Google Meet

The simplest way to create a meeting is to add a Meet link to a Google Calendar appointment using the "Add Video Conferencing" button. Recurring meetings will retain the same meeting ID / Link and will use any meeting security settings that were in effect on previous versions of the meeting. If you generate a new meeting in google calendar and add video conferencing, the meeting will have a new ID and link and the default security settings will be in effect.

You can also start an instant meeting from https://meet.google.com or from many of the Google Workspace tools such as G-Chat, GMail, or Google Docs.

What about my Personal Meeting ID? -- Google Meet does not support Personal Meeting IDs in the same way Zoom did. However, you can go to https://meet.google.com, click "New Meeting," and "Create a Meeting for Later." This will create a meeting, and you can copy the link. This link will be active for one year from the last time you use it. So as long as you use it once a year, it will never expire. You will be the host, and the meeting will retain whatever settings you change. Thus, it works the same as your Personal Meeting ID. Be sure to remove your Zoom Personal Meeting ID from email signatures, etc..

Like in Zoom, when you are the meeting host, you have the ability to admit, remove, and mute participants. You also have the ability to control the meetings settings such as whether participants are allowed to share their screen. 

You can access the host controls by editing the settings of the meeting before it starts, or you can click the lock icon in the lower right corner of a meeting in progress.

If you are the host, you also have the ability to manage who can join your meeting and when they can join it. The default settings work a little differently than Zoom, so you may want to change them.

The most important difference is that by default, any invited user has the ability to join the meeting before the host arrives. You will probably want to change that setting by turning on the setting "Host must join before anyone else."

When sharing a video into a meeting, we have found that the best performance occurs when you play the video in a Chrome tab and share that tab rather than using a separate program to play the video such as Quicktime. If your video file is stored locally, you can simply drag the file into the Chrome browser to play it in a new tab.

A Google account is not Required to participate in a Google Meet. If you are not logged into Google, you will be prompted to type your name in before joining the meeting.

Three levels of access, which the host can set using Host Controls, are:

• Public - anyone can join the meeting without being admitted by the host.

• Trusted - anyone with a d-e.org Google account and anyone explicitly invited through a Calendar invite can join without being admitted by the host.

• Restricted - Anyone who has been invited through a calendar invite can join without being admitted by the host. Everyone else (including those with d-e.org accounts) must be admitted from the waiting room.

If permitted by the meeting host, meeting participants can share their screen into the meeting. When you initiate a screen sharing session, you will be prompted to share a Chrome Tab, an application window, or your entire screen.

Just like with Zoom, you will have to give Chrome and the Meet website permission to record your screen before you are able to share a window or the entire screen.

The simplest way to create a meeting is to add a Meet link to a Google Calendar appointment using the "Add Video Conferencing" button. Recurring meetings will retain the same meeting ID / Link and will use any meeting security settings that were in effect on previous versions of the meeting. If you generate a new meeting in Google Calendar and add video conferencing, the meeting will have a new ID and link and the default security settings will be in effect.

You can also start an instant meeting from https://meet.google.com or from many of the Google Workspace tools such as G-Chat, GMail, or Google Docs.

Use picture-in-picture mode. This feature is only available if you use Google Chrome. It is available under the More options menu (3 vertical dots).

You can upload an image provided by you for use as a background under More Options > Apply Visual Effects > Backgrounds > Unpload a Background Image.  For more details and a demonstration video, see this Google support article.

The Google Chrome browser or Microsoft Edge browser may be required to use this feature.

For a custom image file, Google  recommends that you use JPEG images, landscape orientation, and images no larger than 1920x1080p. You should test the image after uploading using a meeting by yourself before you need it.

The best way to access Meet from a cell phone is by using the Meet app, which can be downloaded from the Google Play store or the Apple App Store. 

When you install the app, you should be prompted to give it permission to access the phone's camera and microphone.