How to Change Your Zoom Video Call Background

Zoom lets you replace or blur what appears behind you on camera. You can set a background before a meeting so it's ready when you join, or change it mid-call without leaving. This guide covers both, plus how to check the result and fix the usual problems.

Before you start

Confirm these prerequisites before changing anything:

• The Zoom app is installed and you are signed in. The desktop app has the most complete background options. The web and mobile versions may offer fewer choices or none, depending on version and device.
• Zoom has camera permission in your operating system, and the camera you want is the selected camera in Zoom's video settings.
• Your device meets Zoom's current requirements for virtual backgrounds. Older or low-power hardware may only offer blur or no effect at all.
• On a work or school account, an administrator may have enabled, restricted or locked background options. If the setting is missing or greyed out, ask your administrator.

The Zoom app applies the background effect to the video it sends, so other participants see only the combined image. Zoom's documentation and your account settings determine whether a custom image stays only on your device or is stored with your account. Check both if the image contains anything private.

Step-by-step instructions

Set a background before a meeting (desktop app)

• Open the Zoom desktop app and go to Settings.
• Open the background section. Recent versions call it Background & Effects; older versions call it Virtual Background.
• In the preview, choose None, Blur, or one of the included images or videos.
• To use your own image, click the plus (+) button and add an image or video from your computer.
• If you have a plain, evenly lit backdrop behind you, try the green screen option and pick the backdrop color in the preview. This can give cleaner edges than automatic detection.
• Watch the preview and close Settings when you are happy. Zoom keeps the choice for future meetings.

Change the background during a call

• In the meeting toolbar, click the small arrow next to the Start Video or Stop Video button.
• Choose the background or blur option from the menu.
• Select a new background. Other participants see the change right away.
• To undo, return to the same menu and choose None.

Mobile app

In a meeting on a phone or tablet, open More in the meeting controls and look for the backgrounds option. Exact names and availability differ between iOS, Android and app versions. If you don't see it, update the app or check whether your device is supported.

Prepare your own background image

For best results, match the background to your camera's frame:

• Aspect ratio: most webcams send widescreen video, so a 16:9 image fills the frame without cropping or bars.
• Resolution: use an image with pixel dimensions at least as large as your video, so it doesn't look soft once scaled.
• File format: use a common image format such as JPG or PNG. Transparency in a PNG is not a useful effect here, because the whole frame behind you gets filled.
• Compression: a heavily compressed image can show blocky artifacts, especially in smooth gradients.
• Video backgrounds use extra processing and are subject to Zoom's own length, size and encoding limits. Check Zoom's current requirements before preparing one.

Check the output

Use the preview in Settings, or join a test meeting, and look for these things:

• Your outline holds steady when you move your head and hands. A flickering edge or disappearing fingers mean the app is struggling to separate you from the room.
• The background is not stretched or cropped in a way that hides important parts, such as a logo.
• Text in the background looks reversed to you. This is usually because mirroring is on in your video settings. Mirroring only affects your own view, and other people see the text the right way round.

Keep your expectations realistic. Zoom compresses video before sending it, and the bitrate and frame rate other people receive depend on the network. A detailed background can look softer to them than in your preview. For the most accurate impression, ask another participant how it looks on their screen.

Common problems and next steps

The background option is missing or greyed out

Update the Zoom app first. On a managed account, an administrator may have disabled backgrounds or allowed only approved images. If your hardware doesn't support virtual backgrounds, Zoom may offer only blur or the green screen option.

Edges look patchy or parts of you vanish

Improve the lighting so your face and body are evenly lit and brighter than the wall behind you. Avoid sitting in front of a window. Clothing in a color similar to your wall makes detection harder. A plain backdrop combined with the green screen option often gives the cleanest result.

The camera shows black or the wrong device

Check that Zoom still has camera permission in your operating system's privacy settings. Then check that the correct capture source is the selected camera in Zoom's video settings. Close other apps that might be using the camera, then reopen the preview.

Video stutters after turning on a background

Background effects add processing load. If video becomes choppy, switch from a video background to a still image, or from a virtual background to blur. Closing other demanding apps can also help.

The background appears in recordings

Zoom typically records the video as sent, so the background usually appears in the recording too. Check a short test recording before relying on this. If you need a recording without the effect, set the background to None before recording starts.