Use Google Meet with a screen reader

Topics

This article is divided into sections with headings. To jump to a specific section of the article, use the links below:

• Quick start
• Get started
  • Use recommended browser & screen readers
  • Set up your screen reader
  • Use screen reader navigation
• Learn about the Meet interface
  • Sidebars
  • Dialogs
  • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Use popup list of keyboard shortcuts
    • Windows keyboard shortcut considerations
• Complete common tasks
  • Join a meeting
  • Leave a meeting
  • Start a new meeting
  • Find meeting participants
  • Chat with others
  • Find meeting details
  • Change Meet settings
  • Present in a video meeting
    • Present in a meeting
    • Present with screen reader output
    • Stop presentation
• Learn about Google Meet Help

Quick start

Important: When you first join a meeting in Google Meet, in the browser dialog, allow camera and microphone access. Once you're in the meeting, to easily toggle your:

• Microphone:
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + d.
  • On macOS: Press Command + d.
• Camera:
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + e.
  • On macOS: Press Command + e.

To join a meeting:

1. Find your meeting:
   • On Google Meet.
   • On Google Calendar.
   • In an email link.
2. Open the meeting.
3. Tab to the Join now button and press Enter.

To leave a meeting:

• To return to the landing page or to quickly join another meeting, use the browser’s back function.
• To just leave the meeting, close the browser tab.
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + w.
  • On macOS: Press Command + w.

Get started

If you're logged in to your Google Account and a meeting is about to start, the landing page opens and the meeting subject is in focus. To join the meeting, press Enter.

Optional:

• Join a meeting
• Start a new meeting

Use recommended browser & screen readers

Use Google Meet with Chrome browser and these screen readers:

• On Windows: NVDA or JAWS
• On ChromeOS: ChromeVox
• On macOS: VoiceOver

Set up your screen reader

Use your screen reader to navigate the Meet user interface as a web page. Since that’s the default for the supported screen readers, it doesn’t require additional set up.

Use screen reader navigation

To navigate the elements of the Google Meet user interface, use your screen reader commands. You can find most controls as buttons that you can activate. Once you learn what controls are available, you can use your screen reader search command to quickly navigate to a specific control.

Learn about the Meet interface

In the Meet user interface, you can find buttons for actions like:

• Content presentation
• Tiles which show some meeting participants
• Action controls such as:
  • Camera toggle
  • Raise hand

Some action buttons show and place keyboard focus on a sidebar or dialog with additional information.

Sidebars

A sidebar can be opened to present additional information in Meet. These include:

• Chat: Activate the Chat with everyone toggle button. Learn how to chat with others.
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + c.
  • On macOS: Press Control + Command + c.
• Participants: Activate the People toggle button. Learn how to find meeting participants.
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + p.
  • On macOS: Press Control + Command + p.
• Meeting details: Activate the Meeting details toggle button. Learn how to find meeting details.
  • Tip: This also includes links to content shared with the meeting.
• Visual effects: Activate the More options menu button, and then Apply visual effects.
• Activities: Activate the Activities toggle button.
• Host controls: Activate the Host controls toggle button.

Tips:

• To close a sidebar, activate the Close button or press Esc.
• You can only open one sidebar at a time.
• If you open another sidebar or try to reopen the same one, the current sidebar closes.
• When a Meet dialog has focus, you can’t open a sidebar.

Dialogs

You can display a Meet dialog when a sidebar is open. You can’t display more than one dialog at the same time. The available dialogs include:

• Shortcuts: To display the shortcuts dialog:
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + /.
  • On macOS: Press Control + Command + /.
• Settings: To display a settings dialog, activate the More actions menu button, and then Settings.
• Troubleshooting and help: To display a troubleshooting and help dialog, activate the More actions menu button, and then Troubleshooting & help.

To close a dialog, activate the Close button or press Esc.

Keyboard shortcuts

These shortcuts also have equivalent UI buttons.

• Turn the camera on or off:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + e
  • For macOS: Command + e
• Mute or unmute your microphone:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + d
  • For macOS: Command + d
• Show or hide meeting chat window:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + c
  • For macOS: Control + Command + c
• Show or hide participants:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + p
  • For macOS: Control + Command + p
• Raise or lower hand:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + h
  • For macOS: Control + Command + h

These shortcuts don't have an equivalent in the UI and only produce screen reader output.

