Backdrop Cam
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Browser apps · Mac
A video background in any browser call, on your Mac
Updated October 2026 · checked against browser-based video apps's own documentation
Short answer
Browsers don't have background effects of their own; each web app decides, and most offer images or blur at best. Because Backdrop Cam is a real macOS camera, every site that asks for your camera can use it, in Chrome, Safari, Arc, Edge or Firefox.
What browser-based video apps supports on its own
| Your own video | Your own image | Blur |
|---|---|---|
| No | Partly | Partly |
Depends on the web app. Browser extensions can inject effects into specific sites only.
How to use a video background in browser-based video apps
Pick your video in Backdrop Cam
Click the Backdrop Cam icon in the menu bar, then the background thumbnail. Add a clip with +, from Photos, or by dragging a video file in. Click a tile to use it.
Allow the camera for the site
When the site asks for your camera, allow it. In Chrome, click the site settings icon in the address bar → Camera → Backdrop Cam. In Safari, choose the camera in the site's own settings.
Pick Backdrop Cam in the web app
Most apps have a camera menu next to the video button. If Backdrop Cam isn't there, reload the page.
Apps this covers
Google Meet, Microsoft Teams on the web, Zoom's web client, Whereby, Jitsi Meet, Around, StreamYard, Riverside, Loom's web recorder, Messenger at messenger.com, and any site that uses your camera.
Extensions vs a virtual camera
Browser extensions that add backgrounds hook into one site, run in the same tab as the call, and break when the site changes. A virtual camera works below the browser, so every site and every browser gets the same result.
macOS camera permission
If no camera works at all, allow your browser in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera, then quit and reopen it.
Questions
How do I use a virtual background in Chrome?
Chrome has no background setting of its own. Choose Backdrop Cam as the camera for the site, and you appear in front of your Backdrop Cam video.
Does it work in Safari?
Yes. Backdrop Cam appears in Safari like any built-in or USB camera.