Fix · Google Meet

Google Meet sound not working: nobody can hear you, or you cannot hear them

Most Google Meet sound problems are one of four things: the browser was not allowed the microphone, you are muted somewhere, the wrong speaker is chosen, or you joined in Companion mode.

What you are seeing

In a Google Meet call, people say they cannot hear you — or everybody else is silent to you.

The likely causes, most common first

Work down the list; most people find theirs in the first two.

1. The microphone was not allowed

  1. Google says the microphone has to be allowed in three places: for Google Meet, for your browser, and for your device.
  2. Click the camera-and-microphone icon in the address bar and allow the microphone, then reload the page.
  3. On a Mac, also check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone; on Windows, Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.

Google: “To use your microphone in Meet, you must provide microphone access to:” — support.google.com/meet/answer/10620276

2. You are muted

  1. At the bottom of the call, click Turn on microphone.
  2. Check your device too: a mute key on the keyboard or a switch on a headset mutes you outside Meet.

Google: “To unmute yourself in a meeting, at the bottom, click Turn on microphone” — support.google.com/meet/answer/10620276

3. The wrong microphone or speaker is chosen

  1. In Meet’s settings, under audio, choose the microphone and speaker you are actually using.
  2. A monitor with speakers is often picked by mistake; make sure it is not the audio output unless you mean it to be.

Google: “When you use a monitor, make sure it's not your selected audio output.” — support.google.com/meet/answer/10620276

4. You joined in Companion mode

  1. Companion mode is for joining from a second screen in a room that already has the call on; it switches off your microphone and speaker. Leave and rejoin normally.

Google: “Make sure you’re not in Companion mode, where the microphone and speaker are unavailable.” — support.google.com/meet/answer/10620276

5. People hear the sound from your speakers

  1. If others hear their own voices or your background audio, use headphones.

Google: “To avoid this, use headphones.” — support.google.com/meet/answer/10620276

Every quote above is from Google’s own help pages, read on 10 November 2026. Something changed? Tell us.

The longer guide, with more detail →

Other Google Meet problems

Transcript missingA Google Meet transcript is saved to the organiser’s Drive, only starts from a computer or an Android phone, and waits for the host to join on the web.Recording missingGoogle Meet saves recordings to the organiser’s Drive, only records from a computer or an Android phone, and stops by itself after eight hours.Notes or summary missingGoogle’s automatic notes need an eligible plan, a meeting of about fifteen minutes or more in one supported language, and somebody from the host’s organisation to start them.Breakout rooms missingBreakout rooms in Google Meet need an eligible Workspace edition and a host on a computer, and Google never records what happens in them.Camera not workingWhen the camera does not work in Google Meet, Google’s own checklist starts with the simple things: the right camera, another app holding it, and permission in the browser and the computer.Screen share not workingWhen you cannot present in Google Meet it is usually the Mac’s screen permission for your browser, a host or admin who turned presenting off, or a shared window where a shared tab — with its sound — was needed.

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