The fastest way to change your wallpaper

Right-click on any empty space on your desktop — not on an icon or folder — and select Personalize from the menu that appears. Windows will open the Settings app to the Personalization section. On the left side, click Background. You will see a dropdown menu that says "Picture" or "Solid color" or "Slideshow". Click that dropdown and choose Picture if it is not already selected. Then click Browse and navigate to the image file you want to use. Select it and click Choose picture. Your wallpaper changes when ready.

That is the complete process. The image you choose will stretch, tile, or fit to your screen depending on the setting below the Browse button — look for Choose a fit and pick whichever looks right to you. Most people leave it on Fill, which stretches the image to cover the whole screen.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click the desktop, select Personalize, then click Background to reach the wallpaper settings.
  • Click the dropdown menu, choose Picture, then click Browse to find an image file on your computer.
  • The "Choose a fit" setting controls whether the image stretches, tiles, or fits to your screen — Fill is the most common choice.
  • Windows stores built-in wallpapers in the Background folder, which you can browse without leaving the Settings app.
  • You can set a slideshow of multiple images instead of a single wallpaper by selecting Slideshow from the dropdown menu.

Using Windows built-in wallpapers

Windows 10 comes with a collection of wallpapers already on your computer. When you open the Background settings, you will see thumbnails of these images displayed below the dropdown menu. Click any thumbnail to set it as your wallpaper when ready — no browsing required. These images are organized by category: Windows Spotlight, Solid colors, and a folder called Background.

If you want to see more options, click the folder icon next to the dropdown menu. This opens a file browser showing all the wallpaper folders Windows includes. You can scroll through these and pick any image without using Browse. This is useful if you want to explore what is already on your system before looking elsewhere.

Choosing the right fit for your image

The Choose a fit dropdown below the Browse button controls how your image appears on screen. Fill stretches the image to cover your entire monitor, which works well for most photos. Fit scales the image to fit your screen without stretching it, which means you might see empty space around the edges if the image is a different shape than your monitor. Stretch forces the image to fill the screen even if it distorts the picture.

Tile repeats the image in a grid pattern across your screen — useful only if you have a very small image and want it repeated. Center places the image in the middle of your screen at its original size, leaving empty space around it. For photographs and most images, Fill or Fit will look best. For images designed to be tiled, choose Tile.

Setting up a rotating slideshow wallpaper

Instead of a single image, you can set Windows to rotate through multiple wallpapers automatically. Open the Background settings, click the dropdown menu at the top, and select Slideshow. Click Browse and choose a folder that contains several images. Windows will cycle through every image in that folder at an interval you set.

Below the Browse button, you will see Change picture every with a time setting. Click that dropdown to choose how often the wallpaper changes — options range from 1 minute to 1 day. You can also toggle Shuffle on or off. When Shuffle is on, Windows randomizes the order of images. When it is off, images appear in the order they are stored in the folder.

Finding and organizing images for your wallpaper

Your wallpaper image can come from anywhere on your computer. Common places to find images are your Pictures folder, Downloads folder, or any folder where you have saved photos. You can also use images from external drives or USB devices — just plug them in and browse to them when you click Browse in the Background settings.

If you want to use images from the internet, save them to your computer first. Right-click the image in your web browser, select Save image as, and choose a folder like Pictures. Then use that saved file as your wallpaper. For a slideshow, create a new folder, move several images into it, and point Windows to that folder when you set up the slideshow.

Troubleshooting wallpaper problems

If your wallpaper does not appear after you select it, try these steps. First, make sure the image file is not corrupted — open it in a photo viewer to confirm it displays correctly. Second, check that the file format is supported. Windows 10 accepts JPG, PNG, BMP, and GIF files. If your image is in a different format, convert it using free online tools or image software before setting it as wallpaper.

If the wallpaper reverts to the default after restart, a background process or group policy setting may be overriding your choice. This is rare on home versions of Windows 10 but can happen on work computers. Try restarting your computer after changing the wallpaper, and if the problem persists, contact your IT department if this is a work machine. On personal computers, restarting usually fixes the issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a video as my wallpaper in Windows 10?

No. Windows 10 only supports still images as wallpaper. You can use JPG, PNG, BMP, or GIF files, but not video files. Some third-party software can simulate animated wallpapers, but they consume more power and are not built into Windows.

What size image works best for wallpaper?

An image that matches your monitor's resolution looks sharpest. Common resolutions are 1920 x 1080 for standard monitors and 2560 x 1440 for larger ones. Smaller images will look blurry if you use Fill or Stretch. Larger images will be scaled down but remain clear. If you are unsure, use Fill or Fit and see how it looks.

How do I remove the lock screen image so only the desktop wallpaper shows?

The lock screen and desktop wallpaper are separate. To change the lock screen image, open Settings, go to Personalization, click Lock screen, and choose your image there. Your desktop wallpaper will not change. You can set them to different images or the same image — they are controlled independently.

Can I set different wallpapers on multiple monitors?

No. Windows 10 applies the same wallpaper to all connected monitors. If you want different images on each monitor, you will need third-party software designed for multi-monitor setups. The built-in Settings app does not offer this option.

Why does my wallpaper keep changing back to default?

This usually happens if a Windows update resets your settings or if a background process is overriding your choice. Restart your computer after changing the wallpaper. If it keeps reverting, check that the image file is still in its original location — if you moved or deleted it, Windows cannot display it and reverts to default.