You almost always use your computer to work and, for this reason, you would like to make it look a little more pleasant. To be precise, you would like to make the desktop where there are the icons of the programs you use most frequently less anonymous, by applying a background other than the default Windows or macOS. However, having never performed such an operation, you don't know where to put your hands. That's the way things are, am I right? Then don't worry: if you want, I'll help you improve the appearance of your PC.
In the course of this tutorial, in fact, I will explain to you in detail how to change pc wallpaper, whether it is running Windows 10 or an older version of the Microsoft operating system. Also, I'll take care to show you how to get the same result on Mac and I will point out some Internet sites from which you can get free and good quality wallpapers.
So, without further ado, take a few minutes of free time for yourself and dedicate it to reading this guide: I guarantee you that the final result will leave you absolutely satisfied. Having said that, I can only wish you happy reading and have fun!
Index
- Where to find wallpapers for PC
- How to change your Windows PC wallpaper
- How to change the Mac wallpaper
Where to find wallpapers for PC
You have the firm intention of refreshing your computer desktop but you don't know where to find wallpapers worthy of being put on display on the latter? Then I really think I can help you: there are, in fact, numerous websites from which you can retrieve high quality wallpapers with the most disparate subjects, totally free of charge.
- Unsplash - it is a Web portal full of high definition images and photographs, grouped by category, which can be used free of charge for both personal and commercial purposes. To use it, connect to its main page and locate the photo that best suits you among those shown in it. Alternatively, you can use the categories above (4K Wallpapers, Mac Wallpapers, Dual Monitor Wallpapers and so on) to further refine your search. Once you have identified the wallpaper you are interested in, click on its thumbnail and, to download it, press the green button Download Free, located at the top right.
- DeviantArt - this site, extremely famous among graphics and digital drawing enthusiasts, is characterized by a very large and varied archive of images. To use it, connected to the portal page dedicated to wallpapers, choose one of the categories listed on the left (eg. Abstract, Animals & Plants, Fractal, etc.) and identify the background of your interest among those displayed. Next, click on its thumbnail and then on the button Download, located on the right. If the wallpaper does not download automatically, right-click on the "large" image that appears in the browser and save using the item Save image as, placed in the context menu.
Although Unsplash and DeviantArt are, in my humble opinion, two of the best portals in which to retrieve free wallpapers, you must know that they are not the only ones! For this reason, if you have not been able to find anything that matches your tastes, I invite you to read my guides dedicated to desktop wallpapers, HD desktop wallpapers and free wallpaper downloads, in which I have reported many other sites Internet themed.
If, on the other hand, you are oriented towards choosing an animated background, you can consult my tutorial dedicated to this topic, in which I was able to analyze the matter in detail.
How to change your Windows PC wallpaper
Once you've found the image you prefer to use, you can change your Windows desktop background in just a couple of clicks - it's all about knowing where to put your hands! Below I will explain everything in detail, providing you with the procedures for change the PC wallpaper su Windows 10, Windows 7 e 7 Windows Starter (edition that "officially" would not allow wallpaper changes).
How to change the wallpaper on your Windows 10 PC
To succeed in change the PC wallpaper on Windows 10, act as follows: first, right-click on an empty spot on the desktop (i.e. a spot without icons) and choose the item Customize from the menu that appears, so as to open the settings panel screen for customizing the background, icons and other elements.
Now you can set a new wallpaper by selecting it from the default Windows images, located in the section Choose your image, or by uploading a personalized photo, using the button Shop by Department and reaching the folder of your interest.
If you wish, you can improve the display of the chosen image (useful if the latter has a different resolution from that of the monitor) using the drop-down menu Choose a location, setting one of the available options, to be chosen between Fill, Suitable, Spindle shafts, Tile, Center ed Extend.
To make your desktop have a single color background instead of the image, open the drop-down menu instead Background, scegli l'opzione Solid color and select the color to use using the color palette displayed below.
As an added level of customization, you can have the wallpaper change automatically at regular intervals by creating a small slideshow of wallpapers - to do this, choose the voice Introduction give menu to tendin Background and specify the folder containing the images to use.
The system will, by default, show all files in the folder Images, however you can easily change this aspect by clicking on the button Shop by Department, residing immediately under the section Choose slideshow album.
