A single Google Meet meeting has the capacity for 100 attendees, for free. This is why it often beats other online meeting tools like Zoom that limit the maximum number of attendees and meeting time.
Google Meet grid view
Google Meet's large attendance capability means it can be used for meetings that will be attended by many people, however, with more attendees, it becomes harder to see who is speaking. For this, there is the grid view.
The grid view in Google Meet shows people's videos or their image in a tile layout that allows multiple people to be visible on the screen at the same time. It creates a more "room-like" feeling since you can see all or most of the people in the meeting.
The grill can accommodate 16-49 people.
Enable Google Meet Grid View
To enable Google Meet grid view, follow these steps:
- Join a Google Meet meeting.
- Click the More options / three dots button in the bottom control bar.
- Select Edit Layout from the menu.
- In the menu that opens, select "Side by Side".
- Use the slider below to choose the size of the grid.
- Close the menu and the meeting participants will appear in the grid.
Other Google Meet layouts
For many users, the grid layout works well to create a more realistic meeting. Unfortunately, the grid display can turn into noise when it reaches 49 people, making it less effective. There isn't much you can do to counter this, but it's a good idea to explore the other layouts available and see if they work best for you.
You can access the other Google Meet layouts from the Edit Layout menu. These layouts are:
- Auto: Google Meet will adjust the layout based on the number of people in the meeting.
- Spotlight: The speaker is highlighted and no one else is shown.
- Sidebar: Meeting participants appear as thumbnails in a sidebar.
Note: If you choose to lock yourself or another speaker in a meeting, it can affect the grid or whatever layout you are using.
