To hide Google Meet in Gmail on a computer, click the Settings gear, find Apps in Gmail or Chat and Meet, click Customize, uncheck Google Meet, and choose Done. Reload Gmail if it asks you to. You can leave Google Chat selected if you still use it.
This removes the Meet shortcut from Gmail's navigation. Your email stays in place, and you can still use Google Meet separately. You can also reverse the change from the same customization screen.
These instructions apply to Gmail in a supported desktop browser on Windows, Mac, or Chromebook. Older layouts and the separate Android and iPhone controls are covered below. Google currently documents two names for the customization section, so look for either label in your account. For background on the layout that added this section, see how to enable the new Gmail.
In this guide
- Hide Meet using the current Gmail controls
- Keep Chat, restore Meet, or use an older layout
- Choose the right control for sidebar clutter
- Fix a missing setting or a change that did not stick
- Hide the Meet tab in the mobile app
- Answers to common questions
Open your Gmail inbox in a browser and check the profile picture or initial at the upper right. If you have a personal Gmail account and a work or school account open, make sure you are changing the intended mailbox. Treat each account separately and verify the result in each one you use.
You do not need to install an extension, delete an app, or grant camera and microphone access to hide a navigation shortcut. Those permissions concern making a call, which is a different task.
Finish typing any important message and make sure its draft has saved before accepting a reload prompt. The change concerns the layout, but a reload still interrupts what is currently on your screen.
How to hide Meet in the current Gmail layout
- Open your Gmail inbox and click Settings. Click the gear near the upper right of the page. Gmail opens the Quick settings panel along the right side of the inbox.
- Find Apps in Gmail or Chat and Meet. Scroll within Quick settings if the section is below the visible part of the panel. Look for the section containing Customize; it controls which integrated apps appear in Gmail's navigation.
- Click Customize. The app choices include Google Chat and Google Meet when those services are available to your account. This is where you choose their visibility.
- Uncheck Google Meet. Leave Google Chat checked if you want its shortcut to remain. If you want to hide both integrations, uncheck both choices instead.
- Click Done. Accept the reload prompt if Gmail presents one. Wait for the inbox to reopen before deciding whether the change worked.
- Check the navigation on the left. The Meet shortcut should be absent. If you kept Chat selected, its shortcut can remain, so the entire vertical app bar may not disappear.
Google's current Gmail navigation guide calls this section Apps in Gmail. Its separate Meet in Gmail instructions use Chat and Meet. Both describe Customize, selecting or deselecting the apps, and choosing Done.
The important result is the removal of the Meet entry. Do not use a specific sidebar width as your success test: Chat, the main mail menu, and other layout choices can still occupy space.
Keep Chat while hiding Meet
You can change the two app choices independently. For example, if you use Chat to message coworkers but join meetings from calendar invitations, leave Google Chat selected and clear Google Meet.
After Gmail reloads, check that Chat is still available and Meet is absent. Instructions that say to uncheck both are describing how to remove both integrations; you do not need to do that to hide Meet alone.
Restore the Meet shortcut
Return to Settings → Apps in Gmail or Chat and Meet → Customize, select Google Meet, and click Done. Reload if prompted, then check the left navigation again.
Restoring the shortcut does not require reinstalling Google Meet or recreating meetings. You are changing how Gmail displays access to the service.
If your account shows the older Chat and Meet settings page
Older Gmail guides show a full settings page with Chat and Meet across the top. Use this alternate method only if those controls actually appear in your mailbox; do not combine it with the current Customize steps.
- Click the Settings gear, then See all settings. This opens the full settings page rather than leaving you in Quick settings.
- Open the Chat and Meet tab. Look for the Meet section on that page. It contains options for showing or hiding Meet in the main menu.
- Select Hide the Meet section in the main menu. This changes the selection on the settings page; it still needs to be saved.
- Click Save Changes. Gmail returns to the inbox. Check that the Meet section has disappeared from the main menu.
To undo this older method, select the option to show the Meet section and save again. If you do not see this tab or the radio buttons, return to Quick settings and look for the current customization route.
Google's original announcement of the hide/show setting dates to May 2020. Old forum replies about waiting for that rollout describe the situation then; they do not establish that you need to wait for the same rollout today.
Several Gmail controls can make the inbox look less crowded. Choose one based on what you want to change.
| What you want | Control to use | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Remove the Meet shortcut | Settings, Customize, uncheck Google Meet | Meet visibility in Gmail navigation |
| Keep Chat but hide Meet | Leave Google Chat selected in Customize | Chat remains available in the sidebar |
| Collapse the mail navigation | Main menu button at the upper left | The expanded mail menu collapses; this does not deselect Meet |
| Fit more messages on the screen | Inbox density set to Compact | Message spacing changes |
| Change Calendar, Keep, or Tasks on the right | The right side panel controls | That separate panel changes; it is not the Meet setting |
The three-line Main menu button at the top left can collapse navigation quickly. That is useful when you temporarily want a different layout, but it is not a substitute for changing Meet's app selection.
