Prepare to join
Check your meeting link, identity, device permissions, and saved preferences before entering a call.
The pre-join screen lets you check your name, camera, and microphone before entering a meeting. Use it to confirm what other participants will receive, especially after switching devices or joining an encrypted meeting.
Check the link and your role
Open the meeting link the organizer shared. For an end-to-end encrypted meeting, keep the complete link, including the key after #. A meeting code by itself does not contain that key.
You can join as a participant without becoming the organizer. If you need to manage a meeting you created while signed in, use the same account. If you created it as a guest, management depends on the original browser's stored credential. See Meeting access.
Prepare audio and video
Check each device independently. A working camera preview does not establish that the correct microphone is selected.
Confirm your display name
Use a name other participants will recognize. A display name identifies you in the call, but matching the organizer's name does not grant their permissions.
Select the microphone and camera
Choose the devices you intend to use. Device names may appear only after the browser receives permission. Recheck the selection after connecting or disconnecting a headset or webcam.
Review the preview and mute choices
Turn the camera or microphone off before joining if you do not want to publish that media immediately. You can select a microphone without turning on the camera. A front-camera preview may be mirrored so it behaves like a mirror.
Join with the intended settings
Check the audio and video controls once connected. Background and noise-filter preferences apply to live media after connection, so the pre-join camera image is not a guarantee that an effect is already active.
Understand saved preferences
Meet remembers choices in the current browser, including whether to join with audio or video enabled. Dashboard preferences and the pre-join screen use the same saved choices.
Changing browsers, clearing storage, or using a private browsing session can reset these preferences. A saved device choice also cannot make an unplugged microphone available. Check the current device list instead of relying on a previous session's selection.
Recover from a denied permission
Camera permission denial turns off the preview and shows a notice. You can continue without camera video if that suits the call, or allow camera access in both browser and system settings before trying again.
If the browser reports that no camera exists, confirm that the device is connected and available to the browser. For other failures, see Troubleshoot a meeting to distinguish media problems from link or connection problems.
Join an encrypted meeting
Use a browser that supports the meeting's encryption requirements. If the key is missing or invalid, request the full link from the organizer rather than deleting the fragment to force a join.
An encrypted call does not retain chat for later history search. Read Meeting privacy before relying on chat as a record of decisions.