You can reduce the distraction of watching yourself in Google Meet without turning off the camera other participants see. Self-view controls change your local arrangement, while the camera button controls video transmission. Inspect the labels carefully so you make the intended change.
Move self-view out of the grid
If your image appears as a grid tile, hover over your own tile, open More options, and choose Remove this tile. Google’s instructions use this to switch to a floating self-view. It is not a command to remove yourself from the meeting. To put a floating self-view back in the grid, open its menu and choose Show in a tile.
Minimize the floating image
If the floating picture covers useful content, drag it to a better corner. To reduce it further, hover over it, open More options, and select Minimize. Google says minimizing applies only to your view. Your camera can remain active, so check the camera control separately if you need to stop transmitting video.
Verify the intended privacy state
Ask a participant whether they still see your video when that matters for the meeting. A hidden or minimized self-view is not evidence that the camera is off. Meet may also crop your self-view differently from another participant’s layout; use an uncropped preview when checking framing. Self-view preferences can persist in future meetings, so inspect the arrangement again before an important call. If you want both a less distracting screen and no outgoing video, turn the camera off deliberately rather than relying on a local display change. Keep microphone muting separate as well, since self-view adjustments do not silence your speech.
References
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 4, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.