If your main concern is the amount of space between emails, our guide to switching Gmail to Compact view explains the density setting. If you mean Primary, Promotions, or Social above the message list, those are inbox categories; see how to change Gmail tabs. Neither change is required for hiding Meet.
Troubleshooting: the setting is missing or Meet is still visible
You cannot find Customize
Make sure you are looking at Gmail's browser interface. The Android and iPhone apps use their own settings and do not follow the desktop Quick settings route.
In the browser, open the gear again and scroll the Quick settings panel. Check for both Apps in Gmail and Chat and Meet. If your mailbox instead exposes the older full settings tab, follow the separate older-layout method above.
Also check which Google account is active. A control available in your personal mailbox may look different in your organization’s mailbox, particularly when a service is unavailable there. Ask your organization's support team about the missing control if its account configuration appears to be the cause. Hiding your own shortcut should not require asking an administrator to turn off Meet for everyone.
Meet remains after you uncheck it
Reopen Customize in the same account and check whether Google Meet is still selected. If it is, clear the checkbox and choose Done. In the older layout, use Save Changes instead; simply choosing the radio button is not the final step.
If the choice is saved but the open inbox still displays the old layout, finish your current work and reload that Gmail tab. Then inspect the navigation again. For several open Gmail tabs, verify the account in each one before assuming they all reflect the same mailbox setting.
The left bar is still there
Look at the icon or label that remains. Chat may still be enabled, and the mail menu is a separate part of the interface. A remaining Chat shortcut does not mean that hiding Meet failed.
If you intentionally want to hide Chat too, reopen Customize, clear its checkbox, and choose Done. Consider whether you use it before making that additional change.
Gmail's settings do not load normally
First determine whether the whole Gmail page is malfunctioning or only a particular option is missing. Google lists current and previous versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge in its supported browser requirements.
Try the normal Gmail web interface in an up-to-date supported browser. This is a useful check for a page that does not render correctly, but updating a browser is not a guarantee that an account-specific setting will appear. You do not need an ad blocker, custom CSS, or an extension to carry out Google's documented customization method.
How to hide the Meet tab in the Gmail mobile app
The browser change and the mobile app setting use different controls. Check your phone separately if you also want to remove its Meet tab. These paths follow Google's current platform-specific documentation; the labels can differ from older mobile tutorials.
Android
- Open the Gmail app and tap Menu. Use the three-line menu button to open navigation.
- Tap Settings, then select your account. Choose the mailbox whose Meet tab you want to hide.
- Find Meet and clear Show the Meet tab for video calling. Return to the inbox and check whether the Meet tab is absent.
Repeat the account check for another mailbox if necessary. Select the same checkbox again when you want to restore the tab.
iPhone or iPad
- Open the Gmail app and tap Menu. This opens the app's navigation menu.
- Tap Settings, then Meet. Google's current iOS instructions list Meet directly in Settings.
- Turn the Meet setting off. Return to the inbox and check the tab area. Turn it on again from the same screen to restore it.
Some older iPhone guides tell you to select an email account first. Follow the labels shown in your installed app rather than combining that older path with the current one. These instructions are for Gmail, not Apple's built-in Mail app.
Frequently asked questions
Will this delete emails or cancel meetings?
No. The setting chooses whether Gmail shows the Meet integration. It does not delete messages or cancel a meeting invitation. Check the sidebar afterward to verify the display change rather than looking for changes in your email folders.
Can I still join a Google Meet call?
Yes. You can use Google Meet separately or follow a meeting invitation. Google's Gmail help also describes accessing Meet through other Google apps, including Calendar. The Gmail shortcut is one access point, so hiding it does not remove every way to join.
Does hiding Meet disable the service for my organization?
No. A user's hide/show choice and an administrator's service availability settings are different controls. Do not ask an administrator to disable video meetings just to remove your Gmail shortcut. Ask about your account's available settings if the documented customization choices are absent.
Will hiding Meet make Gmail faster?
The documented benefit is control over the interface. Removing an entry can reduce clutter, but it does not establish a measurable speed improvement for your browser or computer. Use the presence or absence of the shortcut as the check that the setting worked.
Do I need to turn off Hangouts or Google Chat?
You can leave Google Chat enabled. Older discussions refer to Hangouts or to removing a chat panel, but the current Customize screen has separate Chat and Meet choices. Clear Meet alone when that is the only integration you want to hide. If you keep Chat, you can restrict Google Chat message requests to known senders.
After applying the change, return to your inbox and confirm that the remaining navigation matches the tools you actually use. Keep the restore path in mind if you decide you want the Meet shortcut back later.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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