Learn how to view people in Google Meet

To optimize screen usage and display the most active content and participants, Meet dynamically adapts the layout in a meeting.

Change your layout

When you change your layout:

You can change the number of participants and how they display on your screen.
Changes are automatically saved and shown in future meetings.
The number of participant tiles you see may change based on the browser size and whether there’s an active presentation in the meeting.

On a computer, join a video meeting.
At the bottom, click More Change layout .
Select an option:
- Auto (dynamic) : This default layout maximizes available space and focuses on what’s most important. This layout allows for portrait tiles, where the backgrounds of participants might be automatically cropped out. It adapts your view and tile size in Meet based on the:
  - Size of your browser window
  - Number of participants in the call
  - Presence of active presentation
- Tiled (legacy): This view shows users in a fixed grid without portrait cropping. It doesn’t use screen space as efficiently as “Auto (dynamic),” but is less likely to crop anyone out of view. If there’s no active presentation, it can show up to 49 people at the same time. By default, you find 16 tiles on your screen.
  - At the bottom, move the slider to the number of tiles you want to see on your screen. The number of tiles you choose becomes the default for future meetings until you change it. In some cases, you might see a message that your selection is not saved, this can be due to performance limitations on your computer’s processor.
- Spotlight: The active speaker or shared screen fills the entire window.
- Sidebar: The main image is the active speaker or shared screen. You’ll see thumbnails of additional participants on the side.
Optional: You can hide participants who turn off their video. This doesn’t affect how their screens look. To hide non-video tiles:
1. At the bottom, click More .
2. Select Change layout .
3. Turn on Hide tiles without video .

Fix problems with layouts

When you use tiles in your layout, you may experience performance issues, like your video freezing. To try to fix the problems, you can:

Close any open browser tabs, windows, or apps that aren’t currently being used.
Reduce the number of tiles in your layout.
Turn off your camera.

If you’re still experiencing issues with Meet, check if your device has the recommended hardware.

Uncrop other users

If other participants move around a lot after they’re centered (framed), they can be cropped out of view.

To uncrop any other tile:

Hover over the participant’s tile that you want to uncrop.
Click More options Show the full video .
- To undo this and have them show in a portrait tile again:
  1. Follow the same steps.
  2. Select Crop this video .

Tip: This action only affects your view of the participant in your layout.

Prevent your tile from being cropped for others

Some users, especially those who communicate with sign language, might prefer that their own video feed isn’t cropped into a portrait tile so as to avoid having their hand gestures cropped. To do this:

In the meeting, hover over your self-view tile.
Click More options Show my full video to others .
In the pop-up that shows, click Show full video.

Tips:

This setting is saved for all your future meetings.
To return to the default behavior and be visible in portrait tiles again:
1. Follow the same steps.
2. Click Let Meet shrink my video for others.

View yourself in a video meeting

When you join a video meeting using full audio and video, your self-view is automatically on.

If you’re in a meeting with one person, your self-view shows as a floating picture at the bottom right corner. If someone else joins or a presentation is added, your self-view is automatically added to the grid. When your self-view is added to the grid, your video feed might be cropped. Depending on other participants’ layouts and screen sizes, it’s possible that others may see more of your video than you see in your cropped self-view.

To see your uncropped self-view, you can either uncrop your self-view in its tile in your grid, or switch to the floating picture. Your choice saves for future meetings.

You can also drag your floating image across the screen and minimize your self-view.

To change between your self-view options

If you appear as a tile within the grid and want to switch to floating:

Hover over your tile.
Click More options Remove this tile .

If you appear as a cropped tile within the grid and want to view yourself uncropped:

Hover over your tile.
At the bottom right of your self-view tile, click Let Meet shrink my video for others .

If you appear as an uncropped tile within the grid and want to view yourself cropped:

Hover over your tile.
At the bottom right of your self-view tile, click Crop .

If you appear as a floating picture and want to switch to in-grid:

Hover over your tile.
Click More options Show in a tile .

Tips:

Your self-view preference remains the same for all future meetings unless you change it.
Uncropping your self-view in this way only affects your personal view of your video feed. Other users will find your video feed in the aspect ratio that works best for their screen. To ensure that you always appear uncropped on others’ layouts, follow the instructions here.
Meetings with 3 or more participants: You can select between floating self-view or be part of the grid. The setting is saved for all your future meetings.
Meetings with just 2 participants: You’ll see yourself as a floating picture when you join the meeting by default. You can still change your self-view to a tile, can be cropped or uncropped, within the grid. The setting is saved for all your future meetings.

Manage your floating self-view

To move your floating self-view:
1. Hover over your floating self-view until the icon shows.
2. Drag your self-view to a corner of your screen.

If your self-view distracts you or covers content that you want to have visible, you can minimize your floating self-view. To minimize your floating self-view:
1. Hover over your floating self-view.
2. Click More options Minimize .
  - You can also drag your minimized view across the screen.

Important: If you minimize your video feed, it only applies to your view.

Find your meeting or call tab with Search Tabs

At the top right corner of your Chrome browser, click Search tabs .
Select your meeting or call tab.
- Tip: A separate "Audio & Video" section appears if you have a tab with live audio or video.

Tip: You can also use a keyboard shortcut:

On Windows PC and Chromebook: Ctrl + Shift + A.
On macOS: Shift + + A.

Use picture-in-picture

Learn how to use picture-in-picture with Google Meet.