If you spend a lot of time in Microsoft Teams meetings, your virtual background can start to feel a little repetitive. After seeing the same office, bookshelf, blurred room, or generic landscape dozens of times, changing it can be an easy way to give your video calls a fresh look.
Microsoft has an official solution for that.
The company maintains a Custom Backgrounds Gallery for Microsoft Teams, giving users a collection of ready-made images that can be used to personalize meetings and video calls. Instead of searching around the web for suitable images, Teams users can browse Microsoft’s collection and find something that better matches their personality, workplace, or the type of meeting they’re attending.
Microsoft Teams Backgrounds Can Change the Feel of a Meeting
Virtual backgrounds are more than just a way to hide a messy room.
For people working from home or joining meetings from different locations, a background can create a cleaner and more consistent appearance. It can also reduce distractions for everyone on the call, particularly when the physical environment behind you isn’t ideal for a video meeting.
At the same time, not every Teams call needs to look like a corporate boardroom.
A simple landscape, colorful design, seasonal image, or themed background can make an informal meeting feel more relaxed. For professional calls, a clean and understated design can provide a polished appearance without taking attention away from the person speaking.
That’s where Microsoft’s background gallery can come in handy.
A Collection Designed for Teams Users
Microsoft’s official gallery brings together backgrounds specifically intended for use with Teams.
The collection includes different themes and visual styles, so users don’t have to settle for the handful of backgrounds included with Teams. The gallery has also been used for special events, community designs, seasonal collections, and other themed artwork.
That makes it particularly useful if you’re someone who likes changing your background regularly.
Instead of using one image for months, you can return to the gallery whenever you want something different.
You Can Keep Your Background Professional Without Being Boring
For work meetings, there is often a balance to find between looking professional and adding some personality.
A completely blank or blurred background is perfectly fine, but a carefully chosen custom background can make your video feed look more intentional.
For example, a subtle abstract design can work well for everyday meetings, while a company-branded background can create a consistent appearance for employees joining customer calls.
If you’re attending a more relaxed team meeting, meanwhile, you can choose something more colorful or creative without making the call feel overly formal.
The important thing is to avoid backgrounds that are so busy that they compete with your face or make text difficult to read.
Changing Your Teams Background Is Easy
Once you’ve found a background you like, changing the appearance of your video feed is relatively straightforward.
Before joining a meeting, turn on your camera and open the Background filters or background effects options. From there, you can select an available background before entering the meeting.
You can also change your background after you’ve joined a call.
During a meeting, select More actions (…) and look for the background or video effects option. You can then choose another background without leaving the meeting.
The exact wording and location of the controls can vary depending on the Teams version and platform you’re using.
You Can Also Use Your Own Images
You’re not limited to Microsoft’s gallery.
Teams also allows users to use their own custom images as virtual backgrounds, giving you considerably more flexibility.
That could be useful if you want to use:
- A company-branded background
- A personal design
- A simple gradient or abstract image
- A seasonal background
- A photo of a favorite location
- A background created specifically for an event or presentation
For businesses, custom backgrounds can also be useful for maintaining a consistent visual identity across meetings.
A company can create a branded Teams background with its logo and colors and distribute it to employees, for example.
Microsoft Is Also Using the Gallery for Themed Collections
Another interesting part of Microsoft’s Teams background collection is the use of themed artwork.
Microsoft has published backgrounds around different events and communities, giving users more opportunities to change their video appearance throughout the year.
These collections can be particularly useful for organizations that want to acknowledge a particular event or occasion without requiring employees to design their own backgrounds.
The gallery therefore isn’t just a static collection of generic images. It’s also a place where Microsoft can highlight new designs and themed content for Teams users.
What Makes a Good Teams Background?
Not every attractive image makes a good virtual meeting background.
A good Teams background should complement the person in front of it rather than compete with them. Images with excessive detail, very bright elements, or large amounts of text can become distracting once the camera is active.
Simple designs often work surprisingly well.
If you’re choosing your own image, look for something with enough empty space around where your head and shoulders will appear. This can help Teams separate you from the background more naturally.
It’s also worth remembering that virtual background effects aren’t always perfect. Fast movement, poor lighting, headphones, hair, or objects close to your body can sometimes cause parts of the background effect to look less natural.
Good lighting can make a noticeable difference.
Why Microsoft’s Gallery Is Worth Bookmarking
One of the biggest advantages of Microsoft’s official gallery is convenience.
Rather than spending time searching image sites for something that looks good at webcam resolution, you can start with a collection created specifically around Microsoft Teams.
It’s also a useful source of inspiration even if you ultimately decide to create your own background.
You can browse Microsoft’s designs, see what styles work well, and then create something that fits your own workspace or organization.
Give Your Next Teams Meeting a Fresh Look
Microsoft Teams has become a regular part of work and collaboration for millions of people, which means it’s easy for video calls to start feeling routine.
Changing your virtual background won’t transform a meeting, but it can be a surprisingly simple way to refresh your setup.
Whether you want something professional, colorful, seasonal, creative, or completely different from your current background, Microsoft’s Custom Backgrounds Gallery is a good place to start.
Browse Microsoft’s Teams Custom Backgrounds Gallery
And if none of the available designs are quite right for you, Teams gives you the option of using your own image as well.
So, if you’ve been using the same Teams background for months, it might be time for a change.
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