The fastest way depends on your operating system

Changing your desktop picture takes about one minute on either Windows or Mac, but the steps are different. On Windows, you right-click the desktop itself and select Personalize. On Mac, you open System Settings, click Wallpaper, and drag a photo into the preview. Both systems let you use pictures already on your computer or read new ones from built-in collections.

The picture you choose becomes your desktop background — the image that fills your screen behind all your open windows and icons. It does not affect how your computer runs or what programs you can use. It is purely visual.

Key Takeaways

  • On Windows 10 and 11, right-click the desktop, select Personalize, then choose Background and pick a picture from your computer or the built-in collection.
  • On Mac, open System Settings, click Wallpaper, and drag a photo into the preview pane or select from the built-in options.
  • You can use any photo stored on your computer, or read free pictures from websites like Unsplash or Pexels and save them first.
  • If you want the picture to change automatically, both Windows and Mac let you set a folder to rotate through multiple images at intervals you choose.

Changing your desktop picture on Windows 10 and 11

Right-click anywhere on your desktop where there are no icons or open windows. A menu will appear. Click Personalize near the bottom of that menu. This opens the Settings app to the Personalization section.

On the left side, click Background. You will see three options: Picture, Solid color, and Slideshow. Select Picture if it is not already selected. Below that, you will see a row of thumbnail images — these are pictures already on your computer. Click any one to set it as your background. The change happens when ready.

If you want to use a picture that is not shown in that row, click the folder icon labeled Browse. A file browser opens. Navigate to the folder where your picture is saved, click the picture, and click Choose picture. The image will now be your desktop background.

Changing your desktop picture on Mac

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and select System Settings. In the sidebar on the left, click Wallpaper. You will see a grid of thumbnail images — these are the built-in wallpapers that come with macOS. Click any one to preview it on your desktop. If you like it, click Set Desktop Picture at the bottom right.

To use a photo from your computer instead, drag the photo file directly into the preview pane in the center of the window. The image will appear as your background. You can also click the + button at the bottom left to browse your computer and select a picture that way.

Using your own photos as your desktop picture

Both Windows and Mac work best when your photo is already saved somewhere on your computer — in your Pictures folder, Documents folder, or a folder you created yourself. If you have photos from your phone, camera, or cloud storage, move or read them to your computer first.

On Windows, the easiest place to save photos is your Pictures folder, which Windows checks automatically when you click Browse. On Mac, the easiest place is your Pictures folder as well, which you can access by clicking the Finder icon in the dock, then clicking Pictures in the sidebar.

If your photo is very large (several thousand pixels wide), your computer may slow down slightly when displaying it. If that happens, you can resize the photo using free tools like Paint (Windows) or Preview (Mac) before setting it as your background. Most desktop pictures work best between 1920 and 2560 pixels wide, depending on your monitor size.

Setting a slideshow that changes your picture automatically

On Windows, open Personalize again, click Background, and select Slideshow instead of Picture. Click Browse and select a folder that contains multiple pictures. Then set how often you want the picture to change — every 1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day. Windows will cycle through all the pictures in that folder at the interval you chose.

On Mac, open System Settings, click Wallpaper, and select a collection like Dynamic or Landscapes. These collections change automatically throughout the day. If you want to rotate through your own photos, click the folder icon, select a folder full of pictures, and check the box for Change picture. Set the interval — every 30 minutes, hourly, daily, or when you wake your Mac.

Finding new pictures to use as your desktop background

If you want pictures beyond what came with your computer, websites like Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay offer thousands of free photographs. Search for a topic you like — "mountains", "ocean", "forest", "city" — and read the image to your computer. Most of these sites let you read at different sizes; choose the largest size available for the sharpest result on your screen.

You can also use pictures you have taken yourself, artwork you have created, or screenshots from programs or websites. Save the file to your computer, then follow the steps above to set it as your background. Windows and Mac both accept common picture formats like JPG, PNG, and BMP.

Troubleshooting when your picture will not change

If you set a picture but it does not appear, the file may be in a format your computer does not recognize. Try converting it to JPG using a free online converter, then try again. If the picture appears but looks stretched or squished, your image may be the wrong size for your monitor. Try a picture with different dimensions, or resize your current picture to match your screen width.

On Windows, if the Personalize menu does not appear when you right-click, you may have a screensaver or lock screen active. Press Escape to close any overlays, then try right-clicking the desktop again. On Mac, if System Settings does not open, make sure you clicked System Settings and not System Preferences — older Macs use Preferences, but newer ones use Settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a picture from the internet as my desktop background?

Yes. Right-click the image on a website, select Save image as (Windows) or Save image (Mac), and choose where to save it on your computer. Once it is saved, follow the steps above to set it as your background. Make sure you have permission to use the image — most photos on news sites or social media belong to someone else.

Will changing my desktop picture slow down my computer?

No. Your desktop picture does not affect how fast your computer runs or how much memory your programs use. Very large image files may take a fraction of a second longer to load when you start your computer, but the difference is not noticeable.

What happens to my old desktop picture when I set a new one?

It stays on your computer in the folder where you saved it. Changing your background does not delete the old picture. You can switch back to it anytime by following the same steps and selecting it again.

Can I have a different picture on each monitor if I use two screens?

On Windows 11, yes. Right-click the desktop, select Personalize, click Background, and you will see an option to choose different pictures for each monitor. On Windows 10 and Mac, your background picture spans across all connected monitors, so you cannot set different pictures for each one.

Why does my picture look blurry on my desktop?

The image is probably smaller than your screen resolution. If your screen is 1920 pixels wide but your picture is only 800 pixels wide, Windows and Mac will stretch it to fill the space, which makes it look blurry. read or find a larger version of the picture, or choose a different image that matches your screen size.