Google Meet Filters on Mac: Effects, Touch-Up, and Beauty Filters

Quick answer: In Google Meet on your Mac, click Backgrounds and effects under your video preview, or Video settings → Backgrounds and effects during a call. Use the Backgrounds, Filters, and Appearance tabs. Appearance holds Portrait touch-up, Studio makeup, Studio lighting, Studio look, and Framing where your account supports them. It works in Chrome 114+, Firefox 110+, Edge 114+, or Safari 16.4+. For separate skin, teeth, and face-shape controls, choose Xamera as your camera.

What Google Meet has built in

Google's Meet effects guide groups effects into three tabs:

• Backgrounds: blur (slight or full), Google's backgrounds, generated backgrounds, and your own images.
• Filters: preset visual filters.
• Appearance: Portrait touch-up, Studio makeup, Studio lighting, Studio look, and Framing.

Portrait touch-up has two levels. Subtle applies light skin smoothing, eye-bag lightening, and eye whitening; Smooth applies the same more strongly. Meet can also brighten your video automatically when you're underexposed.

Requirements on a Mac

• Browser: Chrome 114 or later, Firefox 110 or later, Edge 114 or later, or Safari 16.4 or later.
• Graphics: WebGL support and graphics acceleration turned on in the browser.
• Account: some effects, including cloud-based ones, need an eligible Google Workspace edition or a personal account. They're also limited to certain regions. Your administrator can turn effects off.

If you use Safari, Google Meet filters in Safari covers the Safari-specific checks.

How to use Google Meet filters on a Mac

1. Open your meeting at meet.google.com and allow the browser to use your camera.
2. Before joining, click Backgrounds and effects at the bottom right of your preview. For a quick blur, click Blur.
3. Choose a background, a filter, or an Appearance effect, then check the preview.
4. During a call, click Video settings next to the microphone button and open Backgrounds and effects.
5. To switch cameras, use the camera picker in the preview or Settings → Video → Camera (Google's camera guide).

Apple's Video menu in the Mac menu bar also works while Meet uses the camera. That gives you Portrait blur, Studio Light, and Edge Light on supported Macs. Use either Meet's lighting or Apple's, not both.

Add beauty filters and color looks with Xamera

Meet's Portrait touch-up applies one bundle of changes. Xamera Face Studio gives you separate controls for skin smoothing, teeth whitening, face shape, eyes, nose, and lips, whatever your Google account type. Xamera also adds full-frame looks and brightness, exposure, and contrast controls.

1. Install Xamera on an Apple-silicon Mac running macOS 15.5 or later, and complete its camera-extension setup.
2. In Xamera, choose your camera and set up Face Studio or a look.
3. In Meet, open the camera picker and choose Xamera.
4. Leave Meet's Portrait touch-up off, or on Subtle, so your skin isn't smoothed twice.
5. Check the Meet preview before joining.

Before

After

If effects or Xamera are missing in Meet

• Backgrounds and effects is greyed out: update the browser, and turn on graphics acceleration in its settings.
• Portrait touch-up isn't listed: it depends on your account type, edition, region, and device.
• Xamera isn't in the camera list: complete Xamera's camera-extension setup, then quit and reopen the browser.
• Black preview: allow your browser in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, and allow camera access for meet.google.com in the browser.

Frequently asked questions

Does Google Meet have beauty filters?

Yes, if your account supports them. Portrait touch-up smooths skin, lightens eye bags, and whitens eyes at a Subtle or Smooth level, and Studio makeup adds makeup looks. Separate controls for teeth or face shape aren't included.

Why is Portrait touch-up not available?

It depends on your account type or Workspace edition, your region, your browser, and your device. Work and school administrators can also turn effects off.

Do Google Meet filters work in Safari?

Yes, in Safari 16.4 or later. Google Meet filters in Safari has the details.

Can I use Snapchat filters in Google Meet?

In Chrome, Snapchat Camera for Chrome can add Lenses to web apps that let you choose a camera, such as Meet. It doesn't add beauty controls. See what happened to Snap Camera.

Can I use the same look in Zoom and FaceTime?

Yes. Xamera works as a camera in any Mac app that lets you choose one. See Zoom filters on Mac and FaceTime filters on Mac.