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Change your Background on Microsoft Teams

December 14th, 2022 | Microsoft 365

Video calls are something we have become very familiar with. The beauty of video calls is that you can attend a meeting just about anywhere, whether that be in a home office, your kitchen, or maybe even at your local McDonald’s. Depending on who your video call is with, you might not want the McDonald’s booths or the pile of dishes in your kitchen sink no judgement here… to be seen by everyone. If that’s the case, keep reading to see a walk-through on how to change your background for a Microsoft Teams meeting.  

Change your Background on Microsoft Teams 

If you have a few minutes to spare before joining a Microsoft Teams meeting, here are step-by-step directions on how to change your background prior to joining. 

  1. When in the lobby before joining a meeting, turn the Camera on and select Background Filters . These are both located under the video preview.  
  2. After turning the Camera on and selecting Background Filters, the background options will display on the right of your screen 
  3. Select blur or your preferred background and click Join now.

Change your Background after a Meeting Already Started 

If you don’t have time to change your background prior to joining a meeting, no worries, here are step-by-step directions on how to change your background while currently in a video call. 

  1. Go to your meeting controls and select More Actions
  2. Next, select Apply Background Effects. 
  3. Select blur or your preferred background. 
  4. Click Preview to see how this background will look before allowing the lobby to see your selection. 
  5. If you are satisfied with your selected background, click Apply and this will allow the video call lobby to see your new background.

Add a Custom Background 

If none of the Microsoft Teams featured backgrounds are meeting your needs or you have a branded image you want to use, you can now add a custom background of your own. See below for a step-by-step on how to upload and apply a custom background. 

  1. Select Background Filters or Apply Background Effects, depending on if you are adding a custom background before or after joining a meeting. 
  2. Instead of selecting blur or a featured image, select Add new. 
  3. Upload the image you want to use as your custom background. 
  4. After uploading your image, scroll to the bottom of the background effect options where you will find your image. 
  5. Preview your custom image. 
  6. If you are satisfied with the way your uploaded image looks as your background, click Apply. 
    • Note: The image you uploaded will now be located under the background effect options for future meetings.   

If you are unfamiliar with changing your background on Microsoft Teams, this guide will cover all the details you need to blur, change, or add a custom background on Teams. Hopefully in the future you can peacefully attend your Teams meetings with a professional or exciting background.