Change background & apply visual effects in Google Meet

To limit distractions or make meetings more fun, you can now blur your background or apply:

• An immersive background
• A static background
• A seasonal background
• A custom image provided by you or your organization
• Special effects such as filters

You can also apply styles to customize your video with various lighting, color filters, and stylized backgrounds.

Tips:

• If you change your background, sensitive info might be visible.
• In your self view, your background appears mirrored or inverted but other participants in the meeting can see the correct orientation.
• The availability of backgrounds, filters, and styles are subject to client type, account type, and settings set by Google Workspace admins. If you’re a Workspace admin, you can let users apply backgrounds and special effects.
• To improve real-time video on devices, you can process these in the cloud:
  • Static background images
  • Blur effects
  • Light adjustments
• This feature saves battery, reduces processor usage, and improves meeting quality.

Adjust between device & cloud-based processors

Adjustments between device and cloud-based effects processors are done automatically by Meet. It prioritizes cloud-based effects processing for devices:

• With a 4-core CPU or lower (fewer than 8 logical cores)
• That use Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Tips:

• This feature is currently available for Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux machines that comply with device-based processing requirements.
• If you use VDI, but no GPU is available, cloud-based effects processing is used. This may result in limited effects feature availability. Learn how to prepare your network for meetings.

Change your background & use visual effects

Important:

• Participants who aren’t logged in to a Google Account or need to knock to join the meeting, can only change their background or use visual effects once in the meeting.
• If you click on an effect, your camera automatically turns on. Your device may slow down when you use effects and backgrounds. If you experience performance issues, you can turn off effects.

1. On your computer, open Google Meet.
2. Before you join a meeting, at the bottom right of your self view, click Backgrounds and effects .
   • Or, during a meeting:
     1. Hover to your self view.
     2. At the center of your self view, click Backgrounds and effects .
        • Or, at the bottom, click More options Backgrounds and effects .
3. To adjust and stack visual effects across different categories, click the category and scroll.
   • Under the “Backgrounds” tab:
     • To adjust your background’s blurriness or select a personal background, under “Blur and personal backgrounds,” select:
       • Slightly blur your background .
       • Blur your background .
       • Use image from camera roll .
       • The background you want to use.
     • Under the “Filters” tab:
       • Select the filter you want to use.
       • To turn on an interactive filter, follow the on-screen instruction.
     • Under the “Appearance” tab:
       • You can turn on Portrait touch-up, Studio lighting, Studio look, or Framing.
       • To change the style, select the style you want to use.
4. To select or remove the stacked effects, at the bottom right of your self view in the “Backgrounds and effects panel,” click Turn off visual effects .
   • The number in the green bubble indicates the number of effects you’ve applied.
   • Select the effects you want to remove.
     • Or, to remove all effects, click Remove all.
5. To close the “Backgrounds and effects” panel, click Close .

Tips:

• Background effects may increase your battery usage. If your battery is low, you can turn off the effects.
• Your video may be cropped to show other participants, so some parts of your background or effects may not be visible to them.

Related resources

• Improve your video & audio experience
• Control backgrounds & special effects for Google Meet users
• Update your Chromebook's operating system
• Create background images with Gemini in Google Meet