To create a Google Meet link, go to Google Meet on a computer, click New Meeting and choose Create a meeting for later, then copy the link. You can also make one from Gmail or add it to a Google Calendar event. Workspace Essentials users can't schedule in Calendar.
If you run a small business or freelance, you've probably been on the wrong end of a client call where nobody could find the link. Someone digs through an old email, someone else guesses a code, and ten minutes of a booked hour has gone. A Google Meet link takes seconds to make once you know which of the three routes suits the moment.
Everything below follows Google's own Meet help page, so if a button has moved since I wrote this, trust the label on your screen and use my steps as the map.
Making a Google Meet link from the Meet website
This is the quickest route when you want a link now and don't need a calendar entry. On a computer:
- Go to Google Meet in your browser.
- Click New Meeting.
- Choose Create a meeting for later if you want a link to send out, or Start an instant meeting if you want to jump straight in.
- For a link to share, copy it and send it to whoever's coming.
Google's help says that to start a meeting you made for later, you paste the link into a browser or into the Enter a code or link box, then click Join. So the person who made the link doesn't get a special door: they use the same link as everyone else.
The first time you do this, your browser will ask for microphone and camera permission. Say yes, or nobody will hear or see you when the call starts.
Getting a Google Meet link from Gmail
If you live in your inbox, you don't have to leave it. Google's help describes this route for a computer:
- Open Gmail and click Meet in the left sidebar.
- Click New meeting.
- Click Send invite, then pick Copy meeting invite (to get the link and the joining details) or Share via email.
- Click Join now when you're ready to start. When you're done, click Leave call.
Copy meeting invite is the handy one for me. It grabs the link plus the details in one go, so you can drop it into a message to a client without retyping anything.
Adding a Google Meet link to a calendar event
For a booked call, put the link inside the event so it travels with the date and time. In Google Calendar on a computer, Google's help gives this order:
- Click Create, then Event.
- Click Add guests and enter the people you're inviting.
- Click Add Google Meet video conferencing. The link now sits inside the event.
- Click Save, and click Send if you want guests to be told.
There's one catch worth knowing. Google says Google Workspace Essentials users can't schedule a meeting in Google Calendar, so if that button is missing on a work account, ask whoever manages your Workspace which edition you're on.
If you book clients through another scheduling tool, Google has a route for that too: start a video meeting in Gmail or Meet, click Meeting details, then Copy joining info, and paste it into the event you're making elsewhere.
Who can get into your Google Meet link
A link is only useful if the right people can open it and the wrong people can't. Google's help names three access types set through host controls: Open, Trusted and Restricted. Open lets anyone with the link join without knocking. Restricted isn't available for consumer users, so on a personal Google Account you're choosing between the other two.
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Guests can also forward your link. Google says that for meetings organised by a personal Google Account, only the creator can admit an uninvited person. On a Workspace account, someone from your organisation has to accept them.
| Route | Best when | Where the link lives |
|---|---|---|
| Meet website, New Meeting | You want a link to share right now | Copied from the pop-up, or pasted into the join box |
| Gmail, Meet, New meeting | You're already writing emails | Copy meeting invite from the Send invite option |
| Google Calendar event | The call has a date and a guest list | Inside the calendar event |
| Another scheduling tool | A booking page sends the invites | Copy joining info from Meeting details |
Sharing your Google Meet link with clients and customers
Once you've got the link, how you share it matters more than people think. A few habits that save me awkward moments:
- Put the link at the top of the confirmation message, with the date and time right beside it.
- Send it again as a short reminder on the morning of the call.
- Test the link in a private browser window if you've set access to anything other than Open, so you see what a guest sees.
- Keep your own camera and microphone permissions switched on before the first call of the week, not two minutes before it starts.
If you'll be recording or taking notes on these calls, tell people first. I've written about the privacy side in my piece on AI notetakers joining calls uninvited, and the same courtesy applies to any recording. And if your calls turn into webinars, my page on finding a webinar recording after a Zoom call covers how recordings land afterwards on another platform.
If you can't create a Google Meet link
When the option won't appear, work through these in order:
- Check you're signed in to the right Google account. A work account and a personal one can show different options.
- If you're in Calendar and Add Google Meet video conferencing is missing, remember the Workspace Essentials limit above.
- If the camera or microphone won't connect, check your browser's permission settings for the Meet page.
- Try the Meet website directly rather than through a bookmark or an old tab.
The Meet help page on the mobile apps defers to Google's separate guidance, and menus vary by app version, so if you're creating links from a phone, look for New meeting or a similar button on the Meet home screen and follow the prompts. For what happens to an old meeting code, Google's help points to a separate article on meeting codes, so check there rather than relying on anything I'd guess.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a Google Meet link?
On a computer, go to Google Meet, click New Meeting and choose Create a meeting for later. Copy the link and send it to your guests. You can also start a meeting from Gmail or add a Meet link to a Google Calendar event.
Can I make a Google Meet link without Google Calendar?
Yes. The New Meeting button on the Meet website and the Meet option in Gmail both create a link without a calendar event. Google Calendar is only needed if you want the link attached to a booked event.
Why can't I add Google Meet to my calendar event?
Google says Google Workspace Essentials users can't schedule a meeting in Google Calendar. Check which Workspace edition your account is on, or ask whoever manages it.
Who can join my Google Meet link?
That depends on the access type. Google names Open, Trusted and Restricted, and Restricted isn't available for consumer users. Guests can forward the link, but on a personal account only the meeting's creator can admit an uninvited person.
Do I need to paste my own link to start the meeting?
If you made a meeting for later, Google's help says to paste the link into a browser or into the Enter a code or link box and click Join.
