M365 Changelog: Microsoft Teams: introducing organization-wide backgrounds (preview)

MC249777 – Updated July 30, 2021: Microsoft has updated the content below for clarity. Thank you for your patience.

Currently, your end users can replace the background in a video meeting or call with an image, if you have enabled this feature for Teams desktop apps and Teams on the web.

Microsoft is introducing, via a preview feature, the ability for you to provide backgrounds that end users have access to across the organization.

Note: This feature will be available as a preview until 12/31/2021. After that, an Advanced Communications license is required to continue using this feature.

This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 80193 .

When this will happen

Rollout is planned from early June (previously mid-May) to early July (previously mid-June).

How this will affect your organization

Once this feature is in preview, anyone within your organization can view these backgrounds and apply them across calls and meetings via the new background settings panel.

While the feature is in preview, users will be able to view these images in a new background settings panel accessed from the […] options link in the meeting controls, and then apply an image across calls and meetings. 

During a meeting or call, users can access Apply background effects from the […] options link in the meeting controls. Before joining a meeting, users can select Background filters below the video image.
Teams background

What you need to do to prepare

You can upload images in Teams admin center for use in your tenant.
Teams admin center

Images can be either PNG or JPG format; they should be no smaller than 360x360px and no larger than 2048x2048px. You can host up to 50 images in your tenant.

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