How to Blur Background in Zoom 2022
When a custom virtual background isn’t available or doesn’t meet your needs, but you still want to be able to see what’s going on around you, the blur background option can be a great alternative.
This option just blurs your video’s background, making it difficult to see who or what is behind you. It’s ideal for concealing a cluttered dorm room, holding a conference at a coffee shop, or simply maintaining a professional appearance.
If you prefer to keep your privacy by hiding the space behind you during Zoom calls, Zoom’s new blur background feature might be the best option for you.
This new function might be useful for a variety of reasons, whether you want to keep privacy or hide your dirty room.
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How to Blur Zoom Background (Step-By-Step Guide)
It’s really simple to enable the blurred backdrop function. However, there are a few program requirements that must be met.
Your PC must also meet all of Zoom Virtual Background’s system requirements. Users of macOS, for example, must have: macOS version 10.13 or higher.
Apple M1 chip, or a 6th generation i5 dual-core or higher processor, or a 4th generation i7 quad-core processor.
Note that macOS 10.14 or higher is required for the 6th generation i5 dual-core processor.
Visit the Zoom support website to learn more about your system’s needs.
How to Blur Background in Zoom
Let’s have a look at how you can blur the background of Zoom on different devices:
1. Windows-based gadgets – How to Blur Background in Zoom
To enable blur on your Windows PCs and laptops, follow these steps:
- Open the Zoom app and sign in with your account information.
- Select your profile image > Settings from the drop-down menu.
- Select Backgrounds & Filters from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Blur option from the backdrop filter options.
- You should now be able to see that the background behind you has blurred, obscuring your surroundings.
2. Mac Devices – How to Blur Background in Zoom
On a Mac, you may do the same thing by following these steps:
- Open the Zoom desktop client and log in.
- Toggle between your profile image and the Settings symbol.
- Select Backgrounds & Filters from the drop-down menu.
- Select Blur from the drop-down menu.
Your background will be blurred immediately.
During an ongoing call, you can also blur the background.
To do so, follow these steps:
- From the options at the bottom of your screen, click the upwards pointing arrow next to Stop Video.
- Select Virtual Background from the drop-down menu.
- Select Background & Filters from the sidebar.
- Select the Blur effect from the Virtual Background option tab.
The blur effect will be added to the background of your movie.
Let’s move on to learning how to use this feature on your mobile devices.
3. iPhones and iPads – How to Blur Background in Zoom
To blur the background on your iPhone or iPad, do the following:
- Open the Zoom mobile app and log in.
- Make sure your video is turned on before joining or starting a new meeting.
- Now, at the bottom right corner of your smartphone screen, hit More.
- Go to Background and Filters and select Blur from the list.
4. Android Phones and Tablets – How to Blur Background in Zoom
To blur the background on your Android smartphone, follow these steps:
- Open the Zoom app and sign in with your account information.
- Tap More during a Zoom conference.
- Select Blur from the Virtual Background menu.
Please keep in mind that once you enable the blurred background, it will become the default for all future meetings.
Open the Backdrop Filters option again and select a different background or None to disable or change the Zoom virtual background.
Do you still have reservations about using the blurred background option?
Let’s take a look at some of the most often asked questions.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zoom Blurred Background – How to Blur Background in Zoom
The following are four frequently asked questions about Zoom’s blur background:
1. Why is the Background Blur Option Not Showing Up? How to Blur Background in Zoom
If you are not seeing the blur background option in your Zoom app:
- Verify that your device is compatible with the required version.
To use Zoom’s blur feature, make sure you’re running the latest version of the desktop and mobile apps.
As a result, you’ll need to download the following versions to your computer or mobile device.
- Version 5.5.0 (12454.0131) or above is required for the Windows desktop software.
- Version 5.5.0 (12467.0131) or higher is required for the macOS desktop app.
- Version 5.6.6 (2076) or above is required for the Android mobile app.
- Version 5.6.6 (423) or higher of the iOS mobile app is required.
To see if your Zoom application needs to be updated, go to:
- Log in to your account by opening Zoom and entering your username and password.
- Go to the top-right corner of your screen and click on your profile image.
- Next, choose Check for Updates.
Additionally, if you have the most recent client version loaded but still don’t see the background blur option, try turning it off and on your computer for at least five minutes.
Note: If this doesn’t fix the problem, try contacting Zoom support through their help center.
Verify that your device satisfies the system’s requirements.
Check the Virtual Background requirements for the Zoom desktop client and mobile app to check whether your device is supported.
To do so, take the following steps:
- Log in to your Zoom account by opening the Zoom app and signing in.
- Go to the top-right corner of the screen and click on your profile image.
- Go to Backgrounds and Filters > Settings.
- Under Virtual Backgrounds, uncheck the option I have a green screen.
- Then, hover over your virtual background queue.
