How to Change Your Zoom Background Before or During a Meeting

Since video conferencing became a cornerstone of modern professional life, the virtual background feature has become an essential tool. Whether you are working from a cluttered home office, dialing in from a busy coffee shop, or simply wanting to maintain a strict barrier of privacy, replacing your real-world environment with a professional image is incredibly useful.

Zoom makes this process incredibly seamless, using advanced software to map your face and body and cleanly separate you from whatever is behind you—even if you do not own a physical green screen.

In this guide, we will show you exactly how to change your Zoom background both before a meeting begins and while you are actively on a call.

How to Change Your Background Before a Meeting

It is always best practice to configure your background before you join a call to ensure you look professional from the moment your camera turns on.

1. Open the Zoom desktop application on your Mac or Windows PC.
2. Click on your profile picture (or initials) in the top-right corner of the window.
3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
4. In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings window, click on Background & Effects (in older versions, this may be called “Virtual Background”).
5. You will see a live preview of your webcam. Below the preview, ensure the Virtual Backgrounds tab is selected.
6. Click on one of the default images provided by Zoom to apply it instantly.

If you prefer not to use an image but still want privacy, click the Blur option. This will keep your real-world environment but blur it out completely, keeping the focus entirely on you.

How to Add Your Own Custom Background

If you want to use a corporate logo, a specific office setting, or a fun image for a casual team call, you can easily upload your own photos.

1. Navigate to the Background & Effects menu following the steps above.
2. Look for the small “+” (plus) icon located on the right side of the screen, just above the gallery of default images.
3. Click the “+” icon and select Add Image.
4. A file browser window will open. Locate the image you want to use on your computer and click Open.

Your custom image will now appear in your gallery and will be applied to your video immediately. For the best results, Zoom recommends using high-resolution images (1920×1080 pixels) without any text, as the image may appear mirrored to you.

How to Change Your Background During a Meeting

If you have already joined a meeting and suddenly realise your background is inappropriate or distracting, you can change it without leaving the call.

1. While in the active meeting, look at the bottom toolbar.
2. Locate the Stop Video button (it has a small camera icon).
3. Click the small upward-facing arrow (^) located right next to the camera icon.
4. Select Choose Virtual Background from the pop-up menu.
5. The Settings window will open. Click on any image or the “Blur” option to apply it instantly.
6. Close the Settings window to return to your meeting.

Hardware Requirements and Green Screens

If you notice that your virtual background is glitchy—perhaps it is cutting off parts of your hair or blending into your shirt—it means your computer processor is struggling to separate you from your background. This usually happens on older laptops or in rooms with very poor lighting.

To fix this, you can check the box labelled I have a green screen at the bottom of the Background menu. However, this requires you to physically hang a solid-coloured sheet (preferably bright green) behind your chair. This gives the Zoom software a solid, uniform colour to remove, resulting in a perfect, flawless virtual background even on older hardware.