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Guide · Microsoft Teams · Mac

How to play music or a video with sound in Teams on a Mac

You’re sharing a video in a Teams meeting and nobody can hear it. Or you want a bit of music at the start of a call. Here’s the quick fix, the one Mac-only step people miss, and a way to play music without sharing your screen at all.

The quick fix

  • Click Share, then turn on Include sound before you pick your screen or window.
  • On a Mac, Teams needs its audio driver for that. If it asks, install it and restart your Mac.
  • Want the music under your voice, without sharing your screen? Put it in your microphone instead.

Share your screen with sound

  1. In the meeting, click Share.
  2. Turn on Include sound.
  3. Choose the screen or window with your video or music.
  4. Play it. If it was already playing, pause it and play it again.

Everyone sees what you share and hears your Mac’s sound. That means all of it: Microsoft warns that notifications are shared too, so turn on Do Not Disturb first.

The Teams audio driver on a Mac

On a Mac, Teams can only share sound once its own audio driver is installed. The first time you turn on Include sound, Teams may offer to install it. Say yes, then restart your Mac when it asks. Microsoft also offers the driver as a download from its Teams help page on sharing sound.

If Include sound is on and people still hear nothing, the driver is the usual reason. Our no sound when screen sharing guide has the full checklist.

Play music without sharing your screen

Teams hears one microphone. If the music goes into that microphone along with your voice, everyone hears both, at the levels you choose, and you don’t have to share anything.

Patch, which we make, does this on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later. It mixes your mic and up to four apps into one microphone called Patch Mix.

  1. Add your microphone and the music to Patch. Open Patch, add your microphone, then add the app that plays the music or video: Spotify, Music, Safari, Chrome or a video player.
  2. Set the music under your voice. Turn on Send for both, and pull the music’s slider down until it sits under your voice. Turn on Hear locally so you hear it too.
  3. Choose Patch Mix in Teams. In Teams, open Settings, then Devices. Under Microphone, choose Patch Mix. Under Speaker, choose your headphones.
  4. Turn off noise suppression. In the same place, turn Noise suppression off, or set it to Low, so Teams doesn’t remove the music.
  5. Go live. Click Go live in Patch. Everyone in the meeting hears your voice and the music, and you never have to share your screen.

Wear headphones, so your real microphone doesn’t hear the music a second time. Always choose your headphones as the speaker in Teams, never Patch Pass-Thru.

Stop Teams cutting the music

Teams is built for voices, and its noise suppression can chop music up. This matters most when the music goes through your microphone.

  • Noise suppression: in Settings › Devices, set it to Low or turn it off. In a meeting, it’s under the arrow next to Mic, then More audio settings.
  • High fidelity music mode: in the same menu, if your Teams has it. Microsoft says it’s made for music rather than speech.
  • Mic Mode: if your Mac’s Control Center shows Mic Mode during a call, choose Standard. Voice Isolation removes music.

Questions

Why can’t people hear my video in Teams?

Usually Include sound was off when you shared. Stop sharing, click Share again, and turn on Include sound first. On a Mac, Teams also needs its audio driver: if it offers to install it, say yes and restart your Mac. If the video was already playing, pause it and play it again.

Can I share sound in Teams without sharing my screen?

Microsoft only describes sharing sound as part of a screen share. To play music without sharing your screen, put it in your microphone with a virtual mic such as Patch.

What is High fidelity music mode?

A Teams setting for playing music through your microphone, such as a live instrument. Microsoft says it’s best for music, not speech. Find it from the arrow next to Mic, then More audio settings. If your Teams shows it, turn it on while you play music.

Does this work in Teams in a browser?

Yes. When you share a tab, turn on Also share tab audio. When you share a window or your whole screen, turn on Also share system audio, if your browser offers it. The Patch Mix microphone works in any browser that lets Teams choose a microphone.

Will everyone hear my notifications?

With Include sound, yes: Microsoft warns that all your computer’s sound is shared, notifications included. Patch only sends the apps you add, so notifications stay out.