How to Blur Background in Microsoft Teams Quickly?

Microsoft Teams has been around since 2017 but gained massive popularity during the pandemic when many organizations switched to remote work. Microsoft Teams have now become an integral tool for any professional who wants to stay connected virtually. However, one inconvenience many faces are having an untidy background which can be distracting and may look unprofessional to an outsider.

While we acknowledge that it can be really difficult to stay tidy at all times, you can also blur the background to have a professional look. In this article, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to blur background in Microsoft teams on different devices.

How to Blur Background in Microsoft Teams Web Version?

Microsoft strongly recommends you to download the desktop or mobile version of Microsoft Teams as it offers several features that are not available on the web version. Background blur is one such feature that is currently not available on the web version of Microsoft Teams. This is because Microsoft Teams is not optimized for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) which means, unlike google meet, you must download the Microsoft Teams app to use the background blur feature. Microsoft also made it mandatory to have AVX2 graphics (Advanced Vector Extension 2) to enable the background blur feature.  

The image below illustrates that the “Apply background effects” option which is found on both the desktop and mobile apps is missing on the web version.

How to Blur Background in Microsoft Teams in Windows?

Follow the steps below to blur the background in Microsoft Teams when you are on a windows device.

Step 1: Log in to your Microsoft Teams account with your account credentials.

Step 2: Next, join or start a new meeting by clicking on the meeting link.

Step 3: Now click on the “Background filters” option at the bottom of the screen and a pop-up will appear with the Background settings option on the right side of the screen. Select the blur option and click on apply.

How to Blur Background in Microsoft Teams on Mac?

If you are on a mac, Microsoft Teams has a dedicated app that allows you to blur the background once you start a meeting.

Step 1: Sign in to your Microsoft Teams account if you haven’t already.

Step 2: Join or start a meeting

Step 3: Now, click on the three dots symbol at the top of the taskbar to access the More actions menu.

Step 4: Tap on “Apply background effects”.

Step 5: You can now choose the blur option to blur the background.

Step 6: You can preview a sample view of your video with the blurred background, if you like the look tap on “Apply”.

How to Blur background in Microsoft Teams in Mobile?

Microsoft Teams allows you to blur the background even on a mobile device. Whether you are on an Android or an iPhone, you can follow the steps below to blur your background.

On Android phone

Step 1: Open Microsoft Teams on your Android device.

Step 2: Next tap the “Meet” button from the bottom of the menu.

Step 3: Tap on Meet Now > Start Meeting to join a new meeting.

Step 4: Now tap on the Background effects at the top of your screen.

Step 5: You can find several options from here, choose “Blur” from the top to blur the background. Once selected tap on “Done” for the change to take effect.

On iPhone

The steps are similar on iPhone as well, here is a detailed breakdown of each step.

Step 1: Download Microsoft Teams app on the phone and sign in to your Microsoft account.

Step 2: Tap on the “Meet option” which can be found at the bottom of your screen.

Step 3: Now tap on the “Meet now” option and select Start meeting.

Step 4: Next, once the meeting is started, you should see three dots on the bottom of the screen, tap on them.

Step 5: Now choose the blur background option and select “Apply”.

Why Can’t I Blur My Background on Teams?

There are several reasons why you can’t blur the background on Teams. But possibly the biggest reason behind this is the compatibility issue with your device. Not all devices support the AVX2 graphics that Microsoft made mandatory during its May 2020 update. Because of this hardware limitation, many devices are unable to detect your face and thus have issues blurring the background.

The blur feature may also not work in the older device as the hardware and processing power required are simply not good enough. This is particularly true for older ma devices as MacBooks before 2014 generally do not support the blur feature.

Background blur also requires a ton of light to work properly, so if you are in a dimly lit room, the background blur may not work properly.

How to Fix “Teams Won’t Blur Background?

If you are having trouble blurring your background, here are some easy fixes that you can try.

Restart Microsoft Teams: One easy fix that often fixes Microsoft Teams is to log out of your account and sign back in again. This often removes any cache memory on your device and may solve the problem.

Update the Microsoft Teams app: It is always a good idea to update Microsoft Teams to the latest version as it often fixes any issue that the app can experience. An update also brings new features that often come with other perks.

Contact Your IT Admin: If you are using a device that is owned by an organization, it may be possible that the IT team has restricted background blur as part of their Meeting policies. So to fix the issue, you may be required to contact the IT admin and ask them to remove the restriction in place.

Final Words

Thanks to globalization, teams now work in different time zones which often requires them to attend meetings outside office hours. So, whether you are in a coffee shop or in a messy room, We hope the detailed step-by-step guide on how to blur backgrounds in Microsoft teams would help enable a degree of professionalism without being distracting for the participants.

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