The fastest way to change your wallpaper

On most phones, you change the wallpaper by opening Settings, finding the Display or Home Screen section, and selecting a new image from your phone's built-in gallery or from photos you've saved. The exact path depends on whether you have an iPhone or Android phone, but both take less than a minute once you know where to look.

You can use a photo you took yourself, a built-in image that came with your phone, or an image you downloaded from the internet. Some phones let you set different wallpapers for your lock screen and home screen at the same time.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Wallpaper > Customize, choose a photo, and tap Set.
  • On Android, open Settings > Display > Wallpaper, pick an image, and confirm your choice.
  • You can use any photo stored on your phone, including screenshots and downloaded images.
  • Most phones let you set separate wallpapers for your lock screen and home screen.
  • If your image looks stretched or cut off, try a different crop or a photo with a different shape.

Changing wallpaper on iPhone

Open the Settings app and tap Wallpaper. Then tap Customize. You'll see your current lock screen and home screen wallpapers side by side.

Tap the lock screen image first if you want to change it. A menu will appear with options: you can choose from Apple's built-in wallpapers, use a photo from your Photos app, or create a custom look with colors and widgets. Select your choice, adjust the crop if needed by pinching and dragging, then tap Set Lock Screen at the bottom.

To change your home screen wallpaper, tap the home screen image in the same Customize menu, follow the same steps, and tap Set Home Screen. You can use the same image for both or pick two different ones.

Changing wallpaper on Android

Open Settings and scroll down to find Display (on some phones it may be called Screen or Home Screen). Tap Wallpaper or Wallpapers. You'll usually see options for Lock Screen, Home Screen, or Both.

Tap the screen you want to change. A menu will appear with choices: Gallery (your saved photos), Google's built-in wallpapers, or a Wallpapers app if your phone has one. Select Gallery to use your own photo, or pick from the built-in options. Once you've chosen an image, you can crop it by dragging the frame, then tap explore, Set, or Confirm (the button name varies by phone brand).

If you don't see a Wallpaper option in Settings, try opening your phone's launcher app (the grid icon on your home screen), long-pressing an empty area of the home screen, and selecting Wallpapers from the menu that appears.

Using your own photos as wallpaper

Any photo on your phone can become your wallpaper. When you choose Gallery or Photos in the wallpaper menu, you'll see all the images you've taken, downloaded, or saved. This includes screenshots, images from text messages, and pictures you've saved from the internet.

Keep in mind that wallpapers work best when they're roughly the same shape as your screen. A photo that's very wide or very tall may look stretched or have parts cut off. Most phones let you crop the image before you set it, so you can adjust which part shows. If the result doesn't look right, try a different photo or adjust the crop again—you can change it as many times as you want.

What to do if your wallpaper looks wrong

If your new wallpaper appears stretched, blurry, or cut off, the image size is usually the problem. Wallpapers need to match your phone's screen dimensions. When you're setting the wallpaper, use the crop tool (usually a frame you can pinch or drag) to select the part of the photo you want to show.

If the image is very small or low quality, it may look blurry when enlarged to fill your screen. In that case, try a different photo. If you downloaded an image from the internet and it looks poor, the original file may be too small—search for a larger version or use a different image instead.

On some phones, you can also adjust the zoom level of the wallpaper after you set it. Go back to Wallpaper settings and look for an option to edit or adjust your current wallpaper.

Setting different wallpapers for lock screen and home screen

Most modern phones let you use one image for your lock screen (the screen you see when you first pick up your phone) and a different image for your home screen (where your apps are). This is especially useful if you want a straightforward, clean look on your lock screen and something more colorful on your home screen.

On iPhone, the Customize menu in Wallpaper settings shows both screens side by side, so you can tap each one separately and choose different images. On Android, the Wallpaper menu usually has separate options for Lock Screen and Home Screen, or a Both option if you want the same image on each.

Where to find more wallpapers

Your phone comes with built-in wallpapers in the Wallpaper settings menu. On iPhone, these are organized by category like Nature, Flowers, or Astronomy. On Android, Google's wallpaper collection includes thousands of free images, and many phones also have a dedicated Wallpapers app with additional options.

You can also read wallpapers from the internet. Search for "phone wallpapers" or "iPhone wallpapers" or "Android wallpapers" in any search engine, find an image you like, and save it to your phone by long-pressing the image and selecting Save Image or Add to Photos. Then use that saved image as your wallpaper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a live photo or video as my wallpaper?

On iPhone, you can set a Live Photo (a photo with motion) as your lock screen wallpaper, and it will animate when you press the screen. On Android, some phones support animated wallpapers through the Wallpapers app, but most standard photos are static. Check your phone's Wallpaper settings to see if animated options are available.

Why does my wallpaper look different after I set it?

Your phone's icons, widgets, and status bar (clock and battery) sit on top of the wallpaper, so they may cover parts of the image. Also, the wallpaper may be cropped differently on your lock screen than on your home screen. If you don't like how it looks, go back to Wallpaper settings and adjust the crop or try a different image.

Can I set a wallpaper that changes automatically?

On iPhone, you can set a dynamic or animated wallpaper that changes throughout the day. On Android, some phones have a feature to rotate through multiple wallpapers, usually found in Display settings. Check your phone's Wallpaper menu for options like "Shuffle" or "Rotate."

What if I want to go back to my old wallpaper?

Open Wallpaper settings again and choose a different image. Your phone keeps a history of recently used wallpapers, so you may see your old one in the recent section. If not, you can always set it again by finding the image in your Photos or Gallery.

Does changing my wallpaper use a lot of battery?

No. A static wallpaper uses almost no extra battery. Animated or live wallpapers use slightly more power because they're constantly moving, but the difference is usually small unless you use them for hours at a time.