• Announce who’s currently speaking:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + s
  • For macOS: Control + Command + s
• Announce current information about the room:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + i
  • For macOS: Control + Command + i
• Announce recently received reactions:
  • For Windows or ChromeOS: Ctrl + Alt + x
  • For macOS: Control + Command + x

To review all shortcuts available in Meet, in Use Google Workspace keyboard shortcuts page, check the list of Meet keyboard shortcuts.

Use popup list of keyboard shortcuts

1. To open a dialog with more than one table of keyboard shortcuts:
   • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + /.
   • On macOS: Press Control + Command + /.
2. Review or filter the keyboard shortcuts.
   • To review: Use screen reader table navigation commands.
   • To filter: In the focused search field, enter the text.

Tip: Based on your screen reader, to perform some shortcuts, you need to toggle between web navigation and focus navigation.

Windows keyboard shortcut considerations

If you use a keyboard layout other than US English, shortcuts with Ctrl + Alt won’t work correctly and act like you pressed AltGr. To use the shortcuts, consult the Windows documentation on how to install and temporarily switch to the US English keyboard layout.

Complete common tasks

Join a meeting

To join a meeting in Google Meet:

1. Open a meeting through a link or the landing page.
2. In the Meet preview page, to turn your microphone and camera on or off:
   • Tab to the Turn on microphone or Turn off microphone button and press Enter.
   • Tab to the Turn on camera or Turn off camera button and press Enter.
3. Optional: To apply visual effects like an alternative or blur background:
   1. Tab to the Apply visual effects button and press Enter.
   2. Select the visual effects.
4. To join the meeting, tab to the Join now button and press Enter.

You can use “Other ways to join” if you also want to:

• Present when you join.
• Use companion mode.
• Use a phone to listen to the meeting.
• Connect to a conference room.

Leave a meeting

To leave a meeting, you can either:

• Close the browser tab:
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + w.
  • On macOS: Press Command + w.
• Leave the meeting and return to the landing page:
  • On Windows or ChromeOS: Press Alt + Left arrow.
  • On macOS: Press Command + Left bracket.
• Leave the meeting: Activate the Leave call button.

Tip: The meeting ends when the last person leaves.

Start a new meeting

To start a new meeting, open Google Meet. A landing page opens in one of 3 variations, if you’re:

• Logged in and a meeting is about to start:
  • If you’re logged in to your web browser with a Google Account and a meeting from your calendar is about to start:
    • The landing page opens with focus on a button with the meeting subject.
    • To join the meeting, press Enter.
  • There are also options to start a new meeting or join a meeting with a code.
• Logged in without a scheduled meeting:
  • If you’re logged in to your web browser with a Google Account, but no meeting is about to start, the landing page opens with focus on a “New meeting” button.
  • To start a new meeting, press Enter. It opens a menu with these options:
    • Create a meeting for later: Opens a dialog with a URL, a phone number, and a PIN. To copy this information to the clipboard, activate the Copy joining info button.
    • Start an instant meeting: Immediately starts a meeting. To add participants, in the “Your meeting’s ready” dialog, activate the Add others or Copy link button.
      • Tip: To familiarize yourself with the available controls during a meeting, use this with no other participants.
    • Schedule in Google Calendar: Opens a new event in Google Calendar.
    • Video call options: Based on your account, this presents encryption options.
• Not logged in:
  • If you’re not logged in to your web browser with a Google Account, the landing page opens with no initial focus.
  • If you have a code to join a meeting:
    1. Activate the Enter code button.
    2. To join the meeting, enter the code.
  • Enter the URL sent by the host into the address bar of your web browser.

Find meeting participants

1. To open the participants sidebar, activate the People toggle button or:
   • On Windows and ChromeOS: Press Ctrl + Alt + p.
   • On macOS: Press Control + Command + p.
2. To identify the name and role of each participant, use screen reader navigation commands.
3. To find a participant, tab to the Search for people entry field, type part of their name or address, and then press Enter.
4. When participants raise their hand, the sidebar shows a “Raised hands” section.
   • In the “Raised hands” section, you can find the total number of raised hands and the participants in the order they raised their hand.
5. To close the sidebar and return focus to the Meet UI, press the shortcut again.

