Lesson Overview – Change the Background in Windows
Difficulty Level
BEGINNER
What are My Desktop Background Options?
Before we dive in, let’s look at all the ways you can change the Windows 11 desktop background to personalize your PC. You can choose from a few preloaded wallpapers, apply your own photos, or even a solid color to keep it simple.
Additionally, you can set a slideshow as your desktop background, which will cycle through images in your Pictures folder or a folder of your choice. Windows 11 also supports Windows Spotlight, which displays a new image on your desktop every day. All of these options allow you to customize your desktop.
So, whether you prefer a static image, a dynamic slideshow, or a fresh new picture loaded daily, we show you how to make these changes.
Opening the Background Settings
Step 1. Open Windows Settings
- First, click on the Windows Start Menu
- Then click on “Settings”
Step 2. Select Windows Background Settings
- First, click on “Personalization”
- Then click on “Background”
Although the window layouts will be different, these Desktop Background settings also apply to Windows 10
Choosing a Picture as the Desktop Background
Step 1. Let’s change the “Picture” shown on the desktop background
- Select “Picture” from the available list of options
- Choose from one of the most recent images to apply the change
Step 2. Browse for more pictures to use for the desktop background
- First, click on “Browse photos”
- From the open window, click on “Pictures”
Step 3. Choose a picture from the pictures folder to set as the desktop background
- Select any picture you have saved as your new desktop background image
- Click on “Choose picture” to apply the change
Step 4. Fit the picture to the desktop background
- Click on the list to see the available options
- Select one that looks best for the picture you’ve selected
Applying a Color as the Desktop Background
If you’re not into having an image as a desktop background, why not just add a background color of your choice? Many prefer a solid color so they can better see all their desktop icons. If you like keeping all your frequently opened files on your desktop, a solid color may be the best option.
Step 1. Let’s apply a solid color as the desktop background
- Select “Solid color” from the available list of options
- Choose from the default color pallet options to apply as the desktop background
Step 2. View additional color options for more choices
- Click on “View colors” for additional color control
- Enter exact color values or select from the spectrum pallet for more control
Daves Tip: Windows 11 supports multiple Desktops. Just so you know, changes you make will only apply to the currently active Desktop.
Setting Up a Desktop Background Slideshow
Quick Tip: To save energy, you can disable the slideshow feature when running on battery power.
Step.1 Let’s apply several pictures as a desktop slideshow
- Select “Slideshow” from the available list of options
- Click on “Browse” to choose a picture folder
- Locate the folder with the pictures you want to show in the slideshow
Step.2 Configuring how often images change in the slideshow
- Click on the “Change picture every” options list
- Choose how often the slideshow should change the picture
Step.3 Changing the picture order to show the images randomly
- Click on this toggle switch to have your slideshow randomize the images
Step.4 Choose how the images will fit
- As with setting a single picture, you can adjust how the images fit the desktop.
Daves Tip: For the slideshow, try to use images as close to the same size as possible for best results (think printed photos from a photo lab). If you need clarification, photos taken with the same camera, such as your mobile device, should all be the same size.
Enabling Windows Spotlight Desktop Background
If you’d like to see a random image daily from Bing’s Windows stock photos, enable the “Spotlight” option on your Windows desktop. Every one or two days, Bing will download and load a random image of their choice.
Hint: These are typically very nice professional photos.
Step.1 Setting Windows Spotlight as your desktop background
- Select Windows Spotlight from the available options to load daily images downloaded from Microsoft’s Bing web browser.
Customizing Your Virtual Desktop Background
Do you also use virtual desktops? You can also set a different picture, a solid color or a slideshow for these too. I like to use different images that identify the purpose of each virtual desktop. It’s geeky, I know, but I just can’t help it!
Troubleshooting Desktop Background Issues
It rarely happens, but if you have issues changing any of the desktop background options, try the following troubleshooting steps:
- If you’re on a business PC, check if your network administrator has disabled desktop settings.
- Make sure you have the latest Windows updates installed.
- Try resetting your desktop background to its default settings.
- If you’re using a custom picture, make sure that the image file is not corrupted or deleted.
- If you’re using a slideshow, check that the folder containing the images isn’t empty or deleted.
As I mentioned in the first bullet point, if you’re on a business PC, the network administrator may have restricted your ability to change the desktop image or may even be loading the same one from the network (e.g., the company logo). These are common restrictions to prevent inappropriate workplace images from being displayed.
Lesson Wrap Up
As we mentioned, there are many ways to access the Windows background settings with fewer mouse clicks, but we chose to show the long way around so you will become more familiar with where all the settings are located. I find myself changing the desktop background often to correspond with a holiday or sporting season.
You can also update the theme in Windows 11 and then make and save custom changes from there. Also, many of these steps apply to Windows 10, although the settings windows will look slightly different.
Frequestly Asked Questions
What is Windows Spotlight?
Windows Spotlight is a feature that displays a new image on your desktop every day.
Can I set a different picture for each virtual desktop?
es, you can set a different picture for each virtual desktop using the Picture option.
Can I use a custom picture as my desktop background?
Yes, you can use a custom picture as your desktop background by selecting the Picture option and browsing for an image stored on your PC.
I didn’t even know what Windows Spotlight was. My wife hates the wallpaper on our shared computer and would always change it. We just enabled Windows Spotlight so we can blame Microsoft if we don’t like it. But actually the are all pretty cool images!
I tried it for a while, but not to keep the peace! 🙂 I’m a sim hobbyist and usually have a screen capture from one of my races. I’ll always be a nerd that way!