Overview
Some users running Microsoft Teams inside a Softdrive virtual machine may experience an issue where the screen sharing toolbar or control bar becomes invisible during meetings.
In this scenario, the toolbar may still technically be present (for example, hovering the mouse may interact with it), but the controls themselves are not visible. This can prevent users from accessing screen sharing controls, annotations, or meeting options.
This behavior occurs because Microsoft Teams must operate in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) compatibility mode when running inside virtual machines such as Softdrive. If Teams does not automatically detect the VDI environment, certain interface elements may render incorrectly.
Common Causes
The issue typically occurs when:
Microsoft Teams does not automatically detect that it is running inside a virtual desktop environment.
Teams renders interface elements using DirectComposition overlays, which may not display correctly through remote desktop streaming.
The screen sharing control bar is created as a protected overlay window that the remote display pipeline cannot render properly.
The virtual machine was created before the VDI compatibility configuration was applied.
This behavior is not specific to Softdrive and has been observed in other virtual desktop environments such as Azure Virtual Desktop, VMware Horizon, and Citrix.
Troubleshooting
Step 1 – Enable Teams VDI Compatibility Mode
To ensure Microsoft Teams renders correctly in Softdrive, configure the following registry key on the virtual machine.
Open Registry Editor and navigate to:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Teams
Create the following value if it does not already exist:
| Name | Type | Value |
|---|---|---|
| IsWVDEnvironment | REG_DWORD | 1 |
This setting forces Microsoft Teams to operate in VDI mode, allowing the application to render interface elements correctly within a virtual desktop environment.
Step 2 – Apply the Setting Using PowerShell
As an alternative to manually creating the registry key, you can run the following PowerShell command as Administrator:
New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Teams" -Force New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Teams" -Name "IsWVDEnvironment" -PropertyType DWord -Value 1 -Force
This will create the required registry path and set the correct value automatically.
Step 3 – Restart Microsoft Teams
After applying the registry change:
Close Microsoft Teams completely.
Reopen Teams and join a meeting.
Test screen sharing to confirm the toolbar appears normally.
A full machine reboot is not required.
Step 4 – Contact Support if the Issue Persists
If the toolbar is still not visible after applying the configuration, please open a support request with the Softdrive team.