Google Meet Audio Not Working for Other Participants: How to Fix It

QC By the Call Tonic Team Published: July 28, 2026 Last updated: July 28, 2026

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When you can't hear other participants — or they can't hear each other — the fault is almost always on the output path, not their mics. Check ⋮ → Settings → Audio → Speakers is pointing at the device on your head, that the browser tab isn't muted, and that a Bluetooth device hasn't silently captured the output. The built-in Test button next to the speaker setting confirms the route in three seconds.

Menu paths checked against Google's official Meet documentation — July 2026.

1. Point Meet's output at the right speakers

Meet plays audio where its speaker setting says — which after a day of docking, undocking and pairing may be nowhere you're listening:

Click More options (⋮) → Settings → Audio.
Under Speakers, select the device you're actually wearing or sitting at.
Click Test — you should hear the chime immediately; if not, try the next entry in the list.

Why this works: "no audio" is usually "audio somewhere else" — an HDMI monitor with no speakers, sleeping Bluetooth earbuds in their case, a headset in a drawer. The Test button turns guesswork into a three-second check.

2. Check the tab and system volume stack

Browser audio passes three volume controls, and any one at zero wins:

Right-click the Meet tab — if it shows Unmute site, the tab itself was muted.
Check system output volume, and on Windows the per-app Volume mixer — the browser has its own slider there.
Confirm any physical volume wheel on the headset or its cable.

Why this works: the stacked controls multiply; a muted tab silences Meet while every other sound on the machine plays normally — which is exactly the confusing symptom that lands people here.

Settings only go so far

For rooms the settings can't fix

Everything above tunes the filter you already have. When the noise itself is the problem — constant, loud, or unpredictable — Krisp works at the system level instead, cleaning your mic and your speakers across every app at once. There's a 7-day free trial without a card, so you can compare it against these settings in your own room.

Try Krisp for a week Read our full Krisp overview →

3. If others can't hear one specific participant

When the silent person isn't you, help them triage from your side:

Check the participant list: a mic icon with a slash means they're muted — tell them (they often can't tell).
Ask if the host muted everyone on entry — they'll need to unmute themselves.
Send them our Meet microphone fix list — permission gates are the usual cause on their end.

Why this works: from inside a meeting you can see mute states others can't. Ten seconds of looking at the participant list routinely resolves what feels like a mysterious outage.

4. Reset the audio path

For the stubborn residue of cases:

Leave and rejoin the meeting — Meet renegotiates devices on join.
Fully restart the browser if the device list looks stale or empty.
Toggle Bluetooth off/on when a headset connects for music but not for calls — the hands-free profile can fail while the media profile works.

Why this works: browsers enumerate audio devices at startup and can hold a stale map after docks, updates or sleep. A rejoin refreshes the meeting's routing; a restart refreshes the browser's.

Still not fixed?

Audio works but is choppy or robotic? That's network, not devices — prefer wired or strong Wi-Fi, close bandwidth-heavy apps.
Everyone silent in one meeting, fine in a test? Ask the host whether attendee audio is restricted.
Echo when you finally hear them? Different problem, same site: see the echo fixes in our Zoom and Teams sections — the physics is identical in Meet.

Frequently asked questions

Why can I hear YouTube but not Google Meet?

Because Meet's own speaker setting can point at a different device than the system default the rest of your audio uses. Set Speakers explicitly under ⋮ → Settings → Audio and use the Test button to confirm.

The host says they unmuted me — why still nothing?

Hosts can't actually unmute you; they can only request it. Look for the prompt in your meeting window and accept it, then check your own mic icon state.