Use Companion mode to connect to a video meeting on a second screen in Google Meet. Having a second screen is useful when you're in a meeting room and you want to participate in activities or share your screen without worrying about echo. Learn more about Companion mode.
If you join a video meeting in a room with Meet hardware, you can also check in to the meeting so people can see your name on your participant tile and as being in the room. If you don’t check in, they can’t see your name in either place. Learn more about using Room check-in.
| Feature | Companion mode (second screen) | Full audio & video (primary screen or meeting-room hardware) |
|---|---|---|
| Share your screen & view presentations | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chat, polls, Q&A, & host controls, depending on your Google Workspace edition | ✔ | ✔ |
| Camera & self-view | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mic & meeting audio | ✔ | |
| Participant tiles | ✔ | |
| Join from mobile devices | ✔ | ✔ |
How to use Companion mode
1. Connect to a meeting
- In a meeting invite, click Join.
- On the meeting landing page, under Other joining options, click Use Companion mode.
- Click Check in to associate your name with a meeting room and display your name in the room’s video tile. The room name is also shown in your personal video tile.
- If you don’t check in, other participants can’t see your name in either place.
- If there is more than one meeting room, select the room you are in.
- To check in to a room after the meeting starts, click the meeting name and select Check in to a room.
Note: For full audio and video control, join in non-Companion mode on another screen.
2. Turn on your camera
In a video meeting, click Turn on camera .
When your camera is on:
- If you checked in to a meeting room, the room name appears in your personal video tile. Your participant tile also shows up:
- When you are presenting.
- Under the room name for other Meet users and on the meeting-room hardware.
- If you did not check in, your participant tiles shows up to other Meet users, but does not show up on meeting-room hardware
You can also change your background during a video meeting.
3. Share your screen
- In the video meeting, click Present now
.
- Choose to share your entire screen, a window, or a tab.
Your participant tile also shows up if you joined in Companion mode and checked in to a meeting room.
For details, see Present during a video meeting.
4. Host & participate in activities
| Activity | More info |
| Chat |
Send chat messages to video meeting participants |
| Hand raising |
Raise your hand during a video meeting |
| Polls (Activities |
Conduct a poll during a video meeting |
| Q&A (Activities |
Ask questions in a video meeting |
| Whiteboard (Activities |
Use a whiteboard in a video meeting |
| Captions (More |
Use captions in a video meeting |
| Attendance tracking (More |
Track attendance in video meetings and live streams |
5. End a Companion mode connection
At the bottom of the meeting window, click Leave call .
Download Companion mode quick start (PDF)