Transport Yourself To The Beach On Zoom With These Tropical Backgrounds

Using video conferencing platforms like Zoom makes it easier to chat up your friends or hop on a work call from home — and we’ve integrated them more into our lives than ever before. But if you're ready to make your chats feel next-level zen or you’re finding yourself feeling very stuck in the confines of your home office, it's easy to swap out your physical background with a virtual one that'll transport you straight to the shoreline. Here are the 17 best beach Zoom backgrounds that'll make you feel like you're on vacay.

To use Zoom's virtual background feature, you'll need to check that you have the most updated version of Zoom on your Mac or PC computer. If you're using an Android, iPhone, or iPad, check the Zoom mobile app for updates. The virtual background feature is only compatible with an iPhone 8 or later or fifth-generation iPads or later. Then, create and login to your Zoom account. Switch up your background by going to Settings and selecting the Virtual Background tab. Then, click the plus (+) sign and upload your high-resolution image. If you’re using your phone, tap Virtual Background on Android or Background and Filters on iOS.

Zoom recommends using high-resolution images from a royalty-free image service like Pixabay, Unsplash, or Pexels. To find and download these beach backgrounds for Zoom calls, you'll either have to click the download button from one of the image services or right-click and save to your computer via a company blog or Twitter post. These virtual beach backgrounds feature some shots of coastlines that will make you feel like you're vacationing.

1. Dorado Beach In Puerto Rico

You can video chat from an aerial view of Puerto Rico's Dorado Beach with this Zoom background from Discover Puerto Rico. The backdrop features nothing but palm trees, fluffy clouds, and blue water as far as the eye can see. Next thing you know, you’ll be dreaming of this luxury beach resort along the north coast of the island.

2. A Beachside Sitting Area

Putting this background behind you will instantly set you up to look as though you’re sitting back and relaxing at a chill, minimalist cabana. To get this beach Zoom background, go to the Williams-Sonoma blog page and right-click on the image to download. You'll feel like you're sipping a drink on vacay in a cozy seaside villa soon enough.

3. Cliffs & The Sea

Download this beach backdrop from Unsplash to transport yourself to a small beach in a beautiful cove. The background puts you above McWay Falls in Big Sur, California, as you're surrounded by green trees, bright blue waters, and scenic cliffside. Instead of having to make your way up the Pacific Coast Highway by car, you’ll be at the scenic beach in the blink of an eye.

4. A Beach Picnic

This virtual beach background from Hinge puts you right on the sand with a cute picnic for two set up and ready to go. The scene is sunny, bright, and already set up with a cozy blanket and basket. Even though Hinge intends this beautiful beach locale to be a date destination, it’s also perfectly suitable for just you and some chill vibes — hey, those two champagne glasses could both be yours.

5. A Private Maldives Seaplane Port

The best way to travel and island hop around the tropical, scenic Maldives located in the Indian Ocean? A seaplane. This Pexels backdrop for Zoom puts you on a small dock with a red and white seaplane nestled behind some luxury oceanside cabanas and atop a blanket of blue water. If a privately chartered seaplane trip in the Maldives isn’t in the cards for you right now, this will absolutely do in the meantime.

6. Beachside In French Polynesia

Feel like you're canoeing in French Polynesia with this backdrop for Zoom from Pixabay. What's better than calling on your way to a slice of paradise? With white sand and crystal clear water, this Tahitian beach is calling your (virtual) name

7. Cayo Espanto In Belize

Cayo Espanto's tourism site offers this tropical beach Zoom background, showing its incredible tropical island surrounded by clear water. Grab some coconut water or maybe even a rum-filled cocktail to fit the palm tree-filled island vibe. Before you know it, you’ll be fully embracing the private island resort state of mind.

8. An Island Gazebo

Get this beach background from Pexels for a taste of island life. Featuring a view of clear blue water, tropical foliage, and overwater bungalows, this is the background made for those ready to relax. Simply imagine the sea breeze blowing through your hair as you sit beneath one of the thatched roof gazebos.

9. Sunset On The Beach

Download this background from Pexels for your next Zoom call to make it feel like you're enjoying the sunset over the water, clouds overhead, and sand around your toes. Either cozy up with some tea or hot chocolate or sit back with a happy hour drink to feel the full effect of this scene.

10. The South Of France

Transport yourself to Europe with a beach background from photographer Gray Malin. This snap offers a chance to feel like you're vacationing in the South of France, amongst other tourists and locals, with striped umbrellas and a view of the horizon. If you really want to feel the part, open a bottle of French white wine to accompany your view.

11. North Carolina Beaches

Visit North Carolina shared some Zoom backgrounds, including a beautiful sunset view over Jennette's Pier in Nags Head. The image puts you right on the shoreline, with the pier nearby, as the sun sets over the water. The best part is that this is a video background, so the waves move.

12. Beach Lighthouse

Download this beach background from Pixabay to place yourself on the rocky shore in Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia, Canada. Get ready to show up to Zoom meetings alongside blue skies, an impressive rocky landscape, and views of the ocean. Complete with a lighthouse in the distance, this backdrop will make you feel nautical in no time.

13. Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

This beach background from San Diego Tourism in California features the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, beachside. As the sun sets over the water, it will make for a spectacular view on your calls. And it will certainly bring warmth to wherever you are in the world, even if the outside of your window isn’t exactly beachy or bright.

14. Footprints In The Sand

Get ready for a virtual happy hour from the beach with this Zoom background from Unsplash. Calling in with this virtual setting puts the sea on the left, while the right side has some lush greenery and palm trees. The beach is abandoned except for the footprints in the sand, and it'll make you feel like you're walking barefoot down the coastline.

15. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Forget relaxing and soothing: This background image of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California from Pixabay is for those who want a fun, carnivalesque scene behind them. Projecting scenes from the iconic coastal amusement park, the rollercoasters and beachside attractions make for a backdrop that will have you hearing the carnival sounds and smelling the cotton candy and funnel cakes in no time.

16. Phi Phi Islands In Thailand

Taken somewhere among the small duo of islands called the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand, this beach Zoom background from Unsplash puts you right in front of a row of Thai fishing boats. Just south of Phuket, the Phi Phi Islands will bring you a bright, tropical, and refreshing image location to have behind you. Except in this case, you won’t even have to take the typical two-hour ferry ride to get there.

17. Italian Amalfi Coast Mountain Beach

If you’re looking for a serene ocean scene among the mountains, this image of a seaside town along the southern coast of Italy from Pixabay is the perfect Zoom beach background for you. The Amalfi Coast, best known for its rugged, mountainous shoreline and pastel-colored villages, will help transport you to a colorful but relaxing Mediterranean scene. For your next virtual happy hour, make an Aperol spritz and pretend you're sipping it in this hidden coastal getaway.