How to blur background in Google Meet during video calls

Thanks to the pandemic, online meetings are becoming more common, and with that various video calling software are becoming used. However, it is common that users do not want to display the environment they are in. Tools like Zoom allow you to change the background of your image, but in the case of Google Meet, that is competing with these other programs, this is not yet possible. But there's a feature in the Google app that might help take the hassle out of sharing your room or office: background blur.

We prepared a tutorial on how to blur the background in Google Meet which is very easy to follow. The hourly function is only available on some hardware – those with four CPU cores and those with Hyper-Threading. If even your computer meeting these requirements can't blur the screen or becomes very slow, we'll also teach you how to activate the hardware acceleration of the Google Chrome, which may help.

How to blur the background in Google Meet (before joining the meeting)

1. Check the blur icon on the streamed screen

Before the transmission, just press the icon indicated above and your screen background will be blurred. It's that simple!

How to blur background in Google Meet (within meeting)

1. Open the Google Meet menu

Go to the three points indicated in the image to open the Google Meet.

2. Select “Turn on screen blur”

With the menu open, just go to the option “Turn on background blur” and now in the middle of the meeting your background will be blurred.

Enabling Google Chrome Hardware Acceleration

The blur in the Google Meet requires a little more power from your computer, which can make certain actions on your computer slower. To fix this, you can make use of the hardware acceleration of Google Chrome following the next steps:

1. Open the Google Chrome menu and enter “Settings”

To the right of the address bar of the Chrome you will find the icon to access the Chrome menu. Click on it and go to "Settings".

2. Click the arrow next to “Advanced” and go to “System”

In the left corner of the Chrome settings screen you will find the word “Advanced” with an arrow. Press the arrow to open a menu drop-down and choose the option "System"

3. Enable the “Hardware Acceleration” option

Being in the system options, just leave the option “Use hardware acceleration when available” on and the Chrome will try to make your hardware faster.

Source: Google