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How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows

This wikiHow teaches you how to alter the image displayed on your PC's desktop background (also known as wallpaper). Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
Method 1 of 4:

Using Windows 10

  1. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 1How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 1
    Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 2How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 2
    Click Personalize. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  3. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 3How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 3
    Click the box beneath the "Background" heading. You can click one of the following options:
    1. 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. Furthermore, you can click the box beneath "Choose a fit" to change the way the picture is displayed (e.g., filling your entire screen).
      How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 4How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 4
    2. Solid color - Allows you to select a solid color (e.g., gray) to fill your Windows desktop.
      How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 5How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 5
    3. 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.
      How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 6How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 6
      1. It's best to make new folder dedicated for 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.
        How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 7How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 7
  4. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 8How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 8
    Exit the "Personalization" window to see your new background. 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.
Method 2 of 4:

Using Windows 7 and 8

  1. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 9How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 9
    Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 10How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 10
    Click Personalize. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  3. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 11How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 11
    Click "Desktop Background". This link should be in the bottom-left corner of the window.
  4. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 12How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 12
    Click a picture. Doing so will select it as your desktop background.
    1. You can also click the Windows Desktop Backgrounds dropdown menu near the top of the window to pick a different pictures folder (e.g., "Pictures").
    2. If you want to look for a specific picture, click Browse.
    3. Clicking the checkbox in the top-left corner of two or more pictures will place them on a slideshow rotation. You can change the default time between photos and transition style from the bottom of the window.
  5. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 13How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 13
    Click the box beneath the "Picture position" heading. You'll see options for displaying your picture here. A few common options include:
    1. Fill - Your picture will take up the whole screen.
    2. Tile - Multiple thumbnails of your picture will display in a grid on your desktop.
    3. Center - Your picture will be centered in the middle of your screen with a black border.
  6. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 14How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 14
    Click a picture position option.
  7. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 15How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 15
    Click Save changes. It's at the bottom of the "Desktop Background" window. Your changes will be applied.
Method 3 of 4:

Using Windows Vista

  1. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 16How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 16
    Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 17How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 17
    Click Personalize. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  3. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 18How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 18
    Click "Desktop Background". It's the second link from the top of this window.
  4. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 19How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 19
    Click a picture. Doing so will select it as your desktop background.
    1. You can also click the Windows Wallpapers box near the top of the window to pick a different pictures folder (e.g., "Pictures").
    2. If you want to look for a specific picture, click Browse.
  5. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 20How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 20
    Click a picture positioning option. This section is beneath the "How should the picture be positioned?" heading. Your options (from left to right) include a full-screen version of the picture, a grid comprised of your photo, and a centered version of the picture.
  6. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 21How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 21
    Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will apply your selected picture to the desktop background.
Method 4 of 4:

Using Windows XP

  1. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 22How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 22
    Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
  2. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 23How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 23
    Click Properties. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
  3. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 24How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 24
    Click the Desktop tab. You'll see this at the top of the "Properties" window.
  4. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 25How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 25
    Click a desktop image option. You'll see several options below the "Background" heading; clicking one will preview it in the window near the top of the page.
    1. You can also click Browse to pick a custom picture.
    2. For a solid color, click None as the background. Then click the box below "Color" in the bottom-right corner of the window, and pick a color.
  5. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 26How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 26
    Click the box below the "Position" heading. It's at the bottom-right side of the "Properties" window. You'll see three options here:
    1. Stretch - Your picture will take up the whole screen.
    2. Tile - Multiple thumbnails of your picture will display in a grid on your desktop.
    3. Center - Your picture will be centered in the middle of your screen with a black border.
  6. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 27How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 27
    Click a picture position. Doing so will apply the position to your picture.
  7. How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 28How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows Picture 28
    Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your changes.
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