What it means
The host or co-host can restrict screen sharing so ordinary participants cannot present. Muting controls microphone audio, not who can place content on everyone's screen. Annotation is a further permission that can let someone draw on a shared screen, while Remote Control can, with permission, let another person interact with the sharer's computer. Treat each as a distinct control during a disruption.
A real-world example
An attendee is muted after posting an offensive slide, but can still share another window. The host sets Who can share to Host only; later the host disables participant annotation because someone is drawing on the approved presenter's slide.
What to do
As host or co-host, use the active meeting's Share settings to restrict sharing and test with an ordinary participant. Review annotation and remote-control grants separately. Give a trusted guest a temporary presentation path, then restore the restriction.
The distinction that matters
The host cannot silently view a participant's desktop simply because the person joined, according to Zoom. A participant chooses to share, and remote control requires a separate grant. Host only may still allow co-hosts to share. Restricting screen content does not prevent chat links, audio abuse or an attendee filming the display externally. Removing an abusive user and documenting the incident may be necessary. Check the active meeting settings rather than assuming a web-portal default has already changed a live session.
Zoom participant controls Zoom screen share behavior
