Muting a Google Meet participant can stop background noise while keeping the person in the conversation. It is useful for an open microphone, feedback, or a brief interruption. Muting once is different from locking microphones, which prevents participants from turning their microphones back on.
Check your authority and the right person
With Host Management on, only the main host and co-hosts can mute other participants. When it is off, the rules depend on whether a personal, Workspace, or Education account organized the meeting. If Mute is unavailable, ask the moderator to act. Identify the noisy connection before selecting a person, especially when the same attendee joined from both a laptop and a telephone.
Mute from the tile or People panel
On a computer, point to the person’s image and choose Mute, or open People and use the mute control beside their name. Verify the selected identity and observe the microphone status afterward. Listen for whether the interference stops; if it continues, another connection may be responsible. Avoid muting a speaker merely because their tile happens to be prominent.
Let the participant return to speaking
For privacy, Google does not let you unmute another person. Tell the participant to unmute themselves when they need to speak. Phone participants use *6 to mute or unmute their telephone connection, including after someone else muted them. A normal mute still permits self-unmuting; use an authorized audio lock only if the session requires a temporary restriction on all non-host microphones. If the issue was accidental, a brief explanation helps the attendee fix their environment without losing their place in the meeting or being removed from the room.
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.