How to Schedule a Google Meet

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. Click New Meeting and select Schedule in Google Calendar.

   

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.

   

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.

   

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

   

5. When you finish, click Save on the top right. 

   

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.

   

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 click the Join with Google Meet button in the event on their Google Calendar or the link to Google Meet in the email invitation to join the meeting.

   

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. Click New Meeting and select Start an instant meeting.

   

2. You’ll then see the Google Meet page refresh putting you front and center for your meeting. On the left, you have the link to the meeting. You can click to copy the meeting link and then paste it where you need for your participants. This is handy for popping the link into Slack, an email, or other communications app.

   

3. Alternatively, you can click 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, click Send email.

   

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 click the Join Meeting button or link in the email to attend.

   

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. Click New Meeting and select Create a Meeting for Later.

   

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.

   

3. When you’re ready to meet, pop your saved link into your browser's address bar and start your meeting.

With three flexible ways to hold a meeting, Google Meet is a great option. But, 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.