To chat in Google Meet, join the meeting and click Chat at the bottom right, type your message and click Send. Whether your messages survive the call depends on continuous meeting chat: with it on, the conversation lives in Google Chat before, during and after the meeting; without it, messages disappear when the meeting ends.
Here's the catch. Even with continuous chat on, guests from outside the host's organisation, people who aren't signed in and anyone not on the calendar invite only see messages sent while they're in the call. Anything sent before they join stays hidden, and they see nothing after the meeting ends.
In-meeting chat vs continuous chat
| As of October 2026 | In-meeting chat | Continuous meeting chat |
|---|---|---|
| When you can chat | Only while you're in the call | Before, during and after the meeting |
| Where messages live | Inside Meet; gone when you leave | Your Google Chat conversations list |
| Join late? | You only see messages sent after you join, plus pinned ones | Internal guests on the invite see the whole history |
| Extras | Pinned messages on a computer | Text formatting, mentions and reactions |
| Who gets it | Everyone, including meeting room hardware, which can read but not send | Business, Enterprise and Frontline editions |
| Saved with a recording? | Yes, the chat log is saved | No, not saved to the organiser's Drive with the recording |
As of October 2026, continuous meeting chat works on Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Essentials Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Frontline Starter, Frontline Standard and Frontline Plus. If you can't use it, you still have in-meeting chat.
Sending a message on computer and phone
- On your computer, join the meeting.
- At the bottom right, click Chat.
- Type your message and click Send.
On a phone or tablet, tap More controls, then Chat with everyone, type and tap Send. If you're an internal guest on the calendar invite, you'll be sent to the Google Chat or Gmail app instead, where you get the full history and features like mentions and reactions. Messages are visible to everyone in the call and to internal guests on the invite, even if they haven't joined. If you want to change how your name shows next to your messages, here's how to change your name on Google Meet.
Why continuous chat isn't showing
Some meetings fall back to in-meeting chat no matter what. Continuous chat doesn't work for:
- Live streams, instant meetings, huddles and events without a Meet ID.
- Breakout rooms and meetings with a waiting room.
- Meetings using client-side encryption.
- Meetings created in Google Calendar with more than 200 invited guests, including Google Groups.
- Events where the organiser turned off See guest list before the chat was created.
- Users whose admin disabled Google Chat, or whose chat history policy is forced off, which gives them read-only access.
Devices can limit it too, such as Zoom Rooms or Cisco Webex Rooms, or a phone with an outdated system, an old Chat app or no Chat app. One trade-off to know: with continuous chat on, you can't set up a live stream in that meeting.
Finding old meeting chats in Google Chat
Continuous chats are saved as Meeting Conversations, named after the event and date, such as Sales Team Weekly, Nov 8. Each instance of a recurring event gets its own conversation. To keep them tidy, open Google Chat, or Chat in Gmail, find Direct messages, click Section actions, then Create meeting section, and click Create.
A conversation only appears if someone sent a message before or during the meeting. These conversations can't be converted into Google Chat spaces, and all messages follow your organisation's Google Chat retention policies.
External guests and the guest list
When an external user joins, internal users are notified and an External badge stays visible in Google Chat, with warnings in the chat header and when composing. Some rich media from internal users, such as images, video files or custom domain GIFs, may not be viewable for external guests. External guests invited through Chat with Guests in Calendar aren't added to the conversation automatically either.
Turning off See guest list matters. Do it before the chat exists and Chat with guests and continuous chat both become unavailable. Do it afterwards and the chat carries on, but it stops syncing with the event, so removing someone from the event doesn't remove them from the chat.
Controlling who can post
With Host management on, hosts can stop participants sending messages while still letting them read. In a meeting, click Host controls and turn Let contributors send messages on or off. Before the meeting, open the Calendar event, click Video call options and use the Chat moderation section, where you can also set Continuous meeting chat to on or off. That choice can't be changed once the meeting begins.
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Turn messaging off in a recurring meeting and it stays off next time. In a one-time, nicknamed or instant meeting, it switches back on after the meeting ends. If the toggle won't move, you might need to turn off a Chrome extension for Meet. Hosts can also decide whether live stream viewers can see and send chat messages.
Pinned messages
On a computer, hover over a message and click Pin at the top right. You can pin and unpin your own messages, and hosts can unpin anyone's. Pinned messages show to people who join later on a computer, even if they were pinned before they arrived, but they don't show on mobile. If you use VoiceOver, you'll hear a sound when a message arrives but it isn't read out, so open the chat panel to hear it. If you're running a big meeting and struggling to keep track of faces as well as messages, here's how to see everyone on Google Meet.
My verdict on Meet chat
I'd leave continuous chat on for internal team meetings, because links and decisions stay in Google Chat long after the call. I'd turn it off before a meeting where I want a clean slate, or where I'm planning a live stream. With clients or outside guests, I'd assume they only see what's sent while they're in the room, so I'd pin anything they need and send key links by email afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Google Meet chat go after the meeting?
With continuous meeting chat on, messages are saved in Google Chat and internal guests on the invite can see them before, during and after the meeting. Without it, messages disappear as soon as the meeting ends.
Why can't I see chat messages sent before I joined Google Meet?
If continuous meeting chat is off, or you're outside the host's organisation, not signed in or not on the calendar invite, messages sent before you join won't be visible to you.
Is Google Meet chat saved with the recording?
When meetings are recorded the chat conversation log is also saved. With continuous meeting chat enabled, chat messages aren't saved to the organiser's Drive with the recording.
Can I stop people sending messages in Google Meet chat?
Yes. With Host management on, click Host controls and turn Let contributors send messages off. Participants can still read the messages.
Why is continuous meeting chat not available?
It isn't supported in some meeting types, such as live streams, instant meetings, breakout rooms, meetings with waiting rooms and meetings with more than 200 invited guests.
