Change background & apply visual effects in Google Meet

To help limit distractions or make meetings more fun, you can now blur your background or apply:

• An immersive background
• A static background
• A seasonal background
• A custom image provided by you or your organization
• Special effects such as filters

You can also apply styles to customize your video with various lighting, color filters, and stylized backgrounds.

Tips:

• Sensitive information might be visible when you change your background.
• In your self view, your background will appear mirrored or inverted. However, the other participants in the meeting will see the correct orientation.
• Availability of backgrounds, filters, and styles are subject to client type, account type, and settings applied by Google Workspace admins. Workspace admins can let users apply backgrounds and special effects.
• To improve real-time video on devices, you can process these in the cloud:
  • Static background images
  • Blur effects
  • Light adjustments
• This feature saves battery, reduces processor usage, and improves meeting quality.

Learn what you need to apply visual effects on a computer

• A browser version that supports WebGL and automatic video lighting adjustment:
  • Windows:
    • Chrome version M114 and up. Learn how to check your browser version.
    • Firefox 110 and up.
    • Edge (Chromium) 114 and up.
  • Linux:
    • Chrome version M114 and up.
    • Firefox 110 and up.
  • Mac:
    • Chrome version M114 and up.
    • Firefox 110 and up.
    • Edge (Chromium) 114 and up.
    • Safari version 16.4 and up.
  • Chrome OS:
    • Chrome version M114 and up. Learn how to upgrade your Chromebook.
• Turn on graphics acceleration.

Enable graphics acceleration 

Turn on graphics acceleration on Windows or Mac: 

1. At the top right of a Chrome window, click Menu  Click Settings. 
2. On the left, click System .
3. Turn on Use graphic acceleration when available.
4. Restart Chrome.

Check WebGL support

Check if your browser supports WebGL at webglreport.com and verify that “Major Performance Caveat” is marked as “No”. Your browser might disable WebGL if the device is unstable or cause crashes. You can’t enforce WebGL on unstable WebGL devices. In some cases, it may help to update graphic card drivers or restart your browser. Learn more about WebGL support. 

Meet adjusts between device & cloud-based processors

Adjustments between device and cloud-based effects processors are done automatically by Meet. It prioritizes cloud-based effects processing for devices:

• With a 4-core CPU or lower (fewer than 8 logical cores)
• That use Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Tip: If you use VDI, but no GPU is available, cloud-based effects processing is used. This may result in limited effects feature availability. Learn how to prepare your network for meetings.

Learn what you need for cloud-based effects processing

Adjustments between device and cloud-based effects processors are done automatically by Meet. It prioritizes cloud-based effects processing for devices:

• With a 4-core CPU or lower (fewer than 8 logical cores)
• That use Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

This feature is currently available for Windows, ChromeOS, and Linux machines that comply with device-based processing requirements.

Device-based effects processing is available for all Workspace editions.

Cloud-based effects processing is currently available for:

• Curated static background images (not available with VDI)
• Uploaded, AI-generated, or company images
• Blur
• Lighting adjustment

Important: Visual effects that use cloud-based effects processing are available to those with the following Workspace editions and in the following countries or regions.

Workspace users for:

• Google Workspace Individual
• Business Standard
• Business Plus
• Enterprise Essentials
• Enterprise Starter
• Enterprise Standard
• Enterprise Plus

Users in eligible countries or regions:

• North America
• South America (Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru)
• Australia
• Europe
• Central and Southeast Asia
• Middle East
• Northern and Southern Africa

Support for additional regions is being added.

Change your background and use visual effects

Important:

• Participants who join the meeting while not logged into a Google account and participants who need to knock to get admitted, can only change their background or use visual effects once in the meeting.
• Your camera is automatically turned on when you click on an effect. Your device may slow down when you use effects and backgrounds. If you experience performance issues, you can turn off effects.

1. Before you join a meeting, at the bottom of your self-view, click Apply visual effects .
   • During a meeting, hover to your self view.
   • At the center of your self view, click Apply visual effects .
     • You can also click More options Apply visual effects .
     • You can adjust and stack visual effects across different categories. Click the category and scroll down.
       • Under the “Backgrounds” tab
         • To slightly blur your background, click Slightly blur .
         • To completely blur your background, click Blur.
         • To upload your own background, click Add yourown personal background.
         • To select a pre-uploaded background, click the background you want to use.
       • Under the “Filters” tab
         • Click the filter you want to use.
           • To turn on an interactive filter, follow the on-screen instruction.
       • Under the “Appearance” tab
         • You can adjust your video lighting or framing.
         • To change the style, click the style you want to use.
2. To select or remove the stacked effects, on the right of your self view in the Effects panel, click Stack .
   • The number in the green bubble indicates the number of effects you’ve applied.
   • Select the effects you want to remove or to remove all effects, click Remove all.
   • To minimize the stack view, click Close .
3. To close the Effects panel, click Done .