Chat with others

1. To open the meeting chat sidebar, activate the Chat with everyone toggle button or:
   • On Windows and Chrome OS: Press Ctrl + Alt + c.
   • On macOS: Press Control + Command + c.
2. In the chat sidebar, the keyboard focus moves to the entry field to “Send a message.”
3. To read previous messages and sender, use your screen reader “previous item” navigation.
4. To close the sidebar and return focus to the Meet UI, press the shortcut again.

Tip: To enable new chat notifications, some screen readers and platforms require the chat sidebar to be open.

Find meeting details

To open the “Meeting details” sidebar, activate the Meeting details button.

In the “Meeting details” sidebar, you can find:

• Joining information:
  • Meeting link
  • Dial-in number
  • PIN

  Tip: To copy the “Joining info,” activate the Copy joining info link.

• File attachments such as Slides presentation.
• Agenda.

Tips:

• When you invite others to join the meeting, you can paste the joining information that you copy.
• To easily follow the agenda or presentation, in a new tab, open the file attachment. 

Change Meet settings

To open the Settings dialog:

1. In a meeting, tab to the More options button and press Enter.
2. To navigate to “Settings,” press Down arrow.
   • Press Enter.
3. In the “Settings” dialog, to navigate between the tabs, press Tab.
   • The “Audio” tab is selected by default.
   • You can find these 5 tabs in the settings:
     • Audio
     • Video
     • General
     • Captions
     • Reactions
4. To select the tab, press Spacebar.
   • The settings for the selected tab are after the “Reactions” tab in the tab order.

Tips:

• When you make changes in the settings, it takes effect immediately. There’s no need for “OK” or “Cancel” actions.
• To close the Settings and return to the meeting, press Esc or activate the Close button.

Present in a video meeting

You can present a tab, a specific window, or the entire screen in a meeting. While you present, you can share information such as documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.

Present in a meeting

1. To open the “Choose what to share” dialog, activate the Present now button.
2. You can choose to:
   • Share a tab (selected by default):
     1. Tab to the list of browser tabs.
     2. To navigate to the tab you want to present, press Down arrow.
        • If you present a Chrome tab, it shares the tab audio by default.
   • Share a window (press right arrow once):
     1. Tab to the list of windows.
     2. To navigate to the window you want to present, press Down arrow.
        • It doesn’t share the audio.
   • Share your entire screen (press right arrow twice):
     1. If you have more than one screen, tab to the list of screens.
     2. To navigate to the screen you want to present, press Down arrow.
        • It doesn’t share the audio.
3. Press Enter or activate the Share button.

Tip: With “Present now,” you can’t share system and screen reader audio.

Present with screen reader output

Important: This routes your screen reader audio output to the meeting and silences your computer. To also hear your screen reader audio, you can join with a second system or on your phone.

1. Open a meeting in Google Meet.
2. Tab to the Other ways to join button and press Enter.
3. Shift + Tab to the Present button and press Enter.
4. If the “Choose what to share” dialog opens:
   1. Tab to the Chrome Tab button.
   2. To navigate to the “Entire Screen,” press Left arrow.
5. Tab to and switch on: “Also share system audio. This device will be muted to prevent feedback.”

Tips:

• If you want to present your screen reader audio and still hear it on your system, use an external microphone.
• Position the microphone to clearly pick up both your voice and the system's audio output.

Stop presentation

1. On your browser, open the meeting tab.
2. Tab to the You are presenting button and press Enter.
3. To navigate to the “Stop presenting,” press Left arrow.
   • Press Enter.

Tip: When you exit or close the meeting tab, your presentation stops.

To share files in a meeting, present from Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, or other scenarios, learn how to present during a video meeting.

Learn about Google Meet Help

You can find links for more topics and scenarios in Google Meet Help. Some features are only available for certain Meet versions or account types.

Related resource

• Google Meet accessibility