SOLVED

Custom Background Images for Teams Meetings

MVP

 

Teams allows you to use a set of images selected by Microsoft as the background for meetings. It’s a nice feature, even if it lacks the ability to upload and use a custom image of your own. This capability was promised, but it looks as if Microsoft knows they need to some work on admin framework before they allow people to upload their own images.

 

https://office365itpros.com/2020/04/06/teams-meeting-background-image/

97 Replies

I have created and attached a quick PDF Guide for both Windows and Mac that includes all the feedback from this thread.

@CliveHornsbymany thanks for this, have found no problem with a small number of additional backgrounds but it gets grumpy if you try too many! One small issue is that the images uploaded are as advised 1920 x 1080 but display larger than the window so the image edges are hidden off the screen, are you aware of any way of controlling the image to window size? It makes a corporate background a little tricky to engineer when there is no edge to work to.

 

A small but useful feature is having a video call with yourself to check output that your contacts will see - Calendar>Meet Now allows this

 

TIA

 

Duncan

@CliveHornsby Good job, Clive! The only suggestion I'd offer is to include that different resolutions and image formats can be used - subject to the comment from @duncan3  about screen real estate and number of images.

 

May I use this at one of my clients?

 

I'm writing a pile of Tips of the Day, incorporating their information architecture and common work practices being put into place. I'm happy to share those resources. with anyone interested I've done about 25 of them so far.

@Simon Rawson 

You are welcome to share and I have sent a PM so I can share my original Word doc for editing.

@Simon Rawson Many companies are posting their own version of background images or advice. Here's the one posted by IKEA, a major Teams customer.

 

IKEA Teams Directions.jpg

There's also the Star Wars backgrounds... For details, see https://office365itpros.com/2020/04/06/teams-meeting-background-image/

@Tony Redmond  I need some help. I don't have any of the files listed on this thread.

Im using a Windows 10..

@MochaFrappuccino Sorry. I don't do support. You can contact Microsoft for help.

@Tony Redmond 

 

I wrote this comment to you elsewhere. Still can't figure out how the background images are ordered.

 

-Bah

 

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Right. So here's an example of how this product is rather half baked. This is just one issue- but it is a good, simple stand-in for how the product is not finished.
What order are the pictures displayed in, when you go to Background Settings? Ordered by date? Size? Filename? I can't figure it out. I shouldn't have to. But along with the inability to pin an entire team, only a channel and other navigation oddities; the way in which there's only one Teams window; the way in which searching for content in teams isn't even a joke- it just doesn't work....
This "who knows what order they are in" is one simple example of many of this this product has just been released to the public and promoted and pushed and- it's half baked.
Bah.

AFAIK the images are sorted alphabetically in two sections: the first are the set of default images from the Teams content delivery network, the second are your custom files. Please take a chill pill. When you use a default image, it is downloaded from the CDN and stored in the Backgrounds folder.

@Tony Redmond 

 

I appreciate you telling me to take a chill pill and not 'turn the keys' so much in my post. I just find that Msft tools are rather half-baked, and I'm the taste tester. The advertising showing all the happy users doesn't show one bit of functionality that actually shows how it's better than... What? Slack? AOL AIM? :|

 

Thanks for figuring out the order of the images- I didn't think it would separate them into 'built in backgrounds' and 'ones in the folder'. I'll check it out.

 

 

@Mr_Guy  As I frequently say at conferences, never confuse marketing messages and strategy (all happiness and light) with technical reality. Teams is not the only product where fault lines sometimes show.

@Tony Redmond 

If anyone is having issues with not being able to see or access the \AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads folders, you need to login to Teams at least once, and click on the Show Background effects, click on one of the images and select Preview before the folder is created.

The folder does not exist until you at least preview one of the backgrounds.

Once you have done this, you should have the folders and be able to upload.

@PeterDigby 

 

I have 2 laptops. Both with the latest Teams Software version. One has the background option available and one only has the blur background option. On the one with the blur only, it doesn't even have a backgrounds folder created. It's got a i5-8365U which specs say have AVX2. I can't figure out how to get the option available. Any ideas?

 

Just wondering, are you using the same account to login to Teams on both laptops?

@jenncarneiro yes, both the same corporate account.  

That is an anomaly for sure!
I can't think of any obvious reason for it to work on one and not the other.

I'm assuming both pc have the same o/s, and you've used the blur function at least once on each (with the same account signed in).

I would do the old uninstall/reboot/reinstall/reboot and see if that helps, or hopefully someone else will be able to post a better suggestion.

Sorry I don't have a better idea...

@jenncarneiro @jabaugrad Do they both have the same version - version 1.3.00.8663?

@JoshNelson @jenncarneiro 

 

They both display: "You have Microsoft Teams Version 1.3.00.12058 (64-bit). It was last updated on 5/14/20."

 

I'm stumped. 

@katesteventon   Hou have to enable hidden files to find the folder

@Yadwinder1130 
What was blocked? i guess i have same here...