How to change the background in Skype

Whether you want to use your Skype experience to establish a professional presence or help lighten the mood with a humorous attitude; In this article, we’ll show you how creative you can be when modifying your Skype backgrounds.

We will discuss how to customize and blur the background before and during Skype calls. Additionally, our FAQ includes things you can try if you’re having trouble displaying a custom background, where to find the best virtual backgrounds for Skype, and alternative options for deleting your Skype account.

Change/alter your Skype background using settings

To blur or customize your Skype background before a video call across Windows, Mac, and Linux:

1. Launch the Skype app and click on your profile photo.
   
2. Select the “Settings” icon, then the microphone icon for “Audio & Video.”
   
3. Under “Choose background effect”, you can:
   
   • Blur the room you are currently in (you will not appear blurry)
   • Select a previously added image, or
   • Add a new image to customize your background effect.
   • For all predefined image categories, select the three-dot menu under “Choose background effect”.

Note: It is recommended to save your custom image somewhere on your desktop and use the images in landscape orientation.

Change/alter your Skype background during a call

To blur or customize the Skype background during a call across Windows, Mac, and Linux:

1. Once the call has started, hover over the video icon or select the three-dot “More” menu.
   
2. Select “Choose background effect.” Here you can:
   
   • Blur the room you are currently in (you will not appear blurry)
   • Select a previously added image, or
   • Add a new image to customize your background effect.
   • For all predefined image categories, select the three-dot “More” menu under “Choose background effect.”

Note: It is recommended to save your custom image somewhere on your desktop and use the images in landscape orientation.

To blur the Skype background via mobile device during a video call:

1. Once the call has started, tap the three-dot “More” menu.
   
2. Enable “Blur my background”.
   

Skype Background Changes FAQ

Does Skype support blurred backgrounds?

Yes, Skype allows you to set a blurred background to display during your video calls. To blur the Skype background before a video call via Windows, Mac and Linux:

1. Launch the Skype app and click on your profile photo.

2. Select the “Settings” icon, then the microphone icon for “Audio & Video”.

3. Under “Choose background effect”, activate the “Blur my background” option.

To blur the Skype background during a call via Windows, Mac, and Linux:

1. Once the call has started, hover over the video icon or select the three-dot “More” menu.

2. Select “Choose background effect” and activate the “Blur my background” option.

To blur the Skype background via a mobile device, during a video call:

1. Once the call has started, tap the three-dot “More” menu.

2. Enable “Blur my background”.

How to create a custom Skype background?

To add a custom background during your video call:

1. Once the call has started, hover over the video icon or click the three-dot “More” menu.

2. Select “Choose background effect”.

3. To customize the background effect, add a new image or select a previously used one. You will also have the option to blur the actual background of the room you are using.

To set a custom background for all video calls:

1. Launch the Skype app and click on your profile photo.

2. Select “Settings” and then the “Audio & Video” button.

3. To customize the background effect, add a new image or select a previously used one. You will also have the option to blur the actual background of the room you are using.

What resolution should I use for my custom Skype background?

The recommended resolution and image size for a custom Skype background are:

• 1920 x 1080 pixels (resolution).

• Size 1280 x 720.

Smaller resolutions may work with the risk of the image appearing pixelated due to the low resolution.

Why can’t I change my Skype background?

Try the following if your custom background is not showing:

Restart your computer

Skype updates may be available, so a restart will force Skype to update to the latest version. Save your work and then turn off your PC; Wait about five minutes before turning it on again.

Check the installed version of Skype

To check your current version of Skype:

1. Launch the Skype application.

2. Click on the three-dot menu icon at the top.

3. Click “Help and Feedback”.

· The version of Skype and the application will be displayed.

These are some of the supported operating systems and their latest versions:

Android phone and Chromebook tablet:

· Android 6.0+ version 8.70.0.77

Android 4.0.4 to 5.1 version 8.15.0.439

Light version 1.88.0.1

iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch:

· iPad 8.70.0.77

· iPhone version 8.70.0.77

Mac:

· Mac (OS 10.10 and higher) version 8.69.0.58

· Mac (OS 10.9) version 8.49.0.49

Linux:

· Linux version 8.69.0.77

Windows:

· Windows desktop version 8.68.0.96

Windows 10:

· Windows 10 (version 15) 8.68.0.96/15.68.96.0

For a complete list of version compatibility, visit support.skype.com.

Try signing out and then signing back in

After confirming that your compatibility and version are OK, click the three-dot menu at the top, and then select “sign out”. Sign in again to help force your custom background to display.

Is there a virtual background for Skype?

Yes, Skype supports virtual backgrounds.

If you are using your own images as a virtual background, make sure they are high resolution and use royalty-free images. Once you’ve added the image, Skype will automatically adjust it; However, sometimes you can end up with a strange-looking stretched image right when the video call starts.

To make life easier, consider using Custom Zoom virtual backgrounds imagesto access a selection of beautiful backgrounds, for about the price of your favorite hot drink.

How do I share my screen on Skype?

To start sharing your screen during a Skype call through your desktop:

1. Once the call has started, click the screen sharing button at the bottom right of the screen.

· For macOS 10.15 (Catalina) users, you will need to give Skype access to “Screen Recording”, click: “System Preferences” > “Security & Privacy” > “Screen Recording” and grant access to Skype.

To share your screen using an Android device:

· Click the three-dot “More” menu button and then press the screen sharing icon.

To share your screen using an iOS device:

1. Click the three-dot “More” menu button and then tap the screen sharing icon.

2. Select “Skype” > “Start Broadcast”.

Can I delete my Skype account without deleting my Microsoft account?

When Microsoft acquired Skype, Skype became an integral part of Microsoft. So, if you want to permanently delete your Skype account, any other Microsoft services you have, for example an Outlook or Xbox Live account, will also be deleted.

Alternatively, you can delete your subscription; Although your Skype account will still exist, you will not be billed for it:

1. Navigate to your Microsoft Services and Subscriptions page, and then sign in to your account.

2. Locate your Skype subscription, then select “Payment & billing” > “Cancel”.

3. Follow the instructions, you will receive a confirmation email once your subscription is cancelled.

If you want to delete your account for privacy reasons or you no longer use Skype, you can delete your instant messages and private conversations.

Note– If you delete an instant message that you have sent, it will be deleted for everyone. You can only delete instant messages that you have sent.

To delete your instant messages via desktop:

1. Find the instant message you want to delete.

2. Right click on it and then select “Delete”.

To delete instant messages from your mobile:

1. Find the instant message you want to delete.

2. Long press the message and then select “Delete”.

Note: Deleting a conversation will remove the copy of the message and the conversation from your chat list. When starting a new conversation, the conversation history will not be available.

To delete private chats from your desktop:

1. In your chat list, find the conversation you want to delete.

2. Right click and then “Delete conversation”.

To delete private chats from your mobile

1. In your chat list, find the conversation you want to delete.

2. Long press the conversation and then select “Delete conversation”.

Get creative with your Skype backgrounds

Skype has joined the rest of its video conferencing app rivals by introducing its version of customizing a video background feature. Now you can change your background with a blur effect or use an image or video. This comes in handy when you want to blur a cluttered background or use a fun image to help lighten the mood.

Now that you know how to customize your Skype backgrounds, which method do you prefer: blur the background or use an image or video? Have you been daring with the type of funds you have used? What have been some of the reactions? We’d love to hear about your experiences with your Skype backgrounds; Let us know in the comments section below.