In August 2022, Google rolled out some essential Gmail updates to the public. This included a new Material You theme and the addition of Chat, Meet, and Spaces to the Gmail sidebar. This made it easier to access all three services directly from the Gmail inbox. However, not everyone who uses Gmail uses Chat and Meet.

If this includes you, you may be wondering how to remove them. Thankfully, Google allows you to remove the shortcuts from the sidebar with just a few clicks. Here, you’ll learn how to remove Chat and Meet from the Gmail sidebar, plus how to restore them if you change your mind.

How to Remove Chat and Meet From the Gmail Sidebar

Removing Chat and Meet from the Gmail sidebar is super easy and straightforward. If you've been missing the old plain Gmail sidebar, here's how to get it back by removing Chat and Meet.

  1. Launch Gmail on your desktop.
    Meet, Chat, and Spaces in Gmail inbox
  2. In the top-right, you’ll find the settings gear icon. Click on it.
  3. Scroll down the Quick settings menu and click on Customize under the Apps in Gmail section containing Chat and Meet.
    Gmail inbox showing Quick settings menu
  4. Under the Choose which apps to use in Gmail dialog box, uncheck both the Google Chat and the Google Meet boxes.
  5. Click Done.
    Gmail-choose which apps to use dialog box
  6. When you do, a dialog box will pop up asking you to reload the page. Click on Reload.

When the page reloads, you’ll notice that both Google Chat and Google Meet are gone from the sidebar, as well as Spaces.

Important Points to Note About Removing Chat and Meet From the Gmail Sidebar

It is important to note that removing Google Chat, Google Meet, and Spaces from the Gmail sidebar does not delete them nor uninstall them from Gmail or your Google Account. It simply removes them from sight, so you can utilize the freed-up space for something else, such as more inbox real estate.

Also, removing Chat, Meet, and Spaces will not affect their associated data, internal settings, or user preferences in any way. You can easily pick up from where you left off on any of these apps. Furthermore, you can always access these services as standalone services via their respective apps/websites.

For instance, you can use Google Meet to create meetings and record meetings. More Gmail updates are rolling out changing the way Gmail looks and works.

How to Restore Chat and Meet to the Gmail Sidebar

So, what if you regret your actions and want to undo the changes you've made by removing Chat and Meet from the Gmail sidebar? Thankfully, removing Chat and Meet from the Gmail sidebar is not a permanent change, you can always revert to the previous settings. To do so:

  1. Open Gmail on your computer.
    Gmail without Chat, Meet, and Spaces
  2. Tap on the settings gear icon.
  3. Go to the Apps in Gmail section and click on Customize.
    Gmail Quick settings menu
  4. On the Choose which apps to use in Gmail dialog box, check both the Google Chat and Google Meet boxes.
  5. Click on Done.
    Gmail with Chat-Meet dialog box
  6. Click Reload.
  7. When the page reloads, both Chat and Meet, and Spaces will all be back on the Gmail sidebar.

You can change these settings as many times as you want. This can help to spice things up in your inbox. And if your screen is feeling crammed up, you can click on the three-line hamburger menu in the top-left corner to collapse the side panel and expand the active window. Click on it again and the hidden panel pops up.

Free Up Space in Your Gmail Inbox

If you don’t use Chat, Meet, and Spaces, there’s no point letting them sit there and occupy space. So, it might be best to simply remove them entirely. And if you ever need to use them at any point, you now know where to go and what to do. There are several other small but significant tweaks that you can make to improve the appearance and performance of Gmail, such as integrating it with Slack, Zoom, or Trello, among other tweaks.