Working from home has become the new normal, but not everyone has access to a pristine, distraction-free home office. Whether you are dialling in from a cluttered kitchen table or a noisy café, you want to maintain a professional appearance on camera. Knowing how to change background in Microsoft Teams is a crucial remote-work skill that allows you to instantly hide your surroundings and keep the focus exactly where it belongs: on you.
In this guide, we will show you how to blur your background or apply a custom virtual image, both before joining a meeting and while a call is already in progress.
Before You Join a Meeting
The best time to configure your camera settings is before you enter the video call, ensuring your colleagues never see your real environment.
- Open Microsoft Teams and click on the link or calendar invitation to join your scheduled meeting.
- You will be taken to the pre-join audio and video screen. Ensure your camera toggle is turned On.
- Click the Background filters option (represented by an icon of a person with horizontal lines behind them), located just below your video preview.
- A panel will open on the right side of your screen:
- Blur: Select the Blur option to subtly obscure your surroundings while keeping you in sharp focus. This looks the most natural.
- Preset Images: Scroll through the library of Microsoft’s professional office spaces, living rooms, and landscapes. Click one to instantly apply it.
- Custom Image: Click Add new at the top of the panel to upload a branded corporate background or a photo from your own hard drive (ensure the image is high-resolution, ideally 1920×1080).
- Once you are satisfied with the preview, click Join now.
Changing Your Background During a Meeting
If you have already joined the call and suddenly realise your background is inappropriate (for example, a housemate walks behind you), you can change it on the fly without hanging up.
- Wiggle your mouse to bring up the meeting control toolbar across the top or bottom of your screen.
- Click the More actions button (the three horizontal dots: …).
- Select Apply background effects from the drop-down menu.
- The same background settings panel will appear on the right side of your screen.
- Select your desired blur or image option.
- Click Preview if you want to see how it looks before anyone else does, or click Apply and turn on video to push the change live instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don’t I see the background options in Teams?
Virtual backgrounds require a certain level of computer processing power. If your hardware is very old, Teams may disable the feature automatically to prevent your video from lagging. Additionally, if you are using the web browser version of Teams instead of the desktop application, background effects may be limited.
Can my employer force a specific background?
Yes. If you are using a corporate Microsoft 365 account, your IT department can enforce a specific branded background via administrative policies, which will remove your ability to change it.
By utilising Teams’ background effects, you can project confidence and professionalism, no matter where your physical desk happens to be.
