Google Meet’s Spotlight layout fills the window with the active speaker or shared screen. It can help you focus when a discussion has one main visual subject. Spotlight follows the meeting’s active content; use pinning separately if your goal is to keep a particular participant visible throughout.
Select Spotlight in layout settings
In the meeting on a computer, open More, then Change layout. Select Spotlight. Check which speaker or presentation occupies the main view. If you are trying to read a shared document, confirm the presenter is actively sharing the intended source rather than assuming the layout will start a presentation.
Distinguish focus from a personal pin
As different people speak or content is shared, the main image can change. If you must follow one person, such as an interpreter, find their tile or People-panel entry and use Pin for yourself when available. Pinning is a separate action and may change the arrangement you see. Google documents personal pinning only for full audio-and-video connections, not Companion mode.
Return to a broader meeting view
Open Change layout again and choose Sidebar, Auto, or Tiled when you need more participants visible. Unpin any item you no longer want fixed. Layout preferences are saved, so check the result instead of assuming the next meeting starts with a grid. If one participant appears absent in Spotlight, inspect the People panel; a focused display is not an attendance list. During a presentation, use the relevant enlargement control if you need additional reading space. Ask the presenter for a clearer source view when necessary rather than relying on Spotlight to make a dense or low-detail image readable.
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.