How to Schedule a Google Meet

Get a meeting on the calendar or start one on the fly

What to Know

  • Schedule a meeting: Select New Meeting > Schedule in Google Calendar > set date and time.
  • Meet right away: New Meeting > Start an instant meeting.
  • Get a link to start a meeting anytime: New Meeting > Create a meeting for later

This article walks you through how to set up a meeting using Google Meet. You can schedule a meeting with Google Calendar, start a meeting immediately, and grab a link to hold a meeting later.

Schedule a Google Meet in Google Calendar

Most meetings are planned in advance to give everyone a chance to prepare and mark themselves busy for that date and time. With Google Meet, you can easily schedule a meeting in Google Calendar.

  1. Go to the Google Meet site and sign in with your Google account. Select New Meeting, then select Schedule in Google Calendar.

    Select Schedule in Google Calendar highlighted.
  2. Google Calendar will open with your account in a new tab. Add all of the meeting information on the event details screen. Enter a title, select the date, and choose the start and end times for the meeting.

    Add your meeting details in Google Calendar
  3. Add your meeting participants using their email addresses under Guests on the right. You can check the boxes for Guest permissions if you want to allow any for your participants.

    Add your meeting guests
  4. Optionally, you can set up notifications, include a description, and select a color to code the meeting on your Google Calendar.

    Include notifications, a description, or color
  5. When you finish, select Save

    The Save button highlighted to save the meeting you've created in Google Meet.
  6. You’ll be asked if you’d like to send email invitations to your guests. Choose Back to editing to make changes, Don’t send if you plan to share the invitation with them yourself, or Send to send the email invitations.

    Send email invitations to your meeting
  7. When your participants receive the invitation, they can accept or decline just like any other event you invite them to with Google Calendar. They select Join with Google Meet in the event on their Google Calendar or the link to Google Meet in the email invitation to join the meeting.

    Click Join with Google Meet button highlighted in the invitation.

Start an Instant Meeting With Google Meet

With Google Meet, you can also start a meeting on the fly. This is convenient for quick conversations or if time is of the essence. 

  1. Visit Google Meet's site and sign in with your Google account. Select New Meeting, and then select Start an instant meeting.

     Start an instant meeting button highlighted in Google Meet.
  2. You’ll then see the Google Meet page refresh putting you front and center for your meeting. In the left pane is the link to the meeting that you can copy and then paste where you need for your participants. This is handy for popping the link into Slack, an email, or other communications app.

    The copy link button highlighted in Google Meet.
  3. Alternatively, select Add others to send an immediate email. The Add people window will appear for you to select contacts or enter the names or emails for your guests. Once you have your participants added, select Send email.

    The Send email button highlighted in the invite screen for Google Meet.
  4. If you use the Add others feature above, your guests will receive the email invitation with “Happening now” in the message's subject line and body. They select Join Meeting or link in the email to attend.

    Join Meeting button highlighted in the email invitation.

Create a Meeting for Later With Google Meet

One last option you have to hold a meeting with Google Meet is to obtain a link for a meeting later. This is ideal if you want a somewhat instant meeting but are waiting for your guests to become available.

  1. Visit Google Meet's site and sign in with your Google account. Select New Meeting and select Create a Meeting for Later.

    The Create a Meeting for Later button highlighted in Google Meet.
  2. A small window will display a link to your meeting. Click to copy the link and save it by pasting it into a note, email, or chat message. This allows you to share the link with whomever and whenever you like.

    The copy link button highlighted in Google Meet.
  3. When you’re ready to meet, pop your saved link into your browser's address bar and start your meeting.

If you’re still wondering if Zoom is a better way to go for meetings, check out our helpful comparison of Google Meet vs. Zoom.

Google Meet Time Limits

Free Google Meet users can host one-on-one calls that last up to 24 hours and group calls for up to 60 minutes. Google Workspace Individual Subscribers can host group calls for up to 24 hours.

FAQ
  • Can I schedule a Google Meet for someone else?

    Yes. Set up the meeting with yourself as the host. Then, go to your

    Google Calendar, find the meeting, and change the host.

  • How do I schedule a recurring meeting in Google Meet?

    When you set the time for your meeting, select the down arrow next to Does Not Repeat. Choose how often you want the meeting to recur.

  • How do I schedule a Google Meet for class?

    With Google Classroom, you can schedule class meetings, share classroom materials, and communicate with students all on one platform.

  • How do I schedule a Google Meet in Outlook?

    Go to Home > Browser Add-ins, search for Google Meet, and install the Google Meet add-in for Microsoft Outlook. Then, go to the Calendar tab > New Meeting > three-dots > Google Meet > Add a meeting.

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