Funny Zoom backgrounds that work in Teams too

Funny Zoom backgrounds for your next call, like the elevator your manager is running for, or one pizza for a record quarter. They're free to download at 1920 by 1080, and every joke is drawn to stay clear of your head.

Inside an office elevator with its doors open on the lobby. The panel shows floor 13, and a manager in a red tie runs across the lobby toward the doors.

Joining from the elevator

The doors are open and your manager is running for them. Nobody presses the button.

Download Joining from the elevator as PNG 735 KB Download Joining from the elevator as JPG 206 KB

Record quarter

The all-hands stage after the best quarter in company history. Catering sent one pizza.

Download Record quarter as PNG 640 KB Download Record quarter as JPG 199 KB

Two cork boards covered in memos with subject lines such as Gentle reminder and Circling back, each stamped RECEIVED in red at its own angle. The biggest reads Per my last email, ringed in red pen and stamped AGAIN.

Per my last email

Every memo stamped RECEIVED, and one ringed in red pen for the people who missed it.

Download Per my last email as PNG 629 KB Download Per my last email as JPG 304 KB

A whiteboard of office jargon struck through in red pen with the plain words beside each: synergy, working together; circle back, never; bandwidth, time; low-hanging fruit, the easy bit.

The strategy whiteboard

Left over from the offsite. Each piece of jargon is struck through in red pen, with the plain words written after it.

Download The strategy whiteboard as PNG 642 KB Download The strategy whiteboard as JPG 215 KB

An open-plan office under a sign reading Quiet zone: two coworkers in headsets sit behind the partitions on the left, one waving, and on the right a manager leans on a gray partition with one eyebrow up. A wall clock reads 4:58.

The open plan

Everyone behind you is on a call too, and your manager has found the partition.

Download The open plan as PNG 466 KB Download The open plan as JPG 201 KB

An office kitchen. A notice taped to the fridge reads Please be advised, the fridge will be cleared Friday, with This includes the soup added in red pen. On the counter a coffee machine wears a sticky note reading Out of order.

The office kitchen

The fridge gets cleared Friday, soup included, and the coffee machine has had the same sticky note since spring.

Download The office kitchen as PNG 469 KB Download The office kitchen as JPG 182 KB

A wall with a punch clock at 8:59 on the left, a rack of time cards on the right with a gold Employee of the shift seal on the top card, and a notice across the top reading Clock in by 9:00. Clock out whenever.

Clocked in

The punch clock says 8:59, the rack is full, and the notice explains which way the minutes count.

Download Clocked in as PNG 479 KB Download Clocked in as JPG 193 KB

A meeting room with a long table and empty chairs. The screen on the wall has crashed to blue, with a sad face and the stop code MEETING_OVERRUN.

Meeting room B

The room is booked, the chairs are empty and the screen has crashed with a stop code nobody can argue with.

Download Meeting room B as PNG 538 KB Download Meeting room B as JPG 170 KB

How to set a background

In Microsoft Teams

Teams takes a JPG, PNG or BMP file, and the background stays on for later meetings until you change it.

Before a meeting, select Join, then Effects and avatars, More video effects and Add new.
During a meeting, open More actions and select Video effects and settings. Then select Video effects, Add new and Apply.
On a phone, tap Join, then Background effects, Add new and Done.

In Zoom

Zoom takes a 24-bit PNG or a JPG of up to 15 MB.

In the desktop app, click your profile picture, then Settings, Video & effects, Virtual backgrounds and the add icon.
During a meeting, click the arrow beside Video, then Video & effect settings and Virtual backgrounds.
On a phone, tap More, then Settings, Virtual backgrounds and the plus icon.

Why the words look backwards

If your own picture is mirrored, the RECEIVED stamp reads backwards to you and to nobody else. Teams and Zoom both call the setting Mirror my video, and it only changes what you see.

About these backgrounds

Drawn to sit behind a head

Your head and shoulders cover the middle of the picture, so every background leaves it plain. The jokes sit off to one side or along the top. The files are 1920 by 1080 pixels, the shape of a 16:9 camera. That’s one of the two sizes Zoom suggests for that shape.

The office behind them

Most of these scenes appear somewhere else on the site. The elevator, with the manager in the red tie, is from Close the Door. Pizza Party is played on the Record quarter stage. The red pen on the strategy whiteboard comes from the jargon dictionary.

The same office holds two video calls of its own. If you’d rather skip a call, the fake Zoom meeting runs a stand-in call on your screen. In You’re on Mute, the kid, the dog, the blender and the doorbell all wait for the moment you unmute.

Free for your own calls

The backgrounds are free for any call, with no sign-up and nothing to install. They matter most on WFH days, when the only office on the call is the one you picked.

Questions about Zoom and Teams backgrounds

What size should a Zoom background be?

1920 by 1080 or 1280 by 720 pixels for a 16:9 camera, and at least 1280 by 720 if you aren't sure of your camera's shape. Zoom takes a PNG or JPG of up to 15 MB, and the backgrounds on this page are all 1920 by 1080.

Can I use these backgrounds in Microsoft Teams?

Yes. Teams takes JPG, PNG and BMP files. Download one, then pick Add new under your video effects and choose the file.

Why is the writing on my background backwards?

With Mirror my video on, you see your own picture flipped, like your face in a mirror. Everyone else on the call sees the words the right way around. Turning the setting off shows you what they see.

Do I need a green screen for a virtual background?

No, both apps work without one. A bright, plain color behind you, such as a green or blue screen, helps Zoom tell you apart from the wall.

Can I use these backgrounds in Google Meet?

Yes, on a computer, where Google Meet lets you upload your own background image. During a call, open Video settings, go to the Backgrounds tab and click Add your own personal background. On a work account, your admin decides whether you can use backgrounds at all.

Sources

The 5 sources behind this page