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How to Change Your Background in Google Meet

With a variety of backgrounds to choose from and the options to blur or upload your own image to use, you can step up your Google Meet game and add a little spice to your meetings. Added bonuses include not having to clean your room and the appearance of suddenly inhabiting a posh New York apartment.

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Changing Your Background in Google Meet Before Joining a Meeting

You're preparing for a meeting with the big bosses. You want to wow them with a backdrop as equally impressive as your presentation. Google Meet is here for you; with the options to test drive and have your visual effects set up before the meeting starts, you are sure to impress the coworkers with your preparedness and stylish background.

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1. Open Google Meet and click your scheduled meeting.

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2. Click the "Apply visual effects" button with three stars in the lower right-hand corner. You can also reach these effects by clicking the "More options" button in the upper right-hand corner.

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3. On this page, you'll find a selection of backgrounds and the options to blur or upload your own image to use as a background. You can turn off visual effects on this page as well by clicking the circle with the line through it.

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4. You can now peruse background options and test them out before your meeting starts! Go to the Preview page where you can record a practice run with your snazzy new backdrop and see how you'll look with other meeting participants later on. The fun has just begun.

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5. Once you've selected your background, simply exit out of the visual affects page. And voila! When you join your meeting, your background will bet set and ready to go! You are living your most prepared life.

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Changing Your Background in Google Meet During a Meeting

Once your Google Meet has started, you can change your background similarly.

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1. After joining your Google Meeting, click the "More options" button with the three vertical dots from the toolbox at the bottom of the screen.

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2. Select "Apply visual effects" from the list of options.

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3. You have the options here to blur your background, upload your own image to use, or select from a variety of backgrounds that include video and still images, as well as different "Styles" that allow you to add flare to your real-time backdrop.

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4. You can click one of these to make your background selection or click the circle with a line through it to turn off visual effects. Note: As you click on a background, this selection will appear in real time to the other participants in your meeting.

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5. After choosing your background, you can exit out of the selections page and get back to business in style!

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Troubleshooting

If you are unable to use the visual effects, check to make sure that your:

• Browser is Chrome version 91 or above on Windows, Mac, or Linux. You will need to update your Chrome browser if you are not running this version or above.
• Browser supports WebGL
• Hardware acceleration is turned on
• Operating system is a 64-bit

If you are not logged into a Google account or need to knock to get in, you can only change or use visual effects once during the video call.

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