The Google Meet time limit won’t be a massive issue for people engaging in regular group chats. Users on a free account can access group meetings for up to 60 minutes and even host one-on-one conferences for up to 24 hours!
Most of my meetings are done within 30 minutes or less, and hopefully, you can say the same (long meetings are a serious productivity drain for most of us.)
But occasionally, you might need to host a meeting that lasts longer than an hour. Those comprehensive all-hands meetings and group training sessions can drag on at times. So, what do you do if you need more time? Is the only option to end the meeting and start again?
Not necessarily. Read on for your complete guide to the Google Meet time limit and a few tips on how you might be able to extend your session duration.
Key Takeaways:
- Google Meet imposes time limits on all meetings. However, the free plan is the only plan that limits group meetings to 60 minutes. Every other plan supports 24-hour meetings.
- The easiest way to extend your meeting time limit is to upgrade to a paid plan. However, you can also experiment with a few workarounds.
- Google Meet isn’t the only platform with meeting time limits. Microsoft Teams also limits group meetings to 60 minutes on the free plan. Zoom’s free plan time limit is 40 minutes.
Is there a Google Meet Time Limit?
There are technically time limits on all Google Meet conferences – even if you’re on a paid plan. However, on premium plans, you can host group conversations for up to 24 hours. Google also says that there’s no time limit on mobile calls and one-on-one calls.
However, if you dive a little deeper into Google’s pricing page, you’ll find that all meetings are actually limited to 24 hours. Still, that should be more than enough time for most meetings.
Probably the only “problematic” time limit you’ll encounter on Google Meet is for group sessions on the free plan. If you’re using Google Meet for free (part of the Google Workspace free plan), you can only host group meetings for up to 60 minutes.
Google notes that all meeting attendees will receive an alert after 50 minutes, letting them know the meeting is about to end. When you hit the 60-minute mark, the meeting will automatically close.
Here’s a quick rundown of what you can expect from all the main Google Workspace plans:
| Plan | Free | Business Starter | Business Standard | Business Plus | Enterprise |
| Group Meeting time limit | 60 minutes | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
| One-on-One Meeting time limit | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours | 24 hours |
Why Does Google Meet Have a Time Limit?
So, why does Google restrict the amount of time you can spend in meetings? Simply put, video conferencing software takes power to run. The more time you spend running your meeting, the more resources you use. That’s particularly true during group meetings.
Placing limits on meetings is how Google ensures it’s not using all its resources. It’s also a good way for the company to encourage businesses to upgrade to a premium plan. After all, while you can accomplish a lot with the free version of Google Workspace, Google really wants you to upgrade to a paid service so it can earn extra income.
That’s why paid plans come with longer meeting time limits, as well as additional features.
Google isn’t the only collaboration software vendor that restricts meetings. As mentioned above, Microsoft Teams limits group meetings on the free plan to 60 minutes, like Google. However, it allows for 30-hour meetings on paid plans and 30-hour one-on-one sessions.
Zoom limits free users to 40-minute group meetings, and paid users can host meetings for up to 30 hours. On paid plans, Zoom meetings will also automatically end after 40 minutes if no one else joins the conversation.
Can You Extend the Google Meet Time Limit?
So, what if you need more than 60 minutes in a group meeting? The easiest option is obviously to upgrade to a paid or premium account. This will extend your time limits to 24 hours and give you access to some handy additional features.
Here are the best ways to extend your meeting time limits.
1. Upgrade to a Premium Google Workspace Plan
Ultimately, the best way to banish limits from your meetings forever is to upgrade to a premium plan. All of the paid plans for Google Workspace (starting at $6 per user, per month, when paid annually), offer a 24-hour time limit for all meetings.
Obviously, you also get extra capabilities too. For instance:
- Business Starter: ($6 per month/user annually, or $7.20 monthly): Custom Gmail address, 100 Google Meet users, digital whiteboarding, 30GB of storage per user, shared calendars, conference room booking, Docs, Sheet, and Slide access.
- Business Standard: ($12 per month/user annually, or $14.40 monthly): 150 users on Google Meet, recordings, noise-cancellation, breakout rooms, 2TB of storage per user, advanced Google Chat, and appointment booking.
- Business Plus ($18 per month per user annually, or $21.60 monthly) offers 500 users, attendance tracking, 5TB of stage per user, advanced endpoint management, and Google Vault.
- Enterprise: (Custom pricing): 1,000 users, Connected Sheets, endpoint management, data loss prevention, and advanced security features.
You can upgrade to any paid plan from within your Google Workspace account by clicking on “Manage Your Google Account” and then “Payments & Subscriptions.”
Quick tip: If you’re new to Google Workspace, apply for a 14-day free trial. 10 users can also use every feature included in the paid plans simultaneously, which is handy. To use the free trial, go to Google’s website, sign in, click “Start Free Trial,” then pick your plan.
You can also get a discount on your Google Workspace plans if you’re a non-profit organization or an educational company. However, Google will need to assess your request to ensure you're eligible.
2. Refresh the Meeting Before Time Runs Out
Technically, this method doesn’t actually “extend” your Google Meet time limit, but it does mean you can continue your conversation for longer without upgrading to a paid plan.
There are a few ways to “refresh” your meeting. One option is to close the meeting yourself, as the host, at about the 50-55-minute mark. Google will inform you when you reach 50 minutes, so this should help. You can then relaunch the meeting using a different link.
You’ll need to open Google Meet again, click the New Meeting button, and choose “Start an instant meeting.” Then, you can click the “Add Others” button to connect with other team members or share a meeting link with them directly through Google Chat or Microsoft Teams.
Obviously, this means you’ll have a few minutes of break time during a conversation, but that might be a good thing. It gives your attendees a chance for a bathroom break or an opportunity to refresh their cup of tea before they dive back into a long conference.
