If you’ve just bought a Windows computer or have been using it for a while and want to change your desktop background, there are several ways to do it.
You are probably tired of looking at Windows 10 default blue wallpapers and want to switch to a beautiful photo of your family, slideshow or live wallpaper for your computer background.
Whatever your preference, we’ll show you how to change your desktop background and wallpaper in Windows 10.
How to change the desktop wallpaper in Windows 10
The new background will not only give a new look to your desktop, but it will also cheer you up and have a strong impact on your productivity.
- To change the desktop background in Windows 10, click Start> Settings> Personalization.
- Under Backgrounds, select the image that you want to replace the current desktop background with. You can load an image from your hard drive, choose one of the images provided by Microsoft, or create your own desktop wallpaper. Or check out our list of wallpaper sites where you can get a variety of wallpapers, including 4K wallpapers or anime desktop wallpapers.
- You can also go to the Colors section to change the highlight color for the taskbar, start menu, and other items. Choose where you want the color to appear and whether it will look best in light or dark environments.
- There are other options, such as Select Size, that you can use to position, stretch, or fill the screen with the image you choose for your desktop background. You can also center it, tiled or distribute it across screens. If you don’t want to be limited to one background, you can also choose to automatically change your desktop background after a certain period of time.
Another way to change your desktop background is to right-click the image you want to set as your wallpaper and then select Set As Desktop Background from the context menu.
Note. If you haven’t activated Windows on your PC, you can access the personalization settings, but you cannot change the background or accent color.
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How to create a background for slideshows in Windows 10
If you like variety, you can create a slideshow and use it as your desktop background instead of a single static image.
- To create a slideshow, choose Start> Settings> Personalization and go to the Background section.
- Select Slideshow.
- In the dropdown menu, you will see the option “Select albums for slideshow“.
- You can change the folder or location where the slideshow images are stored from the default image album to your preferred album or folder. To do this, select “Browse”.
- Then select “Select This Folder” next to the folder you want to use for the slideshow
- Set the frequency of the slide show. The default time is 30 minutes, but you can set it to one minute or more if you like. To do this, go to the Change Image Each section and find the drop-down menu where you can adjust the time.
You can also shuffle images and choose whether to run the slideshow when your computer is running on battery power or not.
How to Use Live Wallpapers in Windows 10
If you don’t like single static images, you can use animated backgrounds to change your dull desktop and give the system your own flavor.
Animated backgrounds are visually diverse and bring your Windows 10 desktop to life. However, they can drain your battery, resulting in reduced battery life and performance. Better to use animated backgrounds on a desktop computer with a constant power supply.
You can create your own Windows 10 video wallpaper using tools like Wallpaper Engine, Rainmeter, PUSH Video Wallpaper, or Desktop Live Wallpapers
The WallPaper Engine on Steam lets you create animated wallpapers or import what others have done to your computer. In addition, WallPaper Engine supports video file formats including MP4, AVI, MOV, WebM and M4V.
For the next generation desktop background, use Rainmeter to overhaul Windows 10 with beautiful screen covers and live desktop widgets.
PUSH Video Wallpaper for Windows 10 works similarly to the WallPaper Engine, but you can run full-length videos as an animated background.
Live Wallpapers offers a collection of hundreds of beautiful animated wallpapers that you can download or upload your personal video files to the app and set them as your animated background. When the desktop is not displayed, the live wallpaper stops playing to reduce the drain on the battery.
If you don’t want to pay to use these tools, you can use free alternatives like Desktop Movie and VLC to create your own animated wallpapers for Windows, or set a GIF as your wallpaper.
How to use a video clip as an animated wallpaper in Windows 10
If you have a video that you want to use instead of a static image, you can use the VLC media player to add the video as your animated desktop background.
- To do this, open the VLC media player and go to Tools> Preferences and select the Video tab.
- Select the Video tab, and then select a display device under DirectX video output from the Output drop-down list. Save settings and restart VLC media player.
- Right-click the video that you want to play on your desktop as an animated background, go to the Video section and select Set as Wallpaper. When you’re done, uncheck the “Set as wallpaper” box.
Wallpapers and animated backgrounds aren’t the only ways to customize your desktop background. You can use Windows 10 themes from the Microsoft Store to personalize your computer desktop with themes using a combination of colors, images, and sounds. Check out our list of Windows 10 themes for the coolest Windows environment
Jazz on a desktop background
There are many customization options you can use to spruce up your Windows 10 PC and make it more personal. Desktop backgrounds can bring your computer to life and get rid of the tiresome blue background.
Want to go deeper? Continue with the best minimalist desktop wallpapers and our complete guide to customizing Windows 10.
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