Breakout sessions are smaller groups that are split off from the main meeting or webinar. They allow a subset of participants to collaborate and share ideas over audio and video. Use breakout sessions for workshops, classrooms, or for when you need a moment to talk privately with a few participants outside of the main session.

Known issues and limitations

Learn about known issues and limitations for breakout sessions in Meetings.

Roles in a breakout session

Hosts and cohosts create breakout sessions, assign participants, and start the sessions when they're ready.

Hosts and cohosts cannot assign attendees to breakout sessions in webinars. Once breakout sessions have started, attendees can choose which breakout session they want to join.

Attendees can share content and use collaboration tools such as chat to collaborate in smaller, more focused discussion groups. See Best practices for participating in breakout sessions.

Audio and video in breakout sessions

Each breakout session is a separate audio and video conference. If you connected to audio when you joined the meeting or webinar, it switches over automatically when you join a breakout session. You can mute or unmute your audio and start or stop your video at any time during the breakout session, just like you would in the main session.

When all breakout sessions end, your audio switches to the main session automatically. If your video is on during the breakout session, it remains on when all breakout sessions end and you return to the main session.

Manage breakout sessions

How to Manage Breakout Sessions

Feature	Host	Cohost	Attendee
Preassign participants to breakout sessions   In webinars, only panelists can be preassigned to breakout sessions. Attendees cannot be preassigned to breakout sessions. Once breakout sessions have started, attendees can choose which breakout session they want to join.	✓
Allow anyone to join breakout sessions	✓	✓
Create and start breakout sessions Maximum number of breakout sessions in a meeting or webinar: 100 The number of participants in a breakout session is determined by your plan. For example, for plans that allow 1,000 people, you can have 100 sessions with 10 people in each, 20 sessions with 50 people in each, and so on. Choose to assign participants automatically or manually.   Hosts and cohosts cannot assign attendees to breakout sessions in webinars. Once breakout sessions have started, attendees can choose which breakout session they want to join. Control how and when participants are allowed to return to the main session.	✓	✓
Add, rename, or delete a breakout session	✓	✓
Move or exchange attendees in breakout sessions   In webinars, only panelists can be moved or exchanged between breakout sessions.	✓	✓
Remove a participant from a breakout session   In webinars, only panelists can be removed from a breakout session.	✓	✓
Ask all participants to return to the main session   If the breakout sessions aren't ended, the attendees' audio is muted when they return to the main session. Remind attendees to unmute themselves if they want to speak in the session.	✓	✓
End all breakout sessions	✓	✓
Lower participants' hands	✓	✓

Participate in a breakout session

Ways to Participate in a Breakout Session

Feature	Host	Cohost	Attendee
Join or leave a breakout session from your computer, mobile device, video device, or phone   Only panelists can join from a video device in webinars.	✓	✓	✓
Start or stop your video during a breakout session	✓	✓	✓
Mute or unmute your audio during a breakout session	✓	✓	✓
Share content during a breakout session	✓	✓	✓
Use Chat to message others in your breakout session   You can only chat to others within your breakout session, not across all breakout sessions.	✓	✓	✓
Ask for help during a breakout session			✓
Respond to a request for help in breakout sessions	✓
Broadcast a message in breakout sessions	✓
Raise your hand during a breakout session	✓	✓	✓
Sort by raised hands	✓	✓	✓