Troubleshoot Meet network, audio, & video issues

Ping the Google Meet media front-end server for at least 4 hours.
> ping lens.meet.l.google.com
PING lens.meet.l.google.com (74.125.143.127): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 74.125.143.127: icmp_seq=0 ttl=47 time=25.424 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.143.127: icmp_seq=1 ttl=47 time=25.271 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.143.127: icmp_seq=2 ttl=47 time=26.262 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.143.127: icmp_seq=3 ttl=47 time=26.085 ms
64 bytes from 74.125.143.127: icmp_seq=4 ttl=47 time=26.219 ms

If your latency is too high, use the traceroute utility to print out the network path. This path should be as short as possible. On Chromebooks, enter:

> tracepath lens.meet.l.google.com

Check data regions

Admins can choose to store data in a specific region. Users outside that region might experience higher latency. For details, see Data regions: Choose a geographic location for your data.

• Running a test meeting.
• Using a WebRTC test tool.

Check users' computer & mobile device peripherals

• In the user's Meet settings, make sure the correct microphone and speaker are selected. For details, go to Change your computer’s video and audio settings.
• If the user is on a Mac, go to System Preferences  Sound  Input and uncheck the Use ambient noise reduction box.
  This option is not available on all Macs. 

Troubleshoot the speakermic

• If you're using a Chromebox for meetings, use a speakermic for the best audio.
• Put the speakermic close to meeting participants and in their direct line of sight.

For more details, go to the Meet speakermic Quick Start Guide.

Review custom camera or microphone setups

• If the space is prone to echos, do not use the camera's microphone.
• Make sure that the microphone and speaker volume and gain are set correctly. Too much gain or sensitivity can cause an echo or audio stuttering.
• Make sure the mic and speaker are connected to the same audio clock.
• Make sure no non-linear blocks are in the signal path.

Best practice: Use a headset with a boom microphone. Headsets can isolate background noise and prevent audio leakage.

Check for network issues

If the audio drops for a long period of time, the problem might be an unstable network. If the problem goes away when participants mute themselves, it's likely an issue with the audio peripherals. Try to narrow down the issue as much as possible, like to a location or network segment.

• Make sure that the microphone or speaker is not muted. If Audio  next to the person's profile image is not moving, Meet is not receiving audio from that user.
  If a user is muted, you'll see Mute on  next to their profile image.
• Make sure the microphone or speaker is not muted on their device.
• Check that the correct microphone and speaker are selected. If a wireless headset is selected but not used, it can look like audio isn't working.
• Check that the speaker volume is not muted. Do you hear anything when More  next to the participant's image is moving?
• On macOS Mojave 10.14 or later,  you have to allow Chrome and Firefox to access your microphone. Otherwise, Meet will not include audio from your device.
  To allow access to your computer's microphone:
  1. Go to System Preferences  Privacy & Security.
  2. Select Microphone.
  3. Next to Chrome or Firefox, check the box.

• Make sure that the sender and receiver devices have enough CPU power and memory.
• Narrow down the issue's location as much as possible.
• Identify whether the issue is on the sender or receiver side. If all viewers are receiving poor video quality from the same participant, it's likely to be a sender-side issue. 
• Reduce bandwidth usage by setting the default for video quality.

Troubleshoot sending issues

• In the user's Meet settings, set the Send resolution to High definition. To find the settings, see Improve your video & audio experience.
• Make sure the correct camera is selected. For details, see Change your computer’s camera or video quality.
• Make sure the camera meets your video quality requirements.
• Verify that the camera is working correctly by running a test meeting
• Check that the user's device has enough CPU power and memory.
• Measure the bandwidth and latency in your network to verify they meet the requirements. For details, see Prepare your network for Meet meetings and live streams.

Troubleshoot receiving issues

• In the user's Meet settings, set the Receive resolution to High definition. For details, see Change your computer’s camera or video quality.
• If the video freezes, you might have an unstable network. At the receiver’s location, measure the bandwidth and latency in your network to verify they meet the requirements. For details, see Prepare your network for Meet meetings and live streams.

Make sure users:

• Are using a supported browser. For details, go to Use a supported web browser.
• Entered the correct meeting code or clicked the correct link.
• Are invited to the meeting. Users can't join anonymously unless an administrator contacts Google Workspace support to request an exception.
• Are using a valid meeting code. 
  • If you are the meeting organizer, you can create a new meeting.
  • If you are a participant, you can ask the meeting organizer for a new meeting code.

If these solutions don't help, make sure the meeting owners' accounts are current.

Users can be dropped from meetings due to:

• An unstable network. For help, go to Wi-Fi best practices.
• Someone removed the participant from the meeting. The removed participant will see the message Someone has removed you from the meeting. To add them back, see Add or remove people from a Google Meet meeting.