Are you new to Windows, or you're not very familiar with the latest version of the Microsoft operating system yet but you're already tired of the wallpaper set as default on the desktop and, therefore, you'd like me to explain how to change it? In that case, I'd say you've come to the right guide, at a time that couldn't be better!
With this tutorial today, in fact, I want to show you in detail how to change the PC wallpaper on Windows. Desktop aside, for completeness of information, I will also explain how to set a wallpaper of your choice for the lock screen, in order to replace the images proposed directly by Microsoft. Before anything else, however, we will find out which Internet sites you can turn to to find new wallpapers.
So? How about we finally put the chit chat aside and get down to business? Yes? Great. Make yourself comfortable, take a few minutes just for yourself and immediately start focusing on reading what is reported below. I am sure that, in the end, you will be able to consider yourself very happy and satisfied with the result obtained. Shall we bet?
Where to find wallpapers
If you are wondering where to find wallpapers that allow you to change the background of your PC on Windows, both on the desktop and on the lock screen, I inform you that there are a lot of websites on the Internet dedicated to this purpose, which you can access without having to spend even a cent.
Are you asking me what these sites are? I'll tell you right away. Below, in fact, you will find those that, in my opinion, represent the best portals that allow you to download high-quality wallpapers with the most diverse subjects. Take a look at them!
Unsplash – this is a renowned portal that collects a series of very high-resolution photos, freely usable even for commercial purposes, and that portray the most diverse subjects. The available images are organized by genre and the download of the contents is completely free.
Pexels – a website where you can find thousands of free wallpapers to download from a wide variety of categories and in various resolutions.
DeviantArt – famous site that hosts the creations of various artists of the digital world. In fact, there are many wallpapers of all kinds, but also icons, desktop themes, posters and more.
WallpapersWide – another famous portal of this type in question that hosts hundreds of HD wallpapers at zero cost suitable for all tastes and, above all, for all resolutions.
Desktopography – a beautiful collection of free wallpapers, curated by art director Pete Harrison, which collects the best works created every year by artists in the digital world.
Simple Desktops – as the name suggests, this is a website dedicated entirely to lovers of minimal style wallpapers. All available content can be downloaded for free.
For further details on the wallpaper sites I've already mentioned and to find out what other similar solutions you have, you can consult my specific tutorials on desktop wallpapers and HD desktop wallpapers, as well as my guide on how to download free wallpapers.
Change Windows PC Wallpaper
Now that you have some new wallpapers to customize your computer, I would say that you are finally ready to take action and discover, therefore, how to change the PC background on Windows. Below you will find an explanation of how to proceed, not only for the desktop but also for the lock screen. It's very easy, don't worry.
Desktop Background
If you want to change the PC wallpaper on Windows, the first move you need to make is to access the appropriate section of the operating system settings by right-clicking with the mouse in a spot without icons on the desktop and selecting, from the contextual menu, the Personalize item .
Alternatively to what I just indicated, click on the Start button (the one with the Windows flag) that you find in the bottom left part of the taskbar and select the Settings icon (the one with the gear wheel) from the menu that opens. In the window that you see appear on the desktop, then click on the Personalization item and make sure that the Background wording is selected in the sidebar (otherwise do it yourself).
In the screen you now see, if you want to set an image as your background, select Image from the Background drop-down menu on the right, then choose one of the wallpapers in the Choose your image list below or select the image file you are interested in by clicking on the Browse button.
After completing the above steps, the selected wallpaper will be immediately applied to the desktop. If you feel it is necessary, you can also decide to change its position (centered, side by side, etc.), choosing the option that best suits you from the Choose a position drop-down menu.
In addition to the way I just indicated, keep in mind that you can set a specific image as your desktop background, using the default settings, by simply right-clicking on the file icon and choosing the Set as desktop background option from the contextual menu that appears.
If instead of a single image you want to apply a series of different backgrounds to the desktop that alternate with each other, I inform you that you can do so by proceeding in this way: after going to the Settings > Personalization > Background section of Windows, select the Presentation option from the Background drop-down menu that you find on the right.
Next, select the photo album you want to use from the Choose albums for slideshow section or click the Browse button and select the folder containing the images you want to use.
To determine how often the image should change, indicate the timing you prefer from the Change image every drop-down menu, while if you want to enable random playback you can do so by moving the switch under the Random playback heading to On. To define the padding, instead, choose the most appropriate option from the Choose a position drop-down menu located a little further down.
Instead of images, would you prefer to set a solid color background? You can do that too. To do this, select the Solid color option from the Background drop-down menu that you can always find in the Settings > Personalization > Background section of Windows.
Next, select the color you like from the list below the Choose your background color heading. Alternatively, set a custom color by clicking the (+) button next to the Custom color heading .
I would also like to point out that different wallpapers can also be set by setting themes. To do this, go to the Settings > Personalization section of Windows, select the Themes item found in the left sidebar and choose the theme you are interested in from the Change theme section on the right. You can also download new ones by clicking on the Get more themes in the Microsoft Store wording.
Lock screen
Let's now see how to change the PC wallpaper on Windows by acting on the lock screen. To begin, click on the Start button (the one with the Windows flag) that you find in the bottom left part of the taskbar and select the Settings icon (the one with the gear wheel) from the menu that opens.
In the window that you now see appearing on the desktop, click on the Personalization item and then select the Lock screen wording from the left sidebar. At this point, choose whether to set a fixed background or a set of images, by selecting, respectively, the Image option or the Presentation option from the Site background drop-down menu on the right.
In the first case, select one of the images available under the Choose your image heading located on the right or select another one of your choice by clicking on the Browse menu, while in the second case select the album of your choice from those found under the Choose albums for the presentation heading or click on the (+) button located next to the Add a folder heading and select a folder of your choice.
Do you prefer to use the default Highlights as your background? To do so, select the Windows Highlights option from the Background drop-down menu that you can always find in the Settings > Personalization > Lock screen section of Windows.
If you then want to use the lock screen background image on the login screen as well, proceed to move the switch to On under the heading Show lock screen background image on the login screen at the bottom.
If this is of interest to you, I would also like to inform you that, always scrolling through the Windows settings screen relating to the lock screen, you will find all the options relating to the choice of applications for which to display information and a summary.
