How to Add a Blurred Background to a Video

The short answer

For a live video call, you can usually blur your background by turning on a background effect in the calling app's video settings. If your app has no blur option, a virtual camera can do it instead. A virtual camera is software that takes your real webcam feed, adds the effect, and offers the result to other apps as if it were a separate camera. Some operating systems also include camera effects that work across apps, but only on supported hardware.

The answer depends on which kind of video you mean. Blurring a live call happens in real time, while you are on camera. Blurring a video that is already recorded is an editing task, and the tools and steps are different. This guide covers the live call. If you need to blur a finished recording, look for a video editor that offers background removal or background blur, and check that the specific editor supports it before you rely on it.

Background blur is also different from two related things. A physical background is the real room behind you, which you can tidy or change. A virtual background replaces your surroundings with an image instead of softening them. Blur keeps your real room in the frame but makes it hard to make out.

Before you start

• Make sure the calling app, browser or virtual camera software has permission to use your camera. On most operating systems this is in the privacy or security settings, and browsers ask for it separately for each site.
• Close other apps that might be using the camera. Many webcams can only serve one app at a time.
• Update the calling app if you can. Background effects are often added or changed in updates, and menu names vary between versions.
• Face a light source if possible. Blur works by separating you from the background, and that separation is usually more reliable when you are evenly lit and stand out clearly against what is behind you.

Option 1: Turn on blur in your calling app

• 1. Open the calling app and find its video or camera settings. Many apps also let you open the effects menu from the camera button during a call, or from a preview screen before you join.
• 2. Look for a section with a name like background effects, backgrounds, or video effects.
• 3. Choose the blur option. Some apps offer more than one strength.
• 4. Watch your self-view preview. The room behind you should go soft while your face and shoulders stay sharp.
• 5. Join the call or start a test meeting with the effect still on. Some apps remember the setting for future calls and some do not.

If the blur option is missing or greyed out, the most common reasons are that your app version, your plan or account settings, or your computer's hardware does not support it. On browser-based calls, the effect may also depend on which browser you use. The fix depends on the cause: update the app, try the desktop app instead of the browser, ask your workplace administrator if the option has been disabled for your account, or use one of the other options below.

Option 2: Use your operating system's camera effects

Some recent versions of Windows and macOS include system-level camera effects, including background blur, that apply to the camera feed before any app receives it. Whether you have this depends on your operating system version and your hardware, so check your system's camera or video effects settings to see if the option appears. Its advantage is that it works in any app that uses the camera, including apps with no blur option of their own.

If you turn on blur at the system level, leave the app's own blur off. Applying two background effects at once can make the edges around you look worse and uses more processing power without improving the result.

Option 3: Use a virtual camera

• 1. Install virtual camera software that offers a background blur effect. Confirm from the software's own documentation that it does, and that it supports your operating system.
• 2. Open the software, select your real webcam as its input, and turn on blur. Check its preview to confirm you can see yourself with the background blurred.
• 3. Open your calling app, go to its video settings, and choose the virtual camera instead of your real webcam. It will appear in the camera list under the virtual camera's name.
• 4. Check the calling app's preview. You should see the same blurred image as in the virtual camera software.
• 5. Keep the virtual camera software running during the call. If you close it, the calling app may show a blank or frozen image.

If the virtual camera does not appear in the calling app's list, restart the calling app after the virtual camera is running. Some browsers and apps also need permission to use the virtual camera, just as they do for a physical webcam.

How to tell it is working

Check | What it confirms | What it does not confirm

Your camera light turns on and the app lists your camera | The app has permission and can reach the camera | That the image or effect is working

Your self-view shows you moving normally | Video is being captured | That the blur is applied or what others see

The background in self-view is soft and you are sharp | The effect is applied on your device | How the image looks after it is sent over the call

You wave a hand and lean side to side | Whether the edges follow you without gaps or flicker | Performance during a long call with other apps open

Someone else in a test call describes what they see, or you review a recording | What other participants actually receive | How it looks to everyone on every connection

Your self-view is often mirrored, so text behind you may look reversed to you but appear the right way round to others. That is normal and does not mean the effect is broken.

The most reliable check is a short test call with another person or a second device, because your preview only shows what your computer produces. What others receive can also be affected by your connection, the app's compression and their screen.

Common problems and limits

• Edges look patchy or parts of you disappear: improve lighting on your face, move away from a background close to your hair or clothing color, and sit a little further from the wall.
• Objects you hold, such as a mug or a document, get blurred: this is a known limitation of automatic background separation. Hold items close to your body and in front of you, or turn blur off when you need to show something.
• Video lags, the fan gets loud, or the call stutters: blur uses your computer's processor or graphics hardware. Close unneeded apps, lower other video effects, or turn blur off if the call quality suffers.
• The blur briefly drops when you move quickly: the software can lose track of you during fast movement. Moving more slowly helps.
• Sensitive items in the room: blur reduces detail but is not guaranteed to hide everything, and it can briefly fail. If something must not be seen, move it out of frame or change your physical background.

What this guide cannot tell you

No verified evidence was available for specific apps, versions, plans or hardware requirements, so this guide does not name exact menu paths, minimum system specifications or which devices support system-level effects. Check the help pages for your calling app, operating system or virtual camera software for those details, and use the test-call check above to confirm the result on your own setup.