Google Meet has a nifty feature that allows you to change the background in your video call. It can come in handy for those early morning meetings when you haven’t had the time to tidy up the room. The blurring effect will keep the focus on you while dimming the background.
You can prepare for a conference call by blurring the background beforehand. It takes a few simple steps, and you can do it with Mac.
On Mac
As we said, you have to have the right browser to change the background in Google Meets. For most Mac users, Safari is the preferred choice since it’s the official Apple search engine. You need to make sure your version supports the latest WebGL specification. To check, go to this website.
Mainly, if you have the Safari 10.1 version or above, you won’t have any issues blurring the background. Just follow these steps:
- Launch Safari and open the Google Meet web app.
- Enter the meeting code to access it. Make sure you’re signed in to your Google account.
- On the bottom-right corner of the screen, click on the three vertical dots. You’ll see the option to “Change Background.” Click to open the menu window.
- If you want to obscure the background completely, select “Blur Background.”
- If you want it to be slightly out of focus, select “Slightly Blur Your Background.”
- When you’re done, click to join the meeting.
Even without the appropriate version, there’s a way to use the feature with a Mac. Just download the Chrome browser from the official website:
- Launch Safari from the Dock and go to google.com/chrome/.
- Click on the blue download button under the Chrome icon.
- Specify what kind of chip you have (Intel or Apple).
- Once the download is complete, open the .dmg file. Drag the Chrome icon to the Applications folder.
- Click on the Chrome icon and then “Open.” Sign in to your Google account.