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How to Change the Desktop Background in Windows
Add some flair to your Windows desktop
By Mark Baggesen Mark Baggesen Writer Southern Methodist University University of Massachusetts/Amherst The University of British Columbia Mark Baggesen is a former Lifewire writer who has 20+ years' experience and has in web development, communications, web analytics, and databases. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 15, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide What to Know
Hands-down easiest: Right-click the image and choose Set as desktop background.Next easiest: go to Start > Settings > Personalization > Background and choose the background you want to use. This article explains how to change the desktop background on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7. How to Change the Desktop Background
There are several ways to change the desktop background on your computer, and the way you choose may depend on which version of Windows you have. Right-Click an Open Digital Image
The easiest way to make the change on any version of Windows is to open your favorite digital image, right-click the image, and choose Set as desktop background in the context menu. In Windows 10, this process is slightly different from Windows 8 and 7 because you can set an image as more than just the desktop background. Double-click an image to open it in the built-in Photos app. As with other versions of Windows, right-click the image and then choose Set as > Set as background. Right-Click an Image File
Even if the image is not open, you can make it your background. From File Explorer (called Windows Explorer in Windows 7), right-click the file you want to use. Then, from the context menu, select Set as desktop background. Personalize the Desktop
Another way to set a background is to right-click an empty area of the desktop and select Personalize from the context menu, or go to Start > Settings > Personalization > Background. In Windows 8 or Windows 7, select Desktop background at the bottom of the Settings window before continuing. From here, select the image you want from the ones offered under Choose your picture, or choose Browse to find an image saved to your PC. How to Create a Windows 10 Slideshow
Some people prefer to see a number of rotating images on their desktop instead of a single, static image. If you want to create a slideshow for your desktop: Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Background. In the Background list, select Slideshow. A new option appears directly below the drop-down menu called Choose albums for your slideshow. By default, Windows 10 chooses your Pictures album. To change that, select Browse and navigate to the folder of choice via File Explorer. When you find what you want, select Choose this folder. When you create a slideshow, you can set how often the change. You can choose to swap pictures every minute or once a day. The default is every 30 minutes. Look for the drop-down menu under Change picture every to adjust this setting. A little lower down in the same settings window are options to shuffle pictures and to allow slideshows while on battery power—the default is to turn desktop background slideshows off to conserve power. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Change the Desktop Background in Windows 11 How to Change Background Color in Photoshop How Do I Change the Wallpaper on My Computer or Phone? How to Disable Taskbar Button Grouping in Windows How to Change the Taskbar Color in Windows 10 What Version of Windows Do I Have? How to Change Screen Savers on Windows 10, 8 and 7 How to Change a Google Docs Background to a Picture How to Set up Parental Controls in Windows 10 How to Boot to the Desktop in Windows 8.1 How to Remove the Recycle Bin From a Windows Desktop How to Change Icon Size In Windows 11 How Do I Start Windows in Safe Mode? How to Open File Explorer in Windows 11 How to Disable AutoRun and AutoPlay for External Devices What Is the Control Panel in Windows? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies