How to Enable and Manage Google Meet Session Host Control Settings

Quick and easy-to-follow guide for Google Meet users

What are Google Meet’s Host controls

When you start a Google Meet session, you have access to host controls, which restrict what session participants can do.

How to configure Host controls in a Google Meet session step-by-step with images

Step 1

Click More options (the three dots icon) at the bottom.

Step 2

Select Settings.

Step 3

Select Host controls on the left. There are a few settings you can control under MEETING MODERATION.

Turn on Host management, and you will be able to restrict what session participants can do. You will also be able to add co-hosts and end the session for all participants.

Adding co-hosts

You can add up to 25 co-hosts if you are on one of these editions:

Google Workspace Essentials
Google Workspace Business Standard and Plus
Any Google Workspace Enterprise edition
Any Google Workspace Education edition

What happens when you turn off Host management

If you turn it off, participants will be able to do any of the things listed below:

Admit or remove participants
Mute each other
Record the session
Share their screen
Send chat messages
Turn on their microphone
Turn on their camera

Step 4

Configure meeting access settings

Scroll down a little. Under MEETING ACCESS, there are the Quick access and Attendance tracking settings.

Quick access

If you keep Quick access on:

Users in your domain can join the session without approval at any time
Anyone dialing into the session can join without approval
Anyone can dial out

If you turn it off:

You must join the session first, or else others can’t join
Only people you invited can join without approval; you must approve everyone else during the session, including anyone who tries to join by dialing in
People can’t join anonymously
Only you and other co-hosts can dial out

Attendance tracking

You may also be able to turn on Attendance tracking. This feature is not available for:

G Suite Basic and Business
Google Workspace Business Starter and Standard
Google Workspace for Education Starter and Standard
Google Workspace for Nonprofits

With attendance tracking, you receive an email with a Google Sheets link to an attendance report. The report includes:

Participants’ names
Participants’ email addresses
Part of their phone numbers if they dial in from their phone.
When they joined, how long they were in the session, and when they left. If someone leaves and joins multiple times, you’ll only see their overall time spent in the session.

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Set up a Google Meet Session’s Host Management Controls

Restrict what session participants can do.

Create Multiple Spaces in a Meeting With Breakout Rooms

Separate meeting participants into groups with different sub-sessions.

Show Your Screen to Meeting Participants (Screen Sharing)

Share your screen with all meeting participants.

Record a Meeting

You can record Google Meet sessions, including the chat history.

Add Background Visual Effects to Your Video in a Meeting

Change your background in a video meeting session.

Enable or Disable Captions in a Meeting

Enable captions to see subtitles when someone speaks.

View Meeting Attachments Added in Google Calendar

Take a look at attachments added to a meeting via Google Calendar.

Raise Your Hand in a Meeting

As a session participant, you can indicate that you are raising your hand if you want to speak.

Start a Poll in a Meeting

As a session organizer, you can start a poll and get participants to vote.

Start a Q&A in a Meeting

As a session organizer, you can ask questions and collect responses.

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