The fastest way to change your lock screen
Open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then Lock Screen. From there you can change the wallpaper, adjust the clock style and position, add widgets, and turn on or off the lock screen notifications. The whole process takes about two minutes. You can also long-press the lock screen itself to edit it directly — this is often faster if you already know what you want to change.
If you want to use a photo from your camera roll as your lock screen wallpaper, tap the preview image at the top of the Lock Screen settings page, then choose Photo Library. Select the image you want, adjust how it appears (zoomed in, cropped, or full), and tap Set as Lock Screen. The photo will replace whatever wallpaper was there before.
Your lock screen and home screen wallpapers are separate. Changing one does not change the other. If you want them to match, you will need to set the same image on both.
Key Takeaways
- The Lock Screen settings menu in Display & Brightness lets you change the wallpaper, clock style, widgets, and notification visibility all in one place.
- You can long-press your lock screen to edit it directly without opening Settings, which is faster for quick changes.
- Photos from your camera roll, the built-in wallpaper library, or color gradients can all be used as lock screen backgrounds.
- Lock screen and home screen wallpapers are independent — changing one does not affect the other.
- You can add up to four widgets to your lock screen to show information like weather, calendar events, or battery percentage without unlocking your phone.
Changing the wallpaper from the lock screen directly
The quickest route is to long-press your lock screen until the customization menu appears at the bottom. Tap Customize. You will see a preview of your current wallpaper with a plus sign below it. Tap the plus sign to add a new wallpaper or tap the preview itself to change the existing one.
When you choose a new image, iOS will show you a preview of how it will look with your clock and any widgets you have added. You can pinch to zoom the image or drag it to reposition it before you confirm. Once you tap Set as Lock Screen, the change takes effect when ready.
This method is useful if you want to try several wallpapers quickly without navigating through Settings each time. You can also access the same customization menu by swiping left on your lock screen, which brings up a list of all your saved lock screen styles.
Using photos from your camera roll
Open Settings, go to Display & Brightness, then Lock Screen. Tap the preview image at the top. Choose Photo Library. Your camera roll will open — select any photo you want to use. iOS will show you a preview with adjustment options.
You can zoom the photo by pinching, drag it to change which part is visible, or tap the filter icon to adjust the color tone. Some photos work better with a slight blur or color shift to keep the clock readable. Once you are satisfied with how it looks, tap Set as Lock Screen.
If the photo is too bright or too dark, the clock and widgets may become hard to read. iOS will warn you if the contrast is too low. You can adjust the image position or explore a filter to fix this, or choose a different photo.
Adjusting the clock style and position
In the Lock Screen settings, tap the clock preview to change its appearance. You can choose from several clock styles — digital, analog, large numerals, or minimal. Each style has its own look and takes up different amounts of space on your screen.
Once you pick a style, you can drag the clock to move it up or down on your lock screen. This is useful if you have widgets below it and want to make sure both are visible. The clock position is saved with that lock screen style, so if you create multiple lock screen looks, each one can have the clock in a different place.
You can also change the color of the clock by tapping the color circle next to the clock preview. Some colors show up better against certain wallpapers — a light color works well on dark backgrounds and vice versa.
Adding widgets to your lock screen
Widgets let you see information at a glance without unlocking your phone — weather, calendar events, reminders, battery percentage, or activity rings. Long-press your lock screen and tap Customize, then scroll down and tap the plus sign to add a widget.
Choose an app from the list, then select which widget you want. Some apps offer multiple widget options — for example, Weather can show just the current temperature or a full forecast. Tap Add Widget. You can add up to four widgets to a single lock screen style.
Widgets appear below the clock. You can rearrange them by long-pressing and dragging, or remove one by tapping the minus sign next to it. If your lock screen feels crowded, you can create a second lock screen style with different widgets and swipe between them.
Creating multiple lock screen styles
You can set up several different lock screen looks and swipe between them. Long-press your lock screen, tap Customize, then tap the plus sign at the bottom left. This creates a new lock screen style with a blank wallpaper. Set up the wallpaper, clock style, and widgets you want for this new style.
Once you have created multiple styles, you can swipe left or right on your lock screen to move between them. Each style remembers its own wallpaper, clock position, widgets, and notification settings. This is useful if you want a minimal look for work and a more detailed one for home, or if you straightforward like changing your lock screen throughout the day.
You can delete a lock screen style by long-pressing it and tapping the trash icon. Your main lock screen (the one you see when you first wake your phone) will always be the one you set most recently, unless you tap the star icon to mark a different one as your default.
Controlling notifications on your lock screen
By default, notifications appear on your lock screen. If you want to hide them, open Settings, go to Display & Brightness, then Lock Screen. Scroll down to Notifications and choose Show or Hide. If you choose Hide, notifications will still arrive, but you will not see them until you unlock your phone.
You can also control notifications per app. In the same Notifications section, tap an app name to choose whether that specific app's notifications show on your lock screen, in the notification center only, or not at all. This lets you keep important alerts visible while hiding less urgent ones.
If you turn off notifications entirely, your lock screen will look cleaner, but you may miss time-sensitive messages. Most people find a middle ground — showing notifications from messages and calls but hiding them from social media or news apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a live photo or video as my lock screen wallpaper?
No. iOS only supports still images for lock screen wallpapers. If you try to use a live photo, iOS will convert it to a regular photo automatically. You can still use any photo from your camera roll, including screenshots or images you have downloaded.
Will changing my lock screen wallpaper change my home screen too?
No. Your lock screen and home screen have separate wallpapers. If you want them to match, you will need to set the same image on both. Go to Settings, Wallpaper, then Home Screen to change your home screen background.
How many lock screen styles can I create?
You can create as many as you want. Each one is saved separately, and you can swipe between them on your lock screen. There is no limit, though having too many may make it harder to find the one you want quickly.
What happens to my lock screen if I update iOS?
Your lock screen settings and wallpapers are preserved during iOS updates. You will not lose any of your customizations. However, new iOS versions sometimes add new clock styles or widget options that you can choose to use.
Can I schedule my lock screen to change at certain times?
No. iOS does not have a built-in scheduling feature for lock screens. You can create multiple styles and swipe between them manually, but you cannot set them to change automatically at specific times of day.