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Tips and tricks on getting the most out of your camera with Microsoft Teams

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Published onJune 4, 2020

published onJune 4, 2020

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The webcam is the center of the teleconferencing and work from home experience. From switching the webcam input, disabling it entirely, or testing it before a call, there’s a lot you can do with a webcam in Teams. So, here’s a look at some tips to get the most out of it.

Switch your webcam inputs in Teams

There are some situations where the webcam on your device might not be of high quality. In this case, you might want to switch your webcam over to an external one plugged into a USB port on your computer. You can do this in Teams by switching your webcam input. Here’s how.

First, click on your profile photo in the top right corner of the screen. After that, clickSettings. You’ll notice that on the left side will be a section that saysDevices. Click it. UnderCamera,you’ll want to click the down arrow and choose your secondary camera. Teams will now use this camera as default.

Testing your webcam and audio before a call

Before jumping into a call, you might want to test your webcam and audio quality in Microsoft Teams. This is our second tip, and it’s quite easy. Just like switching your webcam inputs, all you have to do is tap your profile photo, head into Settings, and then clickDevices.

From there, you’ll see theMake a Test Calllink. Click it and this will simulate a call. A voice will give you instructions. Say your message, and it will playback to you. You’ll then get a readout of how everything works. If there’s a problem, you’ll see a link toGo to device settings. Clicking it will allow you to switch your inputs as we described in the previous step to try and address any issues.

Disable your webcam in Teams

Another tip and trick in Microsoft Teams involve disabling the webcam entirely. This can be for situations where you don’t want to be seen, but still want to be heard. Here’s how to turn it off when you don’t want to use your webcam in Teams.

To get started, make sure you’re in a Teams call. Once you’re in the call, hover over the middle bottom part of the screen. You’ll then want to tap on the icon of the camera, next to the clock indicating how long the call has been going on. This will kill your webcam in Teams.

There’s more!

We’ve just touched on three tips you could get the most out of your webcam in Microsoft Teams. We’vegot a news hubthat dives deeper into other Teams topics, such as setting your own custom backgrounds, blurring your backgrounds, and more. Check it out, and let us know if you have any tips of your own by dropping us a comment below.

Radu Tyrsina

Radu Tyrsina has been a Windows fan ever since he got his first PC, a Pentium III (a monster at that time).

For most of the kids of his age, the Internet was an amazing way to play and communicate with others, but he was deeply impressed by the flow of information and how easily you can find anything on the web.

Prior to founding Windows Report, this particular curiosity about digital content enabled him to grow a number of sites that helped hundreds of millions reach faster the answer they’re looking for.

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