Knowing how to alter the Google Meet background is extremely useful. Video calls and meetings are more essential than ever before, however, there are instances when you don't want others to see your surroundings. It could be for confidentiality reasons but rather your home office is a complete mess on that particular day.
Fortunately, you can avoid displaying your surroundings without turning off your webcam. Most video chat apps, including Google Meet, allow you to change your background so that it only shows you. In addition to using a fake background or a picture from your smartphone or computer, you can blur your real background so that no details are visible.
You can change your background at any time, even before you enter a meeting or any other video call. That way, you can jump right in and not have to fiddle with the configurations while people can see what's on your webcam. Here's how to go about it.
1. Head to Google Meet to your scheduled meeting
2. The following page displays a peek of your camera feed. Click the human silhouette icon in the bottom right corner. On mobile, it's represented by a three-star icon.
3. At the bottom of the preview, a menu with various background options will appear.
The process of selecting a new background is the same regardless of how you arrived at the background menu. Here's how to change the background.
1. Choose whether you want to blur your background, use a stock option, or create your own.
2. At the top of the menu, there are two blurring options: "blur" and "slightly blur." These do the same thing, but as the name implies, they have different levels of blurring.
3. The next option, represented by a large '+' sign, allows you to select a custom background. Tapping or clicking it allows you to choose an image from your device to place behind you instead of what's there.
The process of selecting a new background is the same regardless of how you arrived at the background menu. Here's how to change the background.
1. Choose whether you want to blur your background, use a stock option, or create your own.
2. At the top of the menu, there are two blurring options: "blur" and "slightly blur." These do the same thing, but as the name implies, they have different levels of blurring.
3. The next option, represented by a large '+' sign, allows you to select a custom background. Tapping or clicking it allows you to choose an image from your device to place behind you instead of what's there.
4. Following that, there are several stock options, each with a different location and scene. The Play button on the right-hand side of the thumbnail implies that the very first three are animated as well.
That's all there is to it. It's that simple to change your background in Google Meet, no matter what device you're using or when you're having your video meeting.