Microsoft Teams Filters on Mac: Video Effects, Soft Focus, and Beauty Filters

Quick answer: Before joining a Teams meeting on your Mac, turn your camera on and select Effects and avatars to pick a filter or background. During a meeting, go to More actions → Video effects and settings. For a light touch-up, Teams has Soft focus and Adjust brightness under Settings → Devices, but on some Macs these options are missing. For separate skin, teeth, and face-shape controls, choose Xamera as your camera.

What Teams has built in

• Video filters: color styles, event frames, and holiday frames (Microsoft's video filter guide).
• Background effects: blur or a background image.
• Soft focus: smooths your appearance.
• Adjust brightness: improves video in low light.

Microsoft documents Soft focus and Adjust brightness in the camera section of Teams device settings. On Microsoft's Q&A forum, many Mac users report that both options are missing or greyed out.

How to use Teams filters on a Mac

Before a meeting:

1. Select Calendar, choose the meeting, and select Join.
2. Turn on your camera and select Effects and avatars.
3. Pick a filter or background, or select More video effects for more options.
4. Select Join now.

During a meeting:

1. Select More actions → Video effects and settings.
2. Choose a filter and select Preview.
3. Select Apply and turn on video.

To remove a filter, choose None and apply it.

Apple's Video menu in the Mac menu bar also works while Teams uses the camera, for Portrait blur, Studio Light, and Edge Light on supported Macs. If Soft focus and Adjust brightness are missing on your Mac, Studio Light or Edge Light is the built-in fallback.

Add beauty filters and color looks with Xamera

Soft focus is a single smoothing effect, and it isn't available on every Mac. Xamera Face Studio gives you separate controls for skin smoothing, teeth whitening, face shape, eyes, nose, and lips. Xamera also has brightness, exposure, and contrast controls that work regardless of what your Teams build offers.

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 Teams, select Settings and more → Settings → Devices and choose Xamera under Camera.
4. Turn off Teams' Soft focus if it's on, so your skin isn't smoothed twice.
5. Check the camera preview before joining.

Before

After

If filters or Xamera are missing in Teams

• Effects and avatars isn't there: update Teams. On a work or school account, your IT department controls which effects are allowed.
• Soft focus or Adjust brightness is missing: this is a known issue on some Macs. Use Apple's Studio Light or Edge Light, or Xamera's image controls, instead.
• Xamera isn't in the camera list: complete Xamera's camera-extension setup, then quit and reopen Teams.
• Black preview: allow Microsoft Teams in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera.

Frequently asked questions

Does Microsoft Teams have beauty filters?

Teams has Soft focus, which smooths your appearance, but no separate controls for teeth, face shape, eyes, or nose. Its video filters are color styles and frames.

Why is Soft focus missing in Teams on my Mac?

Microsoft's documentation lists it under Settings → Devices, but many Mac users report it missing or greyed out. Update Teams, check camera permission, and look again in Video effects and settings during a meeting. If it still isn't there, use Apple's Video menu effects or a camera app with its own touch-up.

How do I change the camera in Teams on a Mac?

Select Settings and more → Settings → Devices and pick a camera under Camera. During a meeting, use More actions → Video effects and settings.

Can I use the same filters in Zoom and Google Meet?

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