Microsoft Teams Backgrounds

Image of the SUNY Empire mascot Blue the bluebird.
Image of a SUNY Empire building.
Graphic of different school related icons representing SUNY Empire
Illustration of the SUNY Empire mascot Blue.
Graphic of the SUNY Empire State College logo.
A graphic with the slogan, Make It Happen.
Image of a brick office with a poster of the mascot Blue.
Image of an office with a poster of the mascot Blue.

To change your background before a meeting:

  1. Download selected background(s) to your computer.
    • Click on an image to download.
    • If the image opens in a new browser tab or window, right-click on that larger image and save it to your computer.
  2. In Teams, after selecting “Join,” you will be prompted to choose your audio and video settings.
  3. Turn on video switch.
  4. Turn on background switch, at which point background settings will appear.
  5. Select “Add new” and upload from your computer.
  6. Your new background will show up in all of your meetings and calls until you change it.

Note: If you don't see these options in the menu, the backgrounds feature might not be available on your device.

To change your background during a meeting:

  1. Go to your meeting controls and select More actions (“…”) and then go to “Show background effects.”
  2. Choose from available images, or upload your own by selecting “Add new” and choosing a .JPG, .PNG, or .BMP file from your computer.
  3. Preview your background to see how it looks before you apply it.

More Information

For more information, please visit Microsoft's support page.

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