How to remove background pictures in Teams

Question

Hi,

There are many Windows default pictures in Teams Calls. How to remove the unwanted pictures?

Thanks

Answer 1

Dear @AKHTAR, MOHAMMAD NADEEM, 

Thanks for submitting your concern. I understand you would like to clean up the Backgrounds gallery in Microsoft Teams and remove the many built‑in Microsoft and Windows default images so the list is easier to manage. 

Currently, the default Teams background images are part of the application and are not stored in a location that users can access. Because of this design, there is no direct option to delete or hide those built‑in images individually. 

Below are the available options you can consider: 

Option 1: Remove only the images you personally uploaded 

You can delete custom backgrounds that you added yourself. After they are removed from your device, they will no longer appear in Teams. 

Steps to remove your uploaded backgrounds: 

Join a meeting in Microsoft Teams > More > Video effects and settings. 

Hover over the custom background you want to delete > Select the three-dot menu. 

Choose Remove. 

Option 2: Hide the entire background image gallery using an admin policy 

If the goal is to prevent users from seeing or using any background images, including the built‑in Microsoft images, your IT administrator can control this through a Teams meeting policy. 

Steps to adjust the policy in Teams Admin Center: 

Open the Microsoft 365 admin center > Teams Admin Center > Go to Meetings > Select Meeting policies. 

Open the policy you want to modify. 

In the Audio and video section, find the setting named Participants can use video effects. 

Choose one of the following modes: 

• Off (NoFilters): Removes all background effects including blur and images. 
• Only background blur (BlurOnly): Hides all images and allows only the Blur effect. 
• Only background blur and default backgrounds (BlurAndDefaultBackgrounds): Allows Blur and Microsoft default images but prevents user uploads. 
• All video effects (AllFilters): Allows Blur, Microsoft default images, and user uploaded images. 

I completely understand how these changes in Teams can feel disruptive. It’s not just about aesthetics; these differences can genuinely affect how smoothly you work and navigate your day. 

As a forum moderator, I hope you understand that I don’t have the ability to modify or escalate product issues directly. However, I strongly recommend submitting your feedback through the Microsoft Teams · Community. This is the most effective way to ensure your voice reaches the product team and can be considered for future improvements.  

Once you've submitted your feedback, feel free to share the link here in the comments. I’ll be happy to upvote it to help bring more visibility. If you prefer, I can also submit this great idea on your behalf. Just let me know, and I’ll post it for you and share the link once it’s published. I’m here to help ensure your feedback gets the attention it deserves. 

Additionally, as other users have raised similar concerns and may not be aware of where to share their feedback, I hope this response helps clarify the situation and suggests a potential next step. Highlighting this information can make it more visible to others in the community who may be facing the same issue, making it easier for them to find guidance and contribute their feedback as well. 

Thank you again for your time and for raising this important usability concern. 

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Answer 2

Unwanted background images in Teams cannot be deleted from the built‑in gallery, but they can be avoided by choosing other options or using custom images instead.

To control which backgrounds appear in meetings in Microsoft Teams Free:

1. During a meeting
   1. In the meeting window, select More actions > Video effects and settings.
   2. Under Backgrounds, either:
      • Select Blur to hide the room without using any picture, or
      • Select None to turn off all background effects, or
      • Use Add new to upload only the images that are actually needed and then select one of those.
   3. Select Preview to check the effect, then Apply and turn on video.
2. Before joining a meeting
   1. On the pre‑join screen, select Change background or Background effects.
   2. Choose Blur, None, or one of the custom images uploaded via Add new instead of the default gallery images.

The built‑in background set is managed by Teams and cannot be removed individually; the practical workaround is to ignore them and rely on Blur, None, or a small set of custom images.

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References:

• Add a background or video filter to your Microsoft Teams Free Meeting
• Limit distractions in meetings in Microsoft Teams