DEV Community

Cover image for MS Teams: Animated Background
bob.ts
bob.ts

Posted on

25 2

MS Teams: Animated Background

Geeks like myself are bothered by the fact that we cannot (actually, we can) use an animated background in Microsoft Teams.

The Problem

GIF Images cannot be Added in the GUI.

Microsoft Teams does not allow the upload of GIF images as virtual backgrounds.

When trying to change the image format into another one, the upload fails with the error message "Couldn't add background".

The Solution

Add GIF Images Directly.

There is a trick that allows adding GIFs and it works!

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Choose an animated GIF and change the file extension into .png. If the image is called animated.gif, rename it into animated.png.
  2. Duplicate the file and add a _thumb (abbreviation for thumbnail) to the name. In the example, the second file is called animated_thumb.png.
  3. Copy both files directly into the background image folder of Microsoft Teams (See Windows or Mac below).
  4. Restart Microsoft Teams.
  5. Join a meeting and choose your new, animated background!

Windows

Default Windows location: C:\Users\YOUR-USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Teams\Backgrounds\Uploads (you can access this folder by pressing Win + R, typing %appdata% into the field and clicking Ok).

Mac

Default macOS location: ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams/Backgrounds/Uploads (the ~ stands for the home directory).

Conclusion

That's it.

Billboard image

The Next Generation Developer Platform

Coherence is the first Platform-as-a-Service you can control. Unlike "black-box" platforms that are opinionated about the infra you can deploy, Coherence is powered by CNC, the open-source IaC framework, which offers limitless customization.

Learn more

Top comments (6)

Collapse
 
flash007 profile image
Claudia

Thank you very much this worked for me on the classical Msteams for the last 2 years. But now it doesnt work on the "new" MsTeams. Does someone know the trick on the new msteams please? I couldnt find the solution yet.
Thanks

Collapse
 
thestonecracker profile image
StoneCracker

I believe this recently broke.... All my gif backgrounds stopped working in the most recent update.

Collapse
 
byeton profile image
Byeton

Is you issue that the background just goes to a grey screen?
if it is, I fixed that issue by deleting the _thumb files and replacing them with a new copy from the original .gif file

Hope this helps you

Collapse
 
flash007 profile image
Claudia

The solution doesnt work on the "new" MsTeams. Does someone know the trick on the new msteams please? I couldnt find the solution yet.
Thanks

Collapse
 
macsog profile image
MACSOG

Perfect thanks bro!!!
I'm running the Matrix now ;p

Collapse
 
mojo2600 profile image
Christian Erhardt

I can see the background in the preview but Teams tells me "Couldn't apply background" when I try to select it. But this is a company managed computer, maybe the Teams version is not up to date.

Billboard image

The Next Generation Developer Platform

Coherence is the first Platform-as-a-Service you can control. Unlike "black-box" platforms that are opinionated about the infra you can deploy, Coherence is powered by CNC, the open-source IaC framework, which offers limitless customization.

Learn more

👋 Kindness is contagious

Immerse yourself in a wealth of knowledge with this piece, supported by the inclusive DEV Community—every developer, no matter where they are in their journey, is invited to contribute to our collective wisdom.

A simple “thank you” goes a long way—express your gratitude below in the comments!

Gathering insights enriches our journey on DEV and fortifies our community ties. Did you find this article valuable? Taking a moment to thank the author can have a significant impact.

Okay