Virtual background stopped working | Community
Skip to main content
K
Newcomer
k31thw
Newcomer
February 13, 2023
Solved

Virtual background stopped working

  • February 13, 2023
  • 11 replies
  • 49 views

I have just installed Ubuntu 22.04 on my PC, I previously used Ubuntu 20.04.

 

Since the OS upgrade, and reinstallation of the Zoom client, I can no longer use Virtual Background.

 

If I go to Settings and select Virtual Background I can see the images available (including some of my own that I added. Then nothing until the "I have a green screen" checkbox. This is actually new behaviour as earlier this morning it showed the colour of the green screen, although it wasn't green and clicking on the colour did nothing, i.e. I was not shown any colours to select.

 

Confusingly, if I select an image, I see that image as my background while in the Virtual Background menu option. However, when I go to the Video option, all I see as my background is my green screen. Returning to the Virtual Background option also only shows the green screen, not the background image I selected.

 

This used to work perfectly and the only difference is the new version of Ubuntu - and possibly a later version of the client; I'm running version 5.13.7 (683). Checking for updates states I am on the latest version.

 

Clicking the Virtual Background setting on my account appears to do nothing.

 

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Keith

      Best answer by renzocastillo

      Hey, just wanted to mention that it got fixed at Zoom 5.16.10 (668).  

      So if you are using Ubuntu 22, do not download it from Ubuntu Software, just download the Debian package directly from the Zoom website: https://zoom.us/download?os=linux

      11 replies

      K
      Newcomer
      k31thwAuthor
      Newcomer
      February 16, 2023

      Just to say, I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Zoom client but that didn't fix it.

       

      Based on lack of ideas, I guess I'm the only one with the problem 😞

      L
      Newcomer
      ldanka
      Newcomer
      August 29, 2025

      I still have the problem in 2025

        J
        Newcomer
        joelp
        Newcomer
        March 5, 2023

        I have exactly the same issue. My MSI PC  running Windows 10 with an i9 and an Nvidia 3080 is more than capable of supporting this and has done so in the past, but as of about one week ago it is stuck on "none" for the virtual background. I went to the Admin account settings and made sure that virtual backgrounds are enabled, but that has not fixed it. I also tried a reset of the virtual background feature and that also has had no benefit. Is there a chat or phone number to get technical support? It seems that with some update this feature has been broken.

        M
        Newcomer
        miamas008
        Newcomer
        March 7, 2023

        I am here because I am having the same issue.  They worked just fine until I updated my MacOS.  Now it only says "none," I don't even have the option to blur the background.  And when I go to "green screen" it looks atrocious.  I don' t know what to do and I don't see any help 😞

          G
          Newcomer
          grheffron
          Newcomer
          December 4, 2023

          Me too. I can blur the background though. But when I upload photos for virtual backgrounds, when I choose them nothing happens. Then when I click away from the video settings and go back, they're gone.

          J
          Newcomer
          joelp
          Newcomer
          March 7, 2023

          This is only one new issue I am encountering.

          I am also getting Zoom failures when I sharemy screen, or sharing pauses for reasons I cannot understand. I am beyond frustrated that for my monthly subscription their isn’t even chat support. I am ready to find their headquarters and go pound on the door.

          J
          Newcomer
          jcasasbuenas
          Newcomer
          April 18, 2023

          Same problem here. After upgrading to Ubuntu 22.04 blut blackground stopped working. Important that somebody from Zoom fix this issue.

           

          Julián

          A
          Newcomer
          AbbyKenn
          Newcomer
          May 2, 2023

          Virtual Background worked before, I must have done something to stop it? Perhaps I downloaded something I shouldn't have. SO FRUSTRATING. My PC: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-4330T CPU @ 3.00GHz 3.00 GHz

          R
          Newcomer
          renzocastillo
          Newcomer
          December 13, 2023

          Same situation here with Ubuntu Ubuntu 22.04.3  and Zoom 5.16.6 (382). Can't use virtual backgrounds.

          R
          Newcomer
          renzocastilloAnswer
          Newcomer
          December 13, 2023

          Hey, just wanted to mention that it got fixed at Zoom 5.16.10 (668).  

          So if you are using Ubuntu 22, do not download it from Ubuntu Software, just download the Debian package directly from the Zoom website: https://zoom.us/download?os=linux

          K
          Newcomer
          k31thwAuthor
          Newcomer
          June 8, 2024

          @renzocastillo - a very belated thank you. Although I had upgraded to the latest version, I hadn't bothered to check. Am now running ver 6.0.2 and the virtual background is now working 😀

           

          That said, I still cannot select the colour of my green screen (mine is actually green - nicked from my son who did a film degree at uni). The default colour appears to be black but if I click on it, it turns white and my virtual background disappears and I cannot select a colour. Happily when I restarted it defaulted back to black. As it seems to work, I can live with that.

           

          Thanks again

          Y
          Newcomer
          ywiskerke
          Newcomer
          November 12, 2024

          Version 6.2.6 still has the issue. Older version worked, just upgraded to this to find it's basically blocking all background and blur doesn't work, nor does a virtual background.

          Linux Mint 22 (kernel 6.8.0-48)

            J
            Newcomer
            JoergP
            Newcomer
            November 21, 2024

            Same here, on v6.2.10! Finally the problem with screen sharing under wayland has been sorted out (see: forum: share-screen-linux-wayland-broken , but this problem with backgrounds still exists. 

             

            Zoom: v6.2.10 (4983)

            OS: openSUSE Tumbleweed x86_64

            DE: GNOME 47.1 (wayland)

            libpipewire 1.2.6

            Show more replies
            Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
            Copyright © Zoom Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.