Your device does not support blurred backgrounds if you see an error message that says, “You need a real green screen to support virtual backgrounds.”
For using an ‘image only’ physical green screen on macOS, you require:
- Zoom desktop client version 3.5 or higher.
- Apple M1 chip, or dual-core, 2Ghz or higher (i5/i7 or AMD equivalent) processor.
To find the prerequisites for your device, go to the Zoom support page.
2. How to Update Zoom to Get the Blur Background? How to Blur Background in Zoom
The blur feature in Zoom’s current client version is included.
This means you’ll need to install Zoom client 5.5.0 on your PC or Mac, as well as version 5.6.6 on your mobile device.
You can see if your app needs to be updated. If a newer version is available, Zoom will send you an update notification. Then, after clicking the ‘Update’ button, wait for the update to download and then click ‘Install’.
You should be able to use Zoom’s new blur feature after it has been installed.
If this feature is still not working after you’ve received the most current version, try restarting your device and opening Zoom again to see if it appears.
3. What Should be the Zoom Background Resolution for it to Blur? How to Blur Background in Zoom
During a Zoom call, the blur background feature often blurs everything in the video background (except you).
Zoom suggests a minimum size of 1280×720 pixels if you wish to utilize an image as a background.
4. Why is Zoom Blurring Parts of Me? How to Blur Background in Zoom
If your camera is out of focus, this could happen.
To manually refocus your camera, twist the right around the lens.
Alternatively, make sure the lens of your camera is clean.
You can also clean it by gently wiping it with a microfiber or silk cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol.
If the problem persists, you might want to consider investing in an auto-focusing webcam. If you participate in video calls frequently, this could be an excellent purchase.
If you don’t want to update or your system can’t support new updates for some reason, you can use this alternate method to blur your background during a Zoom video conversation.
Alternative to Blurring Zoom Background – How to Blur Background in Zoom
Here’s how to replace the video background with an already-blurred image using Zoom’s virtual background feature.
1. Take a picture of your surroundings.
To begin, select a photo for your backdrop.
You can use your webcam to capture it or your phone’s camera to take a picture of it.
However, make sure the image is shot at the same level as your webcam and has inadequate lighting.
2. Blur the background photo in Photoshop
You must now apply a blur effect to the backdrop photo you took.
You can accomplish this with any photo editing app or even a web-based tool. Then upload the captured image and adjust the blur intensity to your liking.
It’s ready to use once you’ve downloaded it.
3. Zoom in on the Blurred Background
You can use the virtual background option in Zoom to upload the altered image.
Here’s how to do it: – How to Blur Background in Zoom
- Go to Zoom Settings on your system after opening Zoom.
- From the sidebar, choose Background & Filters.
- Select Add Image from the Plus icon.
- Choose the background image that has been edited.
The image will now take the place of your actual background, giving it a blurred appearance.
Check the “I have a green screen” box if you have one to make it more consistent.
This, however, can be a time-consuming operation. Instead, select a virtual background from the list of available alternatives or visit the Zoom website for more options.
You can use a new tool or attempt this other way.
Here are three possibilities to get you started.
Instead, try these three popular tools.
How to Blur Background in Zoom – Let’s take a look at three options that include the blur background feature:
- Microsoft Teams (version 1.0)
Microsoft Teams is a cloud-based business collaboration platform for teams that allows them to send messages, hold video conferences, and share files.
Start an online meeting right away or arrange one ahead of time.
Before, during, and after meetings, you can access chats and shared files at any time.
Conduct as many meetings as you like for up to 60 minutes.
Pricing
It has a free plan that allows up to 100 people to attend each meeting. Paid plans start at $4 per month per user.
- Use Skype
Skype is a small-business-friendly VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service. You may use its desktop, browser, or mobile apps to make and receive free calls over the internet.
Use smart messaging to respond to any communication with interesting reactions in real time.
During a call, you can share presentations, photos, or anything else on your screen.
To document key discussions and meetings, record Skype calls.
Pricing
Free Skype-to-Skype calls are available.
- Meet with Google
Google Meet is a video conferencing program for small and medium-sized organizations. It allows users to make video chats and participate in pre-arranged meetings.
Characteristics
Meetings can be held from anywhere using the web or a mobile app, and live captions are available thanks to Google’s speech recognition technology.
Share the entire screen or just a window to present documents, slides, or spreadsheets.
Pricing
Google Meet offers a free plan with restricted capabilities. Paid plans start at 9.99/month.
Virtual meetings have become the new standard. Additionally, Zoom’s blurred background feature might help you attend meetings without being distracted by what’s going on around you.
To enable the blurred backdrop feature, follow the procedures outlined above.
If your device does not fulfill the system requirements for this feature, you can use the alternate approach.
If you want to try something new, you can look at the various video conferencing programs we highlighted above that provide similar features.
