How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows 10

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Learn how to change your desktop background in Windows
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Wallpaper is the background image on your computer's desktop. It's also called the desktop background. Windows 10 allows you to choose your own image to set as wallpaper or use built-in options. You can also change the lock screen or home screen wallpaper to totally customize your Windows experience. Here's how to change wallpaper in Windows 10.

Quick Steps

  1. Right-click the desktop and select Personalize .
  2. Click the drop-down menu and select an option.
  3. Select a picture to set it as your new background.
Section 1 of 3:

Changing the Desktop Background

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  1. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
    • You can change your desktop background to a photo you saved on your device. This can be personal photos or images downloaded from Google or other websites.
    • You can also find this menu by opening Settings and clicking Personalization .
  2. Click the menu under "Background" and choose one of the following options:
    • Picture : Allows you to select a picture to display as your desktop wallpaper. A bunch of recent and sample pictures will be listed, and you can click one to select it. You can also click Browse and choose a picture if you don't like the stock photos.
      • Furthermore, you can click the box beneath "Choose a fit" to change the way the picture is displayed (e.g., filling your entire screen).
    • Solid color : Allows you to select a solid color (e.g., gray) to fill your Windows desktop.
    • Slideshow : Displays a series of photos from your computer's default "Pictures" folder in a slideshow as your wallpaper.
      • If you keep your pictures in another folder, you can select a different folder by clicking Browse and selecting that folder.
      • It's best to make a new folder dedicated to your desktop background slideshow that contains the pictures you want as wallpaper. For example, you could create a folder called "Desktop Slideshow" under the "Pictures" section of File Explorer.
    • Windows spotlight : Displays wallpapers from Windows' collection with tips, suggestions, and other system messages.
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  3. Depending on the option you picked in the previous step, you'll need to select a photo, color, or folder. [1]
    • If you have multiple display monitors connected to your Windows PC, you can set a background for each desktop. Right-click a picture, and then click Set for monitor 1 or Set for monitor 2 .
    • If you selected Slideshow and have multiple display monitors, each screen will show a different picture from the selected folder.
  4. Use the "Choose a fit" menu to customize how the selected image is fit to your desktop:
    • Fill. This option stretches the image to fill your entire screen. Some parts of the image may be cropped out.
    • Fit. This option adjusts the image to fit the screen without cropping or resizing the image. You may see filler bars on the top or sides of the image.
    • Tile. This option repeats the image to fill the screen. It works best for small images.
    • Stretch. This option stretches the image to fill the entire screen. The image may be distorted if the aspect ratio is different from your screen's.
    • Center. This option centers the image on your screen. If the image isn't as big as your screen, you'll see a border around it.
    • Span. This option spreads one image across your other connected displays.
  5. To do so, click the X in the top-right corner of the page. Your selected wallpaper option will have automatically been applied to the desktop when you changed the settings.
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Section 2 of 3:

Changing the Lock Screen Background

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  1. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu. If you want, you can use this method to set a different background for your lock screen.
    • The lock screen is what you see when you first turn on your computer. This is where you'd select a user account and enter your password .
    • You can also find this menu by opening Settings and clicking Personalization .
  2. You can find this in the left panel, underneath Colors .
  3. You can click one of the following options:
    • Windows spotlight : Displays wallpapers from Windows' collection with tips, suggestions, and other system messages.
    • Picture : Allows you to select a picture to display on your desktop. A bunch of recent and sample pictures will be listed and can be used by clicking one. You can also click Browse and choose a picture if you don't like the stock photos.
    • Slideshow : Displays a series of photos from your computer's default "Pictures" folder in a slideshow. You can change this folder by clicking Browse and selecting a new folder.
      • It's best to make a new folder dedicated to your desktop background slideshow that contains the pictures you want as a background. For example, you could create a folder called "Desktop Slideshow" under the "Pictures" section of File Explorer.
  4. Depending on the option you picked in the previous step, you'll need to select a photo, folder, or Spotlight apps.
    • Your new lock screen will be set.
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Section 3 of 3:

Frequently Asked Questions

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  1. 1
    How do I change my desktop background on Windows? To change your background, right-click the current background and select Personalize . Click the Background drop-down menu to select an option. Then, select your image.
  2. 2
    How do I set different wallpapers on Windows 10? If you have a single monitor, you can have multiple wallpapers by setting the Slideshow option set to a specific folder.
    • If you have multiple monitors, right-click the desktop and open the Personalize menu. Right-click an image (or browse for a new one), and then click Set for monitor 1 or Set for monitor 2 .
  3. 3
    Why does my wallpaper change automatically? If your wallpaper keeps changing, you may have it set to Slideshow or Spotlight . Open the Personalize menu and select Picture or Color for a static option.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I change the wallpaper on a computer with Windows 10?
    Community Answer
    Right-click anywhere on the background and select "personalization." This will open settings and you will see other wallpaper options and a button that says "Browse." Here you can use any photo file as your wallpaper.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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    Not Helpful 12 Helpful 28
  • Question
    How can I change the background to white on a desktop? I didn't see any white option there.
    Community Answer
    If all else fails, you can make an easy solid-color background by opening Microsoft Paint (free and pre-installed on Windows 10 devices), using the bucket fill tool to make it white, saving it wherever you want (just don't forget!), then using this guide with that image as your wallpaper.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Yes No
    Not Helpful 7 Helpful 13
  • Question
    I want to display multiple pictures on my desktop. How to make a wallpaper with multiple grids?
    Community Answer
    You should probably use a paint program to combine pictures. Check out Paint.net.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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      Tips

      • To quickly set a specific image as a background, right-click it and select Set as desktop background . The picture will automatically become your wallpaper. However, the Fit setting will be that of the default setting (usually Fill). If you want to change this, you will still have to do it from the Background settings page in the Settings app.
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      • If you're using a computer with user restrictions (e.g., a school computer or a work computer), you may not be able to change the background.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-the-desktop-background-in-windows-4a33c533-b71e-447e-b021-a27df2678938

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