Using blurred background

When a custom virtual background is unavailable or not suiting your needs, but you still want to maintain some privacy with regards to your surroundings, the blur background option can be a great alternative. This option simply blurs the background of your video, obscuring exactly who or what is behind you. It's great for hiding a cluttered dorm room, taking a meeting in a coffee shop, or just keeping things professional.

Requirements for using blurred background

Table of Contents

How to enable blurred background

The Blur option is a variant of the virtual background options that you can configure in the Virtual Background setting.

Note: After you set up the blurred background, that virtual background will be used for your future meetings.

Windows | macOS | Linux

Enable blurred background before a meeting

  1. Sign in to the Zoom desktop app.
  2. Click your profile picture, then click Settings.
  3. In the navigation menu, click Backgrounds & effects .
  4. Click the Virtual backgrounds tab.
    Note: If you do not have the Virtual Background tab and you have enabled it on the web portal, sign out of the Zoom desktop app and sign in again.
  5. Click Blur.
    Your background will become blurred behind you, obscuring your surroundings.
    Note: You can remove the virtual background by choosing None.

Enable blurred background during a meeting

  1. Join a Zoom meeting or a webinar as a panelist from your Zoom desktop app.
  2. In the bottom-left corner of the video window, click the arrow icon next to Start Video / Stop Video .
  3. If there’s no checkmark next to Blur my background, click it.
    Note: You can remove the virtual background by clicking Blur my background while a checkmark is next to it.
Android | iOS

Enable blurred background during a meeting

  1. Join a Zoom meeting or a webinar as a panelist from your Zoom mobile app.
  2. While in a Zoom meeting or webinar, in the bottom-right corner, tap More More.
  3. Tap Backgrounds & effects , then tap Virtual backgrounds (Android) or Background and Filters (iOS).
  4. Tap Blur.
    Your background will become blurred behind you, obscuring your surroundings.
    Note: You can remove the virtual background by choosing None.