The position of the governor of Meghalaya came into existence following the creation of the state in January 1972 as a result of the bifurcation of Assam.

The longest-serving governor of the state is M. M. Jacob who served for 11 years, 296 days from 19 June 1995 until retiring on 11 April 2007.

His successors in Assam, namely Lallan Prasad Singh, Prakash Mehrotra, Justice Tribeni Sahai Misra (Acting), Bhishma Narain Singh and Harideo Joshi concurrently held the additional charge of the Governor of Meghalaya.

Assam Governor Banwarilal Purohit held the additional charge of the state's governor from 27 January 2017 till 5 October 2017 after the resignation of V. Shanmuganathan, while Arunachal Governor B. D. Mishra held the charge of the state's governorship from 4 October 2022 till 13 February 2023 following the retirement of Satyapal Malik.

The governor enjoys many different types of powers: Apart from enjoying various constitutional powers, the governor of Meghalaya also the Chief Rector of the North Eastern Hill University, the sole central university in the state.