker moves as the slide plays. You can drag the marker arrow forward or back in the current slide to change your playback location. You can also click a specific location on the progress bar to move the slide marker position and slide playback there.

Shows the number of the currently displayed slide and the total number of slides (for example, 2/10).

Shows the status of the current slide, such as Playing, Stopped, No audio, or Presentation complete.

Shows the current slide time and the total slide time as the slide plays (for example, 00.02/00.05).

Shows the volume level that is set for the slide.

Displays a small window showing any attachments (for example, documents, spreadsheets, images, or URLs) that have been added.

Shows or hides the sidebar.

Share a whiteboard

A host or presenter (or a participant with the necessary rights) can use a whiteboard to create collaborative text, drawings, and annotations in a meeting.

Provide drawing rights to participants

Hosts and Presenters can let any participant draw on whiteboard by granting the drawing rights in three ways.

• To provide drawing rights to individuals, select the name from the Attendee list and from the pop up menu, select Drawing. Deselect the option to revoke the rights.
  

• To provide drawing rights in a specific whiteboard to all the participants, select Allow Participants to Draw from the pod's context menu. Deselect the option to revoke the rights in the whiteboard, for all the participants.

• You can grant universal drawing rights to all participants in all pods, from the in-meeting Preferences dialog. This preference is remembered for every session using the meeting room.

Create and display a whiteboard

A whiteboard allows hosts or presenters to create text, shapes, insert some symbols, and draw freehand drawings in real time during a meeting. By providing drawing rights to some or all the participants, meeting hosts can facilitate better collaboration. Users can zoom in and pan the whiteboard for a better experience.

You can use a whiteboard in two different ways in a Share pod:

• A stand-alone whiteboard allows presenters to create content on a white background.

• An overlay whiteboard allows presenters to create content over an existing document in a Share pod, adding annotations to and drawing on the document. You can lay a whiteboard over presentations, JPG, and PDF documents.

  If you turn off sharing, change the content in a Share pod, or close the Share pod, the whiteboard is still part of the meeting room. It can be displayed again.

Create a stand-alone whiteboard in a blank Share pod

Add an overlay whiteboard in a Share pod

Display an existing whiteboard

Navigate between multiple whiteboard pages

A stand-alone whiteboard contains multiple pages that you can move between during a presentation.

Whiteboard drawing tools

The tools available to create text and drawings on the whiteboard are displayed below.

Selects a shape or area of the whiteboard. Click a shape to select it. Drag on the whiteboard or content to create a selection rectangle that selects all the shapes within the rectangle. The selection rectangle has eight control points for resizing the selected shape or shapes. Shift-drag a corner control point to maintain the aspect ratio when you resize. Select and drag a shape to move it. To add a shape to the selection, Shift-click the shape.

Its width and alpha decrease with the speed of the stroke.

Creates a free-form thick marker line. You can customize stroke color and stroke weight by using the color picker and stroke weight. Its alpha decreases with the speed of the stroke but the width increases.

Its width and alpha remain constant with stroke width, except at a bend, at the start, and at the end. The tool is sensitive towards the speed of the pointer movement.

Creates a free-form line. You can customize stroke color and stroke weight by using the color picker and stroke weight pop-up menu. Its width and alpha increase with the speed of the stroke. The tool is sensitive towards the speed of the pointer movement.

Creates a floating multiline text field. You can customize fill color, font face, and font size by using the color picker, font pop‑up menu, and font size pop‑up menu. Drag to create a text area where you can type.

Click and hold to choose from rectangles, ellipses, lines, arrows, and more. Use the options to the right of the tool to customize appearance. Drag to expand the shape. Hold down the Shift key while dragging to create even width and height for shapes, or snap lines every 45°.

Undoes the previous action. You can undo the following actions: drawing a shape, moving a shape, resizing a shape, clearing the whiteboard, and changing a shape’s property. There is no limit to the number of times that you can perform this operation in the pod.

Repeats the previous action.

Deletes items selected with the Selection tool.

Using the options available in the Arrange menu, you can move the objects to the front or the back relative to the other objects in the whiteboard.

Print or export the contents of a whiteboard

To save your whiteboard content locally, you can either print a whiteboard or export the contents in a local file.

• In the upper-right corner of the Share pod, click the menu options  , and select Print.
  
• Click the menu options  , and select Export Snapshot > Save As PNG, to create a local snapshot.

• Click the menu options   , select Export Snapshot > Send Snapshot, and provide an email address to send a PNG snapshot via email.

Share files

Hosts and presenters can upload files to share with meeting attendees either from their computers or from the Content library. Unless a host changes a participant’s status, participants cannot upload files. Participants who want to upload files can request a host to change their attendee role or to grant enhanced rights for the File Share pod.

Upload a file

Download a file

Meeting attendees can download files from the File Share pod to their computers.

Download all files

To quickly download multiple files, meeting attendees can download all files simultaneously from the File Share pod, instead of downloading one by one.

If you are using the HTML client, choose Download All after clicking the Menu icon. The shared files are downloaded as a ZIP file.

Rename a file

This operation changes only the label that appears in the File Share pod; it doesn’t change the actual filename.

Remove a file

Share web URLs

During meetings, hosts or presenters may want participants to view websites. You can use the Web Links pod to force attendees’ browsers to open a designated URL. Participants who want to add links ask the host to change their attendee role.

Add a web link

Display a web page to all attendees

Rename a web link

Remove web links