woman on conference call video chat computer
Raising your hand in Google Meet helps the moderator know you'd like to speak.
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  • The Raise Hand feature on Google Meet allows members to participate in the discussion in a controlled fashion.
  • Only certain versions of Google Meet have the Raise Hand feature enabled.
  • The moderator of the meeting can lower participants’ hands once they are raised.
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Google Meet has recently gained prominence as a competitor for Zoom. It includes many of the same features but eliminates the time limitations that come with the free version of Zoom. More recently, Google Meet introduced the Raise Hand feature, which allows you to be called on as you would be in a classroom.

Raise Hand is currently not available in the free version of Google Meet. Be sure to check which version of Google Meet you have before trying out this guide.

How to raise a hand in Google Meet

1. After joining a Google Meeting, scroll to the bottom of the screen (if you’re using a desktop) or tap the screen (if you’re using a mobile device).

2. Tap or click “Hand raise” to raise your hand. Once you do so, all other members of the Google Meeting will be notified that your hand is raised and you wish to participate.

raise hand
Click "Raise hand" at the bottom of your screen.
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Business Insider

3. To lower your hand, repeat the first step and click or tap “Lower hand.”

raise hand 2
Click "Lower hand" when you no longer need your hand raised.
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Business Insider

If you're the moderator of the meeting, you can also lower the hands of other participants to moderate discussion. Navigate to "People" in the upper right corner of your screen, next to the icon resembling a couple of people. From there, browse the menu until you find "Raised hands." This section allows you to lower the hand of individual participants or lower all participants' hands at once, which can be helpful depending on what kind of meeting you're hosting.

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