How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows_Computers and Electronics_Common Sense of Life

Method 1 Method 1 of 5: Using Windows 11

1 Right-click an empty space on the desktop. This will open a menu with various options.
2 Click Personalise. This should be the last option in the menu, and will open personalisation settings in the settings app.
3 Click the option that says Background to enter the background settings. This will be at the top of the list.
4 Configure your background. You can choose the display option from the different types below:
- Picture - Allows you to select a picture to display on your desktop. There will be a selection of stock images, and images from your computer listed. Alternatively, click Browse and choose a picture from your computer files. Furthermore, you can use the dropdown menu next to "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. You can change this folder by clicking Browse and selecting a new folder. You can also choose the frequency of how often the image is changed, under the dropdown menu next to 'Change picture every:'. Finally, you can choose to shuffle the order of the pictures, or to turn off the slideshow on battery power (this will help conserve your battery life).
  - 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, and save all your background images here.

Method 2 Method 2 of 5: Using Windows 10

1 Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
2 Click Personalize. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
3 Click the box beneath the "Background" heading. You can click one of the following options:
- 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).
- 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. You can change this folder by clicking Browse and selecting a new folder.
  - 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.
4 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 3 Method 3 of 5: Using Windows 7 and 8

1 Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
2 Click Personalize. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
3 Click "Desktop Background". This link should be in the bottom-left corner of the window.
4 Click a picture. Doing so will select it as your desktop background.
- 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").
- If you want to look for a specific picture, click Browse.
- 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 Click the box beneath the "Picture position" heading. You'll see options for displaying your picture here. A few common options include:
- Fill - Your picture will take up the whole screen.
- Tile - Multiple thumbnails of your picture will display in a grid on your desktop.
- Center - Your picture will be centered in the middle of your screen with a black border.
6 Click a picture position option.
7 Click Save changes. It's at the bottom of the "Desktop Background" window. Your changes will be applied.

Method 4 Method 4 of 5: Using Windows Vista

1 Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
2 Click Personalize. This option is at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
3 Click "Desktop Background". It's the second link from the top of this window.
4 Click a picture. Doing so will select it as your desktop background.
- You can also click the Windows Wallpapers box near the top of the window to pick a different pictures folder (e.g., "Pictures").
- If you want to look for a specific picture, click Browse.
5 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 Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will apply your selected picture to the desktop background.

Method 5 Method 5 of 5: Using Windows XP

1 Right-click an empty space on the desktop. Doing so will prompt a drop-down menu.
2 Click Properties. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu.
3 Click the Desktop tab. You'll see this at the top of the "Properties" window.
4 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.
- You can also click Browse to pick a custom picture.
- 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 Click the box below the "Position" heading. It's at the bottom-right side of the "Properties" window. You'll see three options here:
- Stretch - Your picture will take up the whole screen.
- Tile - Multiple thumbnails of your picture will display in a grid on your desktop.
- Center - Your picture will be centered in the middle of your screen with a black border.
6 Click a picture position. Doing so will apply the position to your picture.
7 Click OK. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will save your changes.

How to Change Your Desktop Background in Windows

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