The fastest way to change your Mac background

Open System Settings, click Wallpaper in the left sidebar, then select a new image from the gallery or upload your own. The change takes effect when ready on your desktop and lock screen. The whole process takes under a minute.

If you want different images on your desktop and lock screen, or if you prefer to use your own photos instead of Apple's built-in options, each choice is one click away. You can also set your background to change automatically at set intervals — hourly, daily, or when you wake your Mac.

Key Takeaways

  • System Settings > Wallpaper is the only place you need to go; there is no separate app or preference pane.
  • You can use Apple's gallery, your own photos from the Photos app, or any image file saved on your Mac.
  • Desktop and lock screen backgrounds are controlled separately, so you can have two different images.
  • The auto-rotate feature lets your background change on a schedule without you doing anything.

Opening System Settings and finding Wallpaper

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen, then select System Settings. On the left sidebar, scroll down until you see Wallpaper and click it. You will see your current background displayed at the top, with options below.

If you are on an older Mac running macOS Monterey or earlier, the setting is in System Preferences instead of System Settings, but the Wallpaper option is in the same location. The steps that follow are identical.

Choosing from Apple's built-in gallery

Under the preview of your current background, you will see categories like Dynamic, Light, Dark, and Collections. Click any category to see the images available. Hover over an image to see its name, then click it to explore it to your desktop.

Dynamic backgrounds change throughout the day to match the time of day — for example, Big Sur shows different lighting at sunrise, noon, and sunset. Light and Dark backgrounds stay the same but are designed to work well with either appearance mode. Collections include themes like nature, cities, and abstract designs.

Using your own photos as a background

Click the Photos tab at the top of the Wallpaper window. You will see all the albums in your Photos app listed on the left. Select an album, then click the photo you want to use. It will appear on your desktop when ready.

If you want to use an image that is not in Photos — for example, a screenshot or a file downloaded from the web — click the plus button at the bottom of the window, navigate to the file on your Mac, and select it. The image will be added to your choices and applied to your background.

Setting different backgrounds for desktop and lock screen

By default, the same image appears on both your desktop and your lock screen. To change this, select your desktop background first, then look for a dropdown menu or toggle that says "Also set lock screen" or similar. Uncheck this option, and you will be able to choose a separate image for your lock screen.

After you uncheck that option, click on the lock screen preview at the bottom of the window and choose a different image. Your lock screen will now show one image and your desktop another. You can change either one independently at any time.

Enabling automatic background rotation

If you want your background to change without doing anything, look for an option labeled "Change picture" or "Auto-rotate" in the Wallpaper settings. Click the dropdown next to it and choose how often you want the change to happen: every hour, every day, when you wake your Mac, or on login.

This feature works best when you have selected a collection or album with multiple images. Your Mac will cycle through them in order at the interval you chose. You can turn this off at any time by setting the dropdown back to "Never".

Troubleshooting common issues

If your background does not change after you select a new image, try closing and reopening System Settings. If the change still does not appear, restart your Mac — this clears any display caches that might be holding the old image.

If you cannot see the Wallpaper option in System Settings, make sure you are running a recent version of macOS. You can check this by clicking the Apple menu, selecting About This Mac, and looking at the version number. If you are several versions behind, a software update may be needed.

If an image you uploaded is not appearing, check that the file format is supported — JPEG, PNG, HEIF, and TIFF all work. Very large files (over 100 MB) may cause delays, so consider resizing the image first using Preview or another image editor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a video or animated GIF as my background?

No. macOS only supports still images for backgrounds. Dynamic backgrounds from Apple's gallery are the closest option — they change throughout the day but are not videos you can upload yourself.

Will changing my background affect my Mac's performance?

No. A background image uses almost no processing power or memory. Even if you set it to rotate every hour, the impact is negligible.

How do I get back to the default Apple background?

Open Wallpaper in System Settings, click the Dynamic category, and select Big Sur (or whichever default you prefer). If you want the very first background that came with your Mac, check the Light or Dark categories — Apple stores older defaults there.

Can I set different backgrounds on different monitors?

No. macOS applies the same background to all connected displays. You can only choose one image per desktop and one per lock screen, regardless of how many monitors you have plugged in.

What happens to my background if I update macOS?

Your custom background stays in place. If you were using an Apple gallery image, it will remain unless Apple removes that specific image in a future version — this is rare.