The desktop background is often one of the first things users changes in Windows. Microsoft already offers plenty of new wallpapers in Windows 11, and the web is jam packed with countless more.
Furthermore, the updated Settings app in the new OS offers a bunch of options that allow you to easily go in with a fresh background for your system. Wallpapers go a long way back on the Windows operating system, and remain one of the most important ways to truly make your PC uniquely your own.
We’ll learn how to change your background in Windows 11 in this quick tutorial.
How to change your background on Windows 11
Thankfully, the process has not changed much from Windows 10, and is as simple as ever. There are two ways go to about this. The first one takes you directly to the panel from the desktop, and the other one requires firing up the Settings app.
Method 1
First, let’s try and change the wallpaper straight from the desktop. You will need to use your mouse or trackpad here, but the option to do so is built right in the first menu that you invoke.
- Use your mouse and right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop.
- Click on Personalize.
- Choose the Background option to be taken to the menu.
Method 2
This route involves going to the Settings app first, and then selecting the required option. We’ll do this via the Windows key (Winkey) keyboard shortcut.
- Press Winkey + I.
- The Settings menu will open up.
- Choose Personalization from the left pane.
- Go to the Background.
Change your wallpaper in the Background panel
You can change the look and feel of your desktop from this panel. Plenty of options are included here that let you change your wallpaper, as well as customize how your chosen background picture fits on screen, even have Windows 11 change your background automatically in set intervals.
- You have multiple options here to customize the appearance of your background — from using a picture, to a slideshow of images to solid colors that you can craft.
- A list of your recent images will be shown below, so you can quickly get back to a wallpaper that you previously used.
- It is also possible to browse and choose an album on your computer, which can essentially serve as your wallpaper folder where you can add in your images.
- For the slideshow, you get options to change your background at set intervals. These range from every minute, every hour, or every day, as well as increments of 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and 6 hours.
- The order of the pictures can also be shuffled from here.
- And finally, you get control over how your wallpaper image will be fit on your desktop. Options include fill, fit, stretch, tile, center, and span.
Make your choices here, and you will have a new wallpaper ready to go on your desktop.
Find new Windows 11 wallpapers
As is custom for almost each new version of the OS, Microsoft already packs in a range of stylish new backgrounds in Windows 11. However, if you want to, you can download a whole bunch of wallpapers off the web according to your taste and use them.
Fans of Windows will want to check out WallpaperHub.
Created by Michael Gillet, this is one of the best resources of official Microsoft wallpapers, and background images the company has on Surface devices. It has a wide selection of high-quality images up for grabs for free, in a variety of resolutions like 1080p, 1440p, 4K and ultrawide.
Collections like Windows 11, Surface, Office + Fluent Design, and Ninja Cat are worth a look.
