Using avatars in meetings and webinars

Avatars enable you to replace your appearance with a 3D virtual avatar that mirrors your head movements and facial expressions. Avatars are an easy and entertaining way to engage with your meeting attendees and add a bit of fun. Avatars also provide a good middle ground for users who don’t want to turn on their camera, but still want to leverage the power of body language and facial expressions.

When you turn on this feature during a meeting, Zoom’s technology uses your device’s camera to detect where a face is on the screen and apply the selected avatar effect. Images of your face don’t leave your device when using this feature, and they are not stored or sent to Zoom. This feature does not use facial recognition, which means that it does not identify who you are. So while the Avatars feature can tell what is or is not a face, it does not recognize or distinguish between individual faces.

Requirements for using avatars

General requirements

Note: The avatars feature is not available in all regions and at all account levels. If you do not see a specific feature, you may not have access to use it.

System requirements

*Note: When comparing your processor with the requirements, the generation of your processor can be determined by the first digit (or two) of the processor number, while the remaining 3 digits are the model number. For example, an Intel i7-6700 is the 700 model of the 6th generation of i7 processors. 

Limitations of using avatars

Table of Contents

How to apply an avatar to your video

You can use an avatar in a meeting with your camera on or off. If your camera is on while using an avatar, the selected avatar will mimic your head movements and facial expressions. Avatars can be used in conjunction with virtual backgrounds and immersive view, allowing you and others to create an even more fun and captivating scene for your participants and attendees.

Note: Avatars do not use facial recognition and will not store any images of your face.

Windows | macOS

Change your avatar before a meeting or webinar

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
  2. In the top-right corner, click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. Click Backgrounds & effects .
  4. Click the Avatars tab.
  5. Click one of the available avatars, or click the add icon to create a custom avatar.
  6. (Optional) Click the toggle next to Turn on my avatar when I join a meeting to automatically enable your avatar when you join a meeting.
    Note: The avatar with a star next to it in your settings will be the avatar that's used. To use a different avatar, click it and the star will change to that selection.

Change, show, or hide your avatar during a meeting or webinar

  1. Join a meeting or webinar on the Zoom desktop app.
  2. In the bottom-left corner of the video window, next to the Video icon, click the up arrow icon .
  3. (Optional) Click any of the following avatar options:
    • To show your avatar, click Show avatar.
    • To hide your avatar, click Show avatar again.
    • To change your avatar, click Choose avatar and choose from the available avatars or click the add icon to create a custom avatar.
      Note: If you change your avatar, it will automatically show in the meeting.
  4. (Optional) If your video is enabled and you want to stop the avatar from mimicking your movements, click the Video icon to disable your video.
Android | iOS
  1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
  2. If you're in a meeting or webinar, do the following:
    1. In the meeting controls toolbar, tap More.
    2. Tap Background & effects.
    3. Proceed to step 4.
  3. If you're not in a live session, do the following:
    1. In the bottom-right corner, tap More.
    2. Under Settings, tap Meetings.
    3. Under Video, tap Background & effects.
    4. Proceed to step 4.
  4. Tap the Avatars tab.
  5. (Optional) Choose from the following options to change or remove your avatar:
    Note: If you are currently in a meeting or webinar, your avatar will change in the live session if you change it from these settings.
    • Tap None to remove your avatar.
    • Tap Add to create a custom avatar.
    • Tap one of the available avatars.
      The avatar will be automatically applied.
  6. (Optional) Tap the toggle next to Apply to all meetings to automatically enable your avatar when you join a meeting.
    Note: The avatar with a star below it in your settings will be the avatar that's used. To use a different avatar, tap it and the star will change to that selection.
  7. After selecting your avatar, tap the close icon .

How to create a custom human avatar

Instead of using the default animal avatars, you can create a custom human avatar, typically to recreate your own personal appearance.

Windows | macOS
  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
  2. Click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. Click Background & Effects .
  4. Below the video preview, click the Avatars tab.
  5. Next to the None option, click the add icon .
    A new window will appear to create your custom avatar.
  6. Go through each tab and choose your desired option for each facial feature and related color.
    The avatar preview will update as your make selections.
  7. Click Apply when complete.
    The custom avatar will be displayed at the top of the list. You can create multiple custom avatars.
Android | iOS
  1. Sign in to the Zoom mobile app.
  2. In the bottom-right corner, tap More.
  3. Under Settings, tap Meetings.
  4. Under Video, tap Background & effects.
  5. Tap the Avatars tab.
  6. Tap Add to create a custom avatar.
  7. Go through each tab and choose your desired option for each facial feature and related color.
  8. Tap Apply when complete.
    The custom avatar will be displayed towards the top of the list. You can create multiple custom avatars.