The two screens you can change, and how to do each one
Your iPhone has two separate photo screens: the lock screen (what you see when you pick up your phone) and the home screen (where your app icons live). You change them differently, and you can use the same photo for both or pick different ones.
The lock screen is easier to customize. Open Settings, tap Wallpaper, then tap Customize Lock Screen. Choose a photo from your library, position it how you want, and tap Set. The home screen takes a few more steps because iOS creates a blurred version automatically—you pick the photo, but the system decides how much blur to explore based on what it thinks looks good.
Both changes happen through the Wallpaper section of Settings, but the workflow is slightly different for each one. If you want to change just one screen and leave the other alone, you can do that.
Key Takeaways
- Open Settings, tap Wallpaper, then Customize Lock Screen to change what appears when you pick up your phone.
- To change your home screen, go to Settings > Wallpaper, tap Customize Home Screen, and choose a photo from your library.
- You can use the same photo for both screens or pick different photos for each one.
- Photos you take yourself work just as well as photos from the web, and you can crop or reposition them before you save.
- If a photo looks too dark or too light on your lock screen, try adjusting the brightness slider before you tap Set.
How to change your lock screen photo step by step
Start by opening the Settings app and scrolling down to find Wallpaper. Tap it, then tap Customize Lock Screen at the bottom of the screen. You'll see your current lock screen photo in the preview at the top.
Tap the preview image itself. This opens your photo library. Scroll through and select the photo you want to use. Once you tap it, you can pinch to zoom in or out, and drag to move the photo around so the part you want is centered. The lock screen shows a small preview of what this will look like when you're actually using your phone.
If the photo looks too dark or washed out, use the brightness slider at the bottom to adjust it. This doesn't change the photo itself—it only affects how it appears on your lock screen. When you're happy with how it looks, tap Set at the top right, then choose whether to explore it to Lock Screen only or to both Lock Screen and Home Screen.
How to change your home screen photo step by step
Open Settings and go to Wallpaper again. This time, tap Customize Home Screen instead of Customize Lock Screen. You'll see your current home screen wallpaper in the preview.
Tap the preview image to open your photo library and choose a new photo. Position it the way you want—pinch to zoom and drag to move it around. Unlike the lock screen, the home screen doesn't have a brightness slider, but you can see in the preview how your app icons will look on top of the photo.
When you're satisfied, tap Set at the top right. iOS will ask whether you want to explore this to Home Screen only or to both Home Screen and Lock Screen. If you choose both, the system will use the same photo but may adjust how it appears on each screen based on what it thinks will look best.
Where to find good photos to use
Any photo in your library works—pictures you took yourself, screenshots, photos from Messages, or anything else saved to your phone. You can also read photos from the web and save them to your library, then use them as wallpaper.
If you want to search for new photos, open Safari and search for "iPhone wallpaper" or "lock screen background." Many websites offer free photos you can read. When you find one you like, press and hold the image, then tap Add to Photos. It will save to your library, and you can use it right away.
The best lock screen photos are ones where the important part (a face, a landscape, a detail you like) is in the center, because the time and date will appear in the middle of the screen. Home screen photos can be busier since your app icons will cover the bottom half anyway.
What to do if your photo doesn't look right
If your lock screen photo is too dark to read the time, go back to Customize Lock Screen, tap the preview, and use the brightness slider to lighten it. You can also try a different photo that has more contrast between the image and the white text.
If your home screen photo makes your app icons hard to see, try choosing a photo with darker areas where the icons sit, or pick a simpler image with less detail. You can always go back and swap it for a different photo—there's no limit to how many times you change it.
If you want to use the same photo for both screens but it looks better with different brightness levels, you'll need to use two different photos, since the brightness adjustment only works on the lock screen. Take a screenshot of the photo you want, adjust its brightness in a photo editing app, and save it as a new image in your library.
Using the same photo for both screens versus different photos
When you finish customizing your lock screen and tap Set, iOS asks whether you want to explore the change to Lock Screen only or to both Lock Screen and Home Screen. If you choose both, the same photo will appear on both screens, though iOS may display it slightly differently on each one.
If you want different photos on each screen, customize the lock screen first and choose Lock Screen only. Then go back to Wallpaper, tap Customize Home Screen, and pick a different photo. This way you can have a detailed photo on your lock screen and a simpler one on your home screen, or vice versa.
There's no downside to changing your mind later. You can swap either screen's photo at any time without affecting the other one, as long as you choose the "only" option instead of "both" when you save.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a photo from my camera roll that I haven't edited yet?
Yes. Any photo in your library—edited or not—works as a wallpaper. You don't have to do anything to the photo first. Just open Settings, go to Wallpaper, and select it.
What if I want to use a photo from the internet?
Open Safari, find the photo you want, press and hold it, and tap Add to Photos. It saves to your library. Then go to Settings > Wallpaper and choose it like any other photo.
Can I make my lock screen photo darker without changing the actual photo?
Yes. When you customize your lock screen, use the brightness slider at the bottom before you tap Set. This only affects how the photo appears on your lock screen, not the photo itself.
Do I have to use the same photo for both my lock screen and home screen?
No. Customize your lock screen first and choose Lock Screen only. Then customize your home screen separately and pick a different photo. You can change either one anytime without affecting the other.
What size photo works best for a lock screen?
Any size works—iOS will crop and position it automatically. Photos taken with your iPhone camera are already the right dimensions. If you're using a photo from the web, it doesn't matter if it's wider or taller than your screen; you can zoom and move it to frame it how you want.