Screen Sharing allows viewing but not control of the screen

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Level 1

74 points

Screen Sharing allows viewing but not control of the screen

I have 10 users in my office, and all are setup to allow screen sharing. It works for all of them, except one. On her Mac Pro, we can connect to it with no trouble, but once you see the screen, you cannot control it, even though the "Control" icon (target with cursor) is selected. We have tried toggling between the View mode and the Control mode. We have tried logging in as the user account, and the admin account, with both implicit access, and also by requesting access. In all cases, you can see the screen, but not control it. A couple of times, it seemed as though I could click on a window in the background, and that window would come forward, and then immediately, I would be unable to control it again.

We have tried it with Mojave to Mojave, and Mojave to Catalina. (The target system is on Mojave 14.6.) There are 10 other Macs in the office with the same configuration, and they all work fine.

Any ideas? Thank you!

Mac Pro

Posted on Mar 13, 2020 10:38 AM

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Answer 1

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D.I. Johnson

Level 7

24,149 points

Mar 14, 2020 8:16 PM in response to David Green4

Hello, David Green4.

Sorry to hear that you're having this problem with that particular Mac Pro.

If you haven't rebooted into safe mode anytime recently you should try that to see if it helps. Let the Mac OS do drive directory repair, cache clearing and other misc housekeeping. Often just booting into safe mode and logging in, then immediately rebooting normally will resolve an issue. You should do this with all your external peripherals disconnected but the keyboard and mouse.

Booting into Safe Mode…

Use safe mode to isolate issues - Apple Support

What Safe mode does:

Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed
Loads only required kernel extensions
Prevents startup items and login items from opening automatically
Disables user-installed fonts
Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

Restarting in Safe mode can often eliminate a problem or help identify the cause.

You can verify that you have started in Safe mode by clicking Apple menu  > About This Mac > System Report. Then find >Software< in the left column and look at >Boot Mode: Safe vs Normal< in the right pane.

Note– starting up in Safe mode could take 10 minutes or more. Be patient.

Does the problem persist while in Safe mode?

Restart your Macintosh and re-evaluate the issue.

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Answer 2

rose_10

Community Specialist

Mar 14, 2020 9:20 AM in response to David Green4

Hello David Green4,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. It's my understanding that you're unable to set up screen sharing on a Mac Pro. You've done a great job trying to get this resolved! I'm happy to help.

If you haven't already, please try the steps in the following resource:

If you can't share Mac computer screens

If the issue persists, please contact Apple Support for further assistance.

Contact Apple Support

Have a nice day!

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Answer 3

Mar 14, 2020 12:39 PM in response to David Green4

On the Mac Pro, visit System Preferences : Sharing : Screen Sharing, and on that panel, look at Computer Settings… . Is the Anyone may request permission to control the screen unchecked? Enable that feature, and see if you can control the screen.

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Answer 4

David Green4 Author

Level 1

74 points

Mar 14, 2020 6:37 PM in response to rose_10

Thank you, Sarah. Unfortunately, I had already tried the items in your first link. I know I can contact Apple Support, but this seems like one of those strange, anomalous problems that will be difficult to troubleshoot if someone hasn't specifically encountered it before!

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Answer 5

David Green4 Author

Level 1

74 points

Mar 15, 2020 10:58 AM in response to VikingOSX

@VIkingOSX,

Thanks very much. I tried your suggestion, and it seemed to solve the problem! I noticed the computer was not signed into iCloud, so I did that as well. I'm not sure if it was that, or your suggestion that worked, but Screen Sharing is now working.

Have a great day.

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Answer 6

David Green4 Author

Level 1

74 points

Mar 15, 2020 11:01 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

Hi D.I. Johnson,

Thanks very much for this suggestion. Safe Mode was next to try on my list, but @VikingOSX's suggestion already worked. I will keep your suggestion "in my back pocket," in case this happens again.

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Answer 7

Mar 15, 2020 11:02 AM in response to David Green4

You are welcome.

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Screen Sharing allows viewing but not control of the screen

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