[Upbeat music]
How can you work with virtual backgrounds in Microsoft Teams?
What are your options to customize backgrounds with Teams?
Hi,
I'm Dawn Bjork,
I'm also a
Microsoft Certified Trainer.
In this training,
we'll see how you can easily set up Teams virtual backgrounds.
When you're on a Teams meeting,
whether it's an impromptu Meet Now or a scheduled meeting,
there are some key elements that will definitely improve engagement and
connection.
And these include having good lighting and audio,
but also making sure that you don't have a distracting background.
Now,
what are your options if you can't easily control your background.
If your background and video doesn't look like this,
but looks more like this.
Fortunately,
with Microsoft Teams,
you could blur the background,
choose from standard pre-set images,
as well as choose your own custom backgrounds.
Let's look at those options.
Now,
before you join a meeting,
or even if you're in a meeting,
you can click on the dot dot dot.
And that is where you see more actions.
From there,
select Show background effects.
Here,
you'll see options for Background settings.
This first one is None.
The next is a Background blur.
And as you select these different options,
then you have the choice at the bottom here to Preview or to
Apply.
So I could Preview this ahead of time and other people would not see that until
we Apply it.
Okay.
I like that.
That looks good.
And this helps to blur out the background.
It's just using a pretty smart artificial intelligence
tool.
And this would be helpful if I have a messy background or maybe there's some
confidential or some planning information behind me.
Now,
our next option for here,
first I'll stop the Preview,
is that maybe instead,
I just want to have a nice appealing image,
maybe something professional.
So we have these pre-set images.
And once again,
I could select that,
choose Preview.
Okay,
this is a nice,
clean,
not distracting background.
And I could easily then Apply that and turn on the video.
Well,
what else is available?
Well,
we have a good variety here of images that are available
automatically through Teams.
So you don't have to add any of your others.
We could have a little bit of fun.
Maybe we're having a little party to celebrate,
or,
you have things like Minecraft,
some cartoons,
and then you also have the option to add your own.
So that is our third choice.
You can see,
I already have some here as well.
This is from the LegoMasters show.
So I have a Star Wars background.
I could Preview that,
and this might be a good option for me.
It just depends upon the tone of the meeting.
I'll go ahead and stop the Preview,
but search for these online.
And so,
a number of different companies and programs have these,
whether it's Star Wars or IKEA,
Airbnb,
you'll find quite the selection of things that you can then add on your own.
And you don't even have to use your own images for those.
But what if you'd like to add your own?
Well at the top here under Background settings,
just simply choose Add new.
Navigate to a location where you have these images stored.
So for instance,
here,
I have an Airbnb image.
I might want to add that,
or I could add one that is maybe a personal photograph.
So they don't all have to be stored in the same location,
but simply find those.
And here I have a picture from a trip in Colorado where I
live.
Once you've added these,
then you have the option then to select those as your Team's virtual background.
Here,
once again,
I'll Preview.
Well,
that looks pretty inviting.
I'm going to Apply and turn on the video and we can continue playing with
us,
have fun working with the Teams virtual backgrounds.
Now here's the bonus tip.
What if you got a bit carried away and now you want to delete or
manage some of those backgrounds you added in Teams.
From the File Explorer,
add this location.
And then you will see the backgrounds that you have worked with before in Teams.
And the Uploads folder is where you have your custom virtual
backgrounds.
So if you got a little bit excited about this and started adding so many
images and you just simply change your mind,
you don't want to see them on the list,
this is a place where you could delete them.
This is an alternative for adding new ones.
I'm guessing as Teams evolves this delete or manage feature will eventually be
added to the background options in Teams.
Now you've seen how to save time and effort and have fun by adding background
images to your next meeting in Microsoft Teams.
For more tips on being productive with Microsoft Teams,
head to TheSoftwarePro.com/Teams.
If this training was helpful,
please like this video and subscribe to this channel.
This is Dawn Bjork,
The Software Pro.
Thanks for watching.