How to add a virtual background to your Zoom meeting

You’ve landed a virtual video interview for an exciting new job opportunity, checked off all the important steps to nail your interview, and you’re ready to rock it. But now that most of us are spending our days social distancing at home, how can you make sure your interviewer is focused on you and not the room around you? Maybe your laundry still needs to be put away, or you’d like to show a little more personality than a blank wall behind you... whatever the case, Zoom, the video conferencing service we use for our virtual interviews, makes it easy to set a custom background to minimize distractions!

Follow our step-by-step guide to set a custom Zoom background for your interview (or your next team meeting). Looking for some background inspiration? We’ve pulled together some of our associates' favorite spots across our Capital One campuses to share at the bottom of this article!

How to change your Zoom background on desktop for Mac

1. Open the Zoom app or enter your meeting, click on zoom.us, and click Preferences. Select Virtual Background on the menu to the left.
2. There are a few default background options that you can choose from—by clicking on one, it will change your background. To add new backgrounds, click on the + icon to the right of Choose Virtual Background, then navigate to your saved photo. Once you upload it, it will appear in your virtual background list.

How to change your Zoom background on desktop for PC

1. Open the Zoom app or enter your meeting, click on the drop down next to Stop Video, and select Choose Virtual Background on the menu to the left.
2. There are a few default background options that you can choose from—by clicking on one, it will change your background. To add new backgrounds, click on the + icon to the right of Choose Virtual Background, then navigate to your saved photo. Once you upload it, it will appear in your virtual background list.

How to change your Zoom background on a mobile phone

1. After you join a meeting, tap the three dots at the bottom right of the screen—this will open the More menu. Then tap Virtual Background.
2. Select a background from the default options provided, or upload your own!

Bonus Zoom meeting tip:

After social distancing for a while, we all might be able to use a little help with how we show up on video. To soften your appearance with a little Zoom magic, apply the Touch Up My Appearance filter to your next meeting!

1. Open the Zoom app or enter your meeting, click on zoom.us, and click Preferences.
2. Select Video on the menu to the left, then under My Video on the right check Touch Up My Appearance from the list of options. Suddenly your appearance will be just a little bit softer as Zoom applies a filter to your image!

Save these images and upload them as your Zoom background