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These Hilarious Zoom Backgrounds Will Make Your Remote Calls So Entertaining

by Lara Walsh
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Coronavirus was officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, March 11, which has led to many people working from home. If you're one of the many people now tuning in virtually to your workplace or classroom to practice social distancing, online tools like Zoom are making it easier to stay connected — and even a little more fun. Whether you're trying to hide a messy office or get some laughs from your peers, here's how to change your Zoom background and add a little bit of your personality to your remote calls.

Now that many classes and meetings have headed online to comply with the practice of social distancing — which is meant to help slow the spread of coronavirus — people are getting used to going about their days with the help of video conferencing tools. If you're not in the mood to clean your place and you don't want your peers to see the mess you surround yourself with on a daily basis, you'll want to check out Zoom's virtual background feature. Just like its name suggests, the feature lets users swap out whatever background they'd normally see during a video chat, i.e. a disorganized bedroom or living room, and replace it with something more visually pleasing or, if they prefer, something that will put a smile on viewers' faces. After all, no one wants to be this guy:

If you want to get in on the fun, it's actually pretty simple. To get started, make sure your PC or Mac systems are running at least a version of 4.6.0 or higher of Zoom Desktop Client. If possible, you'll also need some kind of a green screen or blank wall as your backdrop. To ensure the feature works properly, make sure that you're not wearing the same color clothing as the color of your green screen.

Next, sign into the Zoom web portal. If you're an account member, go to Meeting Settings, but if you're an account administrator, head to My Meeting Settings. Once you click the Meeting tab, head to the Virtual Background option and upload your choice of high-res image or video to make it your new backdrop. You can either choose an image or video you already have or download it from one of the many royalty-free image services.

Once you've made your choice, you can be like one of these many users who've put their on spin on working from home.

This Zoom feature is available for most users, so play around with the different options and share your creation online.

If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Elite Daily's coverage of coronavirus here.