How is Google Meet different from Microsoft Teams?
Google Meet is a meeting tool, while Teams is a meeting tool plus a chat and collaboration hub. In Google Workspace, those jobs are split. Meet runs video calls. Google Chat handles direct messages, group conversations, and spaces, which are the closest thing to Teams channels. Both appear inside Gmail and as separate apps.
For most people, the change is less about features and more about where to click. A meeting starts from a calendar event or the Meet app. A quick question goes to Chat. Files live in Drive and get shared into either one.
How do you start and join a Google Meet call?
You join a Meet call by clicking the link in the calendar event, and you start one by creating an event or opening Meet and starting a new meeting. Meet runs in a web browser, so there is nothing to install on a computer. On phones, people use the Meet app or join from the Calendar or Gmail app.
Before you join, Meet shows a preview screen where you can check your camera and microphone. Teach people to use it. It is the easiest place to catch audio and camera problems before anyone is waiting.
External guests can join from a browser without a Google account. Depending on your settings, the host may need to admit them.
What can you do inside a Meet call?
Inside a call you can share your screen, turn on live captions, raise your hand, send messages to participants, and change your background. Hosts can mute participants, remove people, and control who can join.
Some features depend on your edition. Meeting size scales with plan: Business Starter supports 100 participants, Business Standard 150, and Business Plus 500. Recording is included on Business Standard and Business Plus, and recordings are saved to Drive. Features such as breakout rooms, polls, and attendance tracking also vary by edition, so check what your plan includes before you train people on them. Our guide to Business Starter vs Business Standard covers the meeting differences.
What happens to your Teams chats and channels?
Teams chat history does not map directly into Google Chat. Plan for that rather than discovering it on cutover day.
The practical approach is to decide what you actually need to keep. Important decisions and files often live in documents and email already. Files shared in Teams usually sit in OneDrive or SharePoint, and those can move to Drive. For chat history you must retain, work out how to keep it on the Microsoft side before you cancel. Then set up Chat spaces that mirror your most active Teams channels, so people have a familiar place to go on day one.
Our guide to moving from Microsoft Teams to Google Chat and Meet covers this in more depth, and when to cancel Microsoft 365 covers timing.
How do you meet with people who still use Teams?
You meet with them the same way you would with any outside company. When they invite you to a Teams meeting, you can usually join from a browser as a guest, depending on the organizer's settings. When you invite them, they get a Meet link and join from their browser.
Tell your team this before cutover. People worry that switching tools will cut them off from clients and partners who use Teams. It does not. Video meetings across companies work through links, whatever tool each side uses.
For the calendar side of meetings, see Google Calendar for Outlook users. The Google Workspace adoption and training guide covers the rest of the switch.
Next step
If you want your team running confident Meet calls from day one, see our support and training options or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Do guests need a Google account to join a Meet call?
No. External guests can join a Meet call from a web browser without a Google account. Depending on your meeting settings, the host may need to admit them. On phones, guests can join through the browser or the Meet app.
Can people dial in to a Google Meet call by phone?
Often, yes, depending on your edition and country. When dial-in is available, a phone number and PIN appear in the calendar invite. Check what your plan and region support before relying on it for people who travel or have poor internet access.
