Microsoft has released a new version of Skype, bringing it to version 8.59, and it might be one of the more meaningful updates in a while. According to the changelog, it’s now possible to replace your video background in calls with a custom image. This expands on the ability to blur your background, and it lines up with the same feature launching on Microsoft Teams.
You can now add custom backgrounds to your desktop calls in the latest version of Skype on Windows, Mac, Linux and the web. Head over to the Audio & Video settings and you can make it seem as though you’re dialing in from the likes of Pride Rock or the Iron Throne instead of your couch — even if you don’t have a green screen.
The custom backgrounds don’t work on the Microsoft Store version of the app, however. You’ll need to grab the old-school .exe file from the Skype website or use the web version of the service on Windows 10.
Skype already offered the option to blur backgrounds during video calls. So, as Thurrott suggests, it might not have taken too much more work to make the background images function. Microsoft also added support for custom backgrounds to Teams earlier this month.
The new version of Skype makes it possible to share files directly from the Finder app on macOS, similar to what was made possible for Linux and Windows users with version 8.58. This version also adds easier access to call controls from the chat menu. Something else that’s worth noting is that the Skype Insider release notes for version 8.59 mentioned the ability to delete multiple contacts at once, but that feature isn’t mentioned in this changelog. Even Insider builds don’t seem to have the feature, based on our testing.
