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Moderators can use breakout rooms to divide participants into smaller groups during video calls.

Info

Breakout rooms must be started by a moderator on a computer.

Note

Breakout rooms currently cannot be live streamed or recorded.

Warning

You must use the most updated version of the Meet app.

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excludeParticipants|Join a breakout room|Tips for using breakout rooms|Ask for help|Return to the main room
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excludeHosts|Create breakout rooms in advance on Google Calendar|Create breakout rooms during a meeting|Respond to requests for help|Optional breakout room features|Join and leave breakout rooms|End breakout rooms
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Hosts

Create breakout rooms in advance on Google Calendar

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1

Create a new Google Calendar event.

If you’ve already created your event, open the existing event and click Edit.

2

Click the Add video conferencing tab and select Google Meet. A meeting link will populate.

3

Add your meeting participants by adding them to the Guests section of the calendar event.

4

Click Change conference settings (gear icon next to Google Meet link)

5

On the left, click Breakout Rooms.

6

Choose the number of breakout rooms, then choose an option:

  • Drag participants into different rooms

  • Enter names directly into a room

  • Click Shuffle to mix the groups

  • Click Clear to reset your rooms.

  • You can rename your rooms if needed, with conversation topics or other identifiers.

7

Click Save.

Create breakout rooms during a meeting

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1

While in an active meeting, click Activities > Breakout rooms.

2

In the breakout rooms panel, choose the number of breakout rooms.

You can create up to 100 breakout rooms.

3

Click Shuffle to randomly assign participants to the rooms.

To manually move people into different rooms, you can:

  • Enter the participant’s name directly into a breakout room.

  • Drag and drop a participant’s name into a breakout room. 

4

At the bottom right, click Open rooms.

Respond to requests for help

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A notification will show at the bottom of the screen when participants ask for help from the moderator.

To join that participant’s breakout room, click Join. To come back to the request later, click Later.

On the breakout room panel, an “Asked for help” banner shows above rooms that ask for help.

Optional breakout room features

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Remove participants who are currently not in the meeting or redo your breakout rooms

At the top of the breakout room panel, click Clear.

At the bottom of your screen, click Clear on the “Clear disconnected users” notification that appears.

Info

Tip (lightbulb): If you are reusing a meeting link where breakout rooms were previously set up, clearing disconnected users will move all participants into the main room and undo any previous breakout rooms.

Set a timer for your breakout rooms

Rooms display a 30 second countdown before the timer ends.

1

At the top of the breakout rooms panel, click Timer. Set the timer amount and click OK.

2

You can edit or remove the timer at any time by clicking on Timer on the breakout room panel.

Join and leave breakout rooms

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1

To join an individual breakout room, next to the breakout room number, click Join.

2

To leave all breakout rooms and return to the main room, next to the current breakout room, click Leave.

Info

Tip (lightbulb): Moderators won't see chat messages that were exchanged between participants before they join or after they leave a breakout room.

End breakout rooms

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1

In the breakout rooms panel, click Close rooms.

2

Click Close all rooms.

3

Important: Participants have 30 seconds to finish their breakout room discussion before they’re automatically moved back to the main room.

To close all rooms before the 30-second timer runs out, return to the breakout rooms panel and click Close rooms now.

Participants

Warning*If you are using the Meet app (instead of the website), please ensure it is up to date. Running an out-of-date app may interfere with your ability to join breakout rooms.

Join a breakout room

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  • Your moderator will create breakout rooms and invite you to join one.

  • Your moderator can join each breakout room at any time during the video call.

  1. Join the video call from your computer or the Meet mobile app*

Warning

*If you are using the Meet app (instead of the website), please ensure it is up to date.

Running an out-of-date app may interfere with your ability to join breakout rooms.

  1. When your moderator invites you to join a breakout room, you'll see a prompt on your screen. Click Join. If you click cancel, you'll remain in the main room.

Tip (lightbulb): If you dialed in through your phone, tap *2 to go to your breakout room, move between breakout rooms, or return to the main room.

  1. Once you're in a breakout room, you can speak to or send chat messages to other participants.

Tips for using breakout rooms

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  • If your moderator moves you to another breakout room, you'll see a new prompt on your screen. To switch rooms, click Join.

  • If the moderator sets a timer, the time left in the breakout session is shown at the top of your screen.

  • When the breakout session ends, you have 30 seconds before your mic and camera turn off and you're automatically moved to the main room.

    • You can turn your mic and camera back on when the moderator allows you.

  • If the host joins your breakout room, you’ll see this notification at the top of your screen.

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Ask for help

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If you need help during your breakout room session, you can ask the host for help.

Computer: On the top of your screen, click Ask for help.

If you don't need help anymore, click Cancel ask for help.

Mobile: On the bottom right, tap Menu and choose Ask for help. If you don't need help anymore, tap Cancel ask for help.

Dial-in users currently can't ask for help. (sad)

Return to main room

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During a video call, you can choose to leave a breakout room and return to the video call's main room.

  • On a computer: At the top, click Return to main call.

  • On a mobile device: At the top, tap to Return to main call.

When the moderator ends the breakout room session, you get an on-screen prompt to return to the main call. You can tap or click the prompt or wait to be moved automatically to the main call.