Personalizing your computer is a great way to make your digital space feel more like your own. One of the simplest and most impactful customizations you can make is changing your desktop background. Whether you want to display cherished memories, inspiring landscapes, or simply prefer a clean, solid color, Windows offers a range of options to help you set the perfect backdrop. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about How Can You Change The Background Of A Photo on your Windows desktop, ensuring your screen reflects your personal style.
Step-by-Step Guide to Changing Your Desktop Background
Changing your desktop background in Windows is a straightforward process that can be done through the Settings app. Here’s how you can do it:
-
Open the Settings App: The quickest way to access the personalization settings is through the Settings app. You can open it by pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard, or by clicking on the Start Menu and selecting the Settings icon ( Gear icon).
-
Navigate to Personalization: In the Settings app, find and click on the Personalization category. This section controls various visual aspects of Windows, including backgrounds, colors, lock screen, themes, and more. Alternatively, for a quicker access, you can right-click on any empty space on your desktop and select Personalize from the context menu. This shortcut will directly take you to the Personalization settings.
-
Select Background Options: Once you are in the Personalization settings, ensure that Background is selected in the left-hand sidebar. This will display all the options for customizing your desktop background on the right side of the window under the section Personalize your background.
-
Choose Your Background Type: Under Personalize your background, you will see a dropdown menu. Clicking on this menu will present you with several options for your background type: Picture, Solid color, Slideshow, and Windows spotlight. Let’s explore each of these options in detail:
-
Picture: This option allows you to set a single static image as your desktop background.
-
Choosing a Picture: When you select “Picture,” you’ll be presented with a selection of default images provided by Windows. You can choose any of these images by simply clicking on them. The preview at the top of the settings window will update to show you how the selected image will look as your desktop background.
-
Browsing for Your Own Photo: To use your own photo as the background, click the Browse button. This will open a file explorer window, allowing you to navigate through your computer’s folders and select the image you want to use. You can choose from various image formats like JPEG, PNG, BMP, and more.
-
Quickly Set an Image as Background: There are even faster ways to set a photo as your background. You can right-click directly on an image file in File Explorer and select Set as desktop background from the context menu. Another convenient method is if you are viewing a photo in the Photos app, click the three-dot menu (More options) in the top right corner, then select Set as and choose Background.
Screenshot of Settings – Background options with Picture selected. -
-
Solid color: If you prefer a minimalist look, the “Solid color” option is perfect for you.
- Selecting a Color: Choosing “Solid color” will display a palette of color swatches. Simply click on any color to set it as your desktop background. You can also click the “Custom color” option to choose a more specific shade or use a color picker for a wider range of color options.
-
Slideshow: For a dynamic background, the “Slideshow” option rotates through a collection of images at set intervals.
-
Choosing a Picture Folder: When you select “Slideshow,” you need to choose a folder that contains the images you want to use for your slideshow. Click the Browse button and select the folder. Windows will then cycle through the images in this folder as your desktop background.
-
Slideshow Settings: You can customize your slideshow with several options:
- Change picture every: Set the time interval for how often the background image changes (e.g., every 1 minute, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 1 day).
- Shuffle: Toggle this option to display the images in a random order instead of sequentially.
- Allow slideshow when on battery power: Choose whether to continue the slideshow even when your device is running on battery to conserve power.
-
Quickly Change Slideshow Image: You can manually advance to the next image in your slideshow at any time by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Next desktop background.
-
-
Windows spotlight: If you want a constantly fresh and visually stunning background without having to curate your own images, “Windows spotlight” is an excellent choice.
-
Dynamic Daily Images: Windows spotlight displays a new, high-quality image from Bing each day as your lock screen and, optionally, your desktop background. These images often showcase beautiful landscapes, wildlife, and stunning scenes from around the world.
-
Learn More About the Image: Often, Windows Spotlight provides a small icon on the lock screen or desktop that you can click to learn more about the displayed image. This can be a great way to discover interesting places and facts. To learn more about Windows Spotlight, you can refer to Customize the lock screen in Windows.
