Teams – Using you own images as a video background

Update – Microsoft Teams now has the option of doing this via the GUI so no need to following the below. However the information is still relevant if you would like to deploy a standard set of images to a group of users.

Microsoft just added support for background images  in video calls, beyond just blurring your background. Currently Microsoft is offering a selection of image provided  by themselves. Adding support for uploading your own images is coming from Microsoft.

But if you know where to look you can in fact use you own images now.

All you need to do is drop your image(s) into the below folder

C:\Users\<your username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads

Or you can use an environment variable  if you prefer or you are scripting %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads

There are somethings to be aware of.

• By default the “AppData” folder is a hidden folder if you are browsing in explorer. So you may been to enable hidden folders.
• The “Backgrounds” folder and “Uploads” sub folder  will only exist if you have had a video call using one of Microsoft preset backgrounds. So if you are scripting you may want to check if the folders exists and create them if needed.
• Most image resolutions and formats seem to work Microsoft are using 1920×1080 PNG files for theirs,  so it may be best to stick with that. Animated GIFs will only appear as a static image on the call.
• You don’t need to flip the images. The images look to be horizontally flipped when you see the preview of yourself, but the person(s) on the other end will see the image fine.

Have Fun!