How to Use Background Blur in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft responded to the growing popularity of Slack with the introduction of Microsoft Teams in 2016. The software giant continues to add new features to meet consumer demand. It has also quickly adapted to the growing trend of video calling apps while many have to deal with messy backgrounds or poor lights during a call. In this post, we will guide you on adding background blur for video calls in Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft Teams recently introduced video backgrounds that allow you to hide or change the background during video calls.

The Background Blur option in the Microsoft Teams app detects your face and lets you blur the background during video calls. It’s one of the convenient ways to mask your background and make it look a bit flattering. It’s not exactly a new feature as Skype also offers similar background blur along with virtual backgrounds.

You can use the background blur option to mask the background to keep it out of focus. You will also find other video calling tips for Microsoft Teams in this post. Lets start.

Where is the Background Blur Option in Microsoft Teams?

Microsoft Teams allows you to create multiple channels in a team and add members to them. You can use the Meet Now option to start a group video call with members from any channel.

When you tap the Meet Now button on a channel, you will have the option to add a topic and start the video call. From the video call screen, you will see the options in the floating menu as shown in the screenshot below. Tapping the three-dot menu will open another submenu of advanced video functions for Microsoft Teams.

Select Show background effects from the context menu and the Background Settings side menu will open. You will also find a lot of options for video background.

Tap the second blur effect and Teams will prompt you to preview the effect or apply it directly on the video.

I recommend previewing the effect first as it may not work as advertised in some cases.

The good news is that when testing the background with the live preview option, other participants will not be able to see the live effect.

Note: When using the background blur effect or any background during video calls, try not to move too much during calls. It will leave a dazzling effect around the face. So your video feed will look pretty weird.

Tips to Make the Video Call Experience Better

Instead of letting it be a list of random video calls, you can always make meetings better and more effective. Here are a few tips.

Add Topics to Meetings

When you create a meeting with members of the channel, you must add a topic before you start the meeting. It may seem like a minor detail, but this will make the video call easily searchable. It is very helpful when you want to find a specific meeting or a detail about it at the end of a month.

I like that Microsoft Teams allows you to invite members from other channel to existing video stream. You can also browse the attendees from the side panel.

Take note

During video calls, you may want to take notes (meeting minutes) for later reference. During the call, you can tap the three-dot menu on the bottom bar and select show meeting notes. Type the meeting descriptions here and press Enter. Microsoft, Bold, Italic, Emphasis, etc. It offers a text customization ribbon at the top to let you choose options such as

After ending the meeting, members can view these notes in the channel chat with the meeting topic as the title. You can also chat with team members during video calls. We use it all the time. Whenever our developer meeting happens, trainees and junior developers use the chat function to ask their doubts and questions to the senior developer who is managing the video call.

The presenter/organizer checks these messages and addresses them if any concerns are raised during a meeting. The app makes the whole conversation hassle-free – you don’t need to disturb the manager during video calls. The good news is that all chats during the video call are recorded on the channel.

Share Screens During Meetings

Microsoft also offers a screen sharing option that can be incredibly useful in certain situations. When chatting with hundreds of members on a video call, you may want to share the screen with them to discuss a particular topic in detail.

On the video call screen, tap on the share screen button and it will let you choose from multiple options. You can share the current screen, showcase the PowerPoint presentation, open a file from OneDrive or PC, or use the Whiteboard function to view the subject via drawing.

Use Microsoft Teams Like a Pro

Background Blur during video calls in Microsoft Teams can be helpful when joining a digital meeting from anywhere. You don’t have to worry too much about the background after blurring from your video stream. You can also use the background change option if you don’t want other family members to accidentally enter and disrupt the meeting.

Next: Microsoft Teams is a useful tool for team communication, collaboration, and video calls. Read the best tips and tricks for using Microsoft Teams efficiently at the link below.