How to Mute Everyone on Google Meet

When it comes to video conferencing and online classrooms, there are some really great apps out there – Google Meet is one of them. It has a lot of great features, including the ability to mute participants.

But how does the app actually work? And can you mute everyone? This article will tell you everything you need to know about muting people on a Google Meet call.

Google Meet Mute Button – How Does It Work

The mute button is an essential part of all video and audio call apps. It’s especially important to know where it is and how it works if you’re on a conference call. Just imagine if you’re a teacher and you’re trying to share precious knowledge with students.

But one of them has a dog barking in the background, or music playing. Where is the Mute button for everyone?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist. Not yet, at least. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t mute each Google Meet attendee individually. It’s just going to take a little longer. Here’s what you need to do:

1. While you’re on a Google Meet conference call, click on the People icon on the bottom right corner of the screen.
   
2. A window will pop up with the list of all call participants. Select the name of the individual you want to mute.
   
3. You will see the mute icon (three dotted horizontal line). Tap on the icon.
   
4. Another window will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to mute this person for everyone on the call. You can choose “Cancel” or “Mute.”
   

That’s all there is to it. But given the fact that Google Meet can support anywhere from 100 to 250 participants, depending on which G Suite you’re using, that can be a lengthy process.

And before you start pressing the Mute button left and right, it’s essential to keep these relevant facts:

• Any person in Google Meet can mute anyone else. So that can get tricky in itself.
• If you mute a person, it’s not just you who won’t be able to hear them – no one will.
• Clicking that the Mute button will notify everyone on the call that they’re now muted.
• Once you’ve muted a person, you can’t unmute them. They have to be the ones who unmute themselves. It’s attributed to Google Privacy issues.

What If You Are the Muted One?

No one likes to be asked to stay quiet. But what if you’re on a Google Meet conference call, and suddenly you see that your Mute button has turned red? Someone in the call has muted you. Perhaps by accident. Or maybe you weren’t aware of a noise you were generating that was bothersome to everyone.

The good news is that you can simply unmute yourself and carry on. But if you want to know why you’ve been muted, you can ask via chat.

Just tap on the People icon and toggle to the “Chat” tab and ask others if there’s a problem. Because even if someone muted you by accident, they won’t be able to reverse it due to Google’s policy.

Use an Extension

Since Google has neglected to provide us with a native mute button, we resort to the old adage “Where there’s a will there’s a way.” If you’re using Chrome, there’s an extension to help! Mute all for Google Meet is an excellent and simple to use Chrome extension that gives you a mute button.

Install the Extension, open up Google Meet in your Chrome browser, then tap on the puzzle-piece icon in the far upper-right corner. Select the extension and choose your options.

If you select the Auto-Mute option everyone will be muted automatically. If you de-select this option, you can use the ‘Mute All’ option to mute and unmute as you please.

If Mute Button Isn’t Enough

A Google Meet conference call can get quite hectic. Especially if you’re dealing with an online classroom situation. Sometimes, muting and unmuting can become tedious.

You might even decide it’s time to kick some participants out of the conversation. Google Meet makes this easy – you can remove someone with just a few clicks. All you have to do is follow these steps:

1. In a Google Meet window, tap on the People icon in the bottom right corner.
   
2. When the list of participants appears, select the one you want to remove from the call then click on the three dotted icon beside the participants name.
   
3. You’ll see two icons. Select the second one, which is a circle with a minus button.
   

That’s all you have to do to boot someone out of a Google Meet session. This might seem like an extreme step, but it’s there for a reason. Conference calls with a lot of participants are a delicate ecosystem. If there are too many distractions, no one will be able to get any work done.

Unwritten Rule of Conference Calls

If you’re new to the whole idea of work-related group calls, it might take a while to adjust. You might forget that some noises which may seem trivial to you, bother others a lot. That’s why the golden rule of conference calls is to keep yourself muted until it’s your time to speak.

It’s as simple as that. If everyone abides by this principle, Google Meet calls will run much smoother. But in case the person who’s creating the noise doesn’t realize it, they can always be muted by anyone else in the call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I mute everyone without muting them for everyone else?

This can be tricky. Perhaps you don’t want to hear what everyone is saying but you also don’t want to keep them from talking to another person. It is possible to mute everyone in a web browser.

With the browser open, look at the Google Meet tab all the way at the top. You will see the sound icon. Click it and a line will appear. Everyone on the Google Meet call will go silent on your end while continuing to talk and be heard on theirs.

Will someone know if I mute myself on Google Meet?

Yes. If you mute yourself in Google Meet the mute button will turn red with a line through it.

Did you ever mute anyone in the Google Meet? Was it hard to find the mute button? Let us know in the comments section below.