-
-
Choosing the Right Fit for Your Desktop Background Image
When you choose “Picture” or “Slideshow” as your background, you have the option to adjust how the images are displayed on your screen using the “Choose a fit” dropdown menu. The fit options determine how the image is scaled and positioned to fit your screen resolution. Here’s a breakdown of each option:
-
Fill: This option scales the image to completely cover your screen, potentially cropping the edges of the image to ensure there are no borders. It’s good for images that you want to maximize screen coverage, even if some parts are lost.
-
Fit: “Fit” resizes the image to fit within your screen’s dimensions while maintaining its original aspect ratio. This means the entire image will be visible, but if the image’s aspect ratio doesn’t match your screen’s, you might see black bars on the sides (letterboxing) or top and bottom (pillarboxing).
-
Stretch: The “Stretch” option forces the image to fill the entire screen, regardless of its original aspect ratio. This can distort the image if its proportions are different from your screen’s, making it appear stretched or squashed. It is generally not recommended unless you want a distorted effect.
-
Tile: “Tile” repeats the image to fill the screen. This option is most effective with small, repeating pattern images that are designed to be tiled seamlessly.
-
Center: “Center” places the image in the exact center of your screen at its original size, without any resizing. If the image is smaller than your screen resolution, you will see the default background color (usually black) around the image.
-
Span: “Span” is specifically for multi-monitor setups. It stretches a single image across all your displays, creating a panoramic background. This is ideal if you want a unified background experience across multiple screens.
Desktop Backgrounds on Multiple Displays
If you are using multiple monitors, Windows offers some additional options for managing your desktop backgrounds to enhance your multi-display setup.
-
Individual Backgrounds for Each Display (Picture Background): When you select “Picture” as your background type, you have the flexibility to set either the same background image across all your monitors or different images for each monitor. To set different backgrounds, after choosing your picture, right-click on another image in the “Recent images” list or browse for a new image. Then, select which monitor you want to apply that background to. You can choose to set it for a specific monitor or all monitors.
Note: This per-monitor background setting is not available when using multiple desktops.
-
Slideshow Across Multiple Displays (Slideshow Background): If you choose “Slideshow,” Windows will automatically display a different image from your selected folder on each of your connected displays. This creates a dynamic and varied visual experience across your multi-monitor setup.
Desktop Backgrounds and Multiple Desktops
Windows 10 and Windows 11 offer the virtual desktops feature, allowing you to organize your applications and windows across multiple desktops. You can also customize the background for each virtual desktop to further differentiate them.
-
Different Backgrounds for Each Desktop: You can set a unique background for each virtual desktop. To do this, navigate to Settings > Personalization > Background. Under “Choose your picture,” you’ll see thumbnails of recent images. Right-click on an image thumbnail. You will see options to “Set for all desktops” or to choose a specific desktop (e.g., “Set for Desktop 1,” “Set for Desktop 2,” etc.). Select the desktop you want to apply the background to.
-
Limitations with Multiple Desktops:
- No per-monitor background within multiple desktops: You cannot set different backgrounds for each monitor if you are using multiple desktops. The background setting applies to the entire desktop environment, not individual monitors within a desktop.
- Slideshow not supported across multiple desktops: The slideshow background option is not available for multiple desktops. You can only use static pictures or solid colors for each virtual desktop.
Screenshot of Settings – configuring a background for multiple desktops.
Enhance Your Desktop with Bing Wallpaper
Beyond the built-in Windows background options, you can further enhance your desktop experience with the Bing Wallpaper app. This free app automatically updates your desktop background daily with the stunning Bing Image of the Day.
-
Daily Fresh Wallpapers: The Bing Wallpaper app ensures that your desktop always feels fresh and inspiring by automatically changing the background image every day. You’ll get to see breathtaking photos of landscapes, animals, and cultures from around the globe without any effort.
-
Learn About Each Image: Each Bing Image of the Day comes with interesting information about the photo, allowing you to learn more about the places and subjects featured. This adds an educational and informative aspect to your desktop customization.
-
Easy Installation and Use: The Bing Wallpaper app is simple to install and runs quietly in the background, automatically updating your wallpaper and providing a seamless and engaging desktop experience.
Changing your desktop background is a simple yet powerful way to personalize your Windows experience. Whether you choose a personal photo, a calming solid color, a dynamic slideshow, or the ever-changing beauty of Windows spotlight and Bing Wallpaper, customizing your background allows you to make your computer environment truly your own. Explore these options and find the perfect background to inspire you every day.