If you deem it appropriate, you can also customize the time the image remains on the screen (the item Change image every), choose whether to play images randomly (the item Shuffle Playback) and indicate whether or not to use the presentation on battery power (the item Allow presentation on battery power). Again, you can adjust the position of the images by acting on the drop-down menu Choose a location.
Note: it is possible to speed up the modification of the Windows background using the context menu dedicated to image files. To do this, simply right-click on the chosen image and select the item Set as desktop wallpaper from the menu displayed on the screen.
How to change PC wallpaper on Windows 7
The steps required for change wallpaper on windows 7 are very similar to those already seen for Windows 10: therefore, right click on an empty spot on the desktop, choose the item Customize from the context menu, click on the item Desktop wallpaper located in the window that opens and then on the button Shop by Department, to select the image (or images) of your interest.
When you are done, put the check mark next to the image you want to use as wallpaper (even more than one, in this case, the presentation mode will be automatically applied) and that's it!
If you wish, you can adapt the image to the screen using the drop-down menu Image position, choose how long the photos remain on screen (in slideshow mode) using the option Change image every, choose whether or not to activate the Shuffle Playback, by acting on the appropriate check box or, again, indicate whether to start the automatic rotation of the images in case of battery power, by acting on the box Pause the presentation to save power on battery power.
Even on Windows 7, it is possible to speed up everything by directly intervening on the image to be used: open, therefore, the folder that contains the file of your interest, right-click on it and choose the item Set as desktop wallpaper give the menu to compare.
7 Windows Starter
If you have a PC with 7 Windows Starter, you will surely have noticed that, even if you followed the steps seen above to the letter, it was not possible for you to change the desktop background: this is because Microsoft has imposed a limitation that prevents you from changing wallpaper in this specific edition of its operating system. This limitation, however, can be circumvented by following a fairly simple procedure: let me explain it to you in detail.
Before starting, however, I would like to make you a necessary recommendation: strictly follow the instructions I will give you starting from this moment, paying close attention to the changes you are going to make. An incorrect intervention on any registry key could irreparably compromise your operating system, forcing you, in the worst case, to format your PC. Then don't say I didn't warn you!
That said, let's get to the action: First, click the button Start (I cheer with the pennant Windows, located at the bottom left) and open the registry by typing the command regedit in the search field of the Start menu, followed by pressing the key Submit on the keyboard. Next, click on the button Yes, to authorize Windows to open the Registry.
now, as a preventive measure, I suggest you immediately create a backup copy of the registry, to be able to restore where something goes wrong: I explained how to proceed in my tutorial dedicated to backing up the Windows registry.
At this point, expand the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER (on the left) by clicking on the arrow located next to it, repeat the same operation on the key control Panel and then click on the "folder" desktop.
Now, double click on the key Wallpaper (located, this time, on the right) and enter the percorso where you previously saved the image corresponding to the field Value data. When you are done, click on the button OK to apply the changes.
To make the background change take effect, right click on the folder desktop (the same as before, located in the tree view, to the left of the log screen), choose the item Permissions from the menu that opens and click on the button Advanced located in the window displayed on the screen.
Next, select the tab Owner, click on yours username in the list on the screen, to highlight it, put the check mark next to the item Replace owner on subcontainers and objects present at the bottom and click on the button Apply, to confirm the changes.
Almost there: now move to the tab Permissions attached to the previously opened window, remove the check mark from the box Include inheritable permissions from the parent of this object and delete all the items in the central section of the window by clicking on each of them and then pressing the button Remove.
Then click on the button Add, then on the text field Enter the name of the object to select, located in the new window, type the word Everyone inside, press the button Check names and click on the button OK, to confirm everything.
As a last resort, check the box Allow, located next to the entry Reading control, do the same operation with the box Apply these permissions only to objects and / or containers in this container and click on all the buttons OK of the windows you had opened.
The configuration is finally done! To apply the changes, you just have to reboot the system: if everything went smoothly, you should finally see your chosen wallpaper.
If you have any doubts or problems about this procedure, you can find useful my guide on how to change the wallpaper on Windows 7 Starter, in which I explained in detail how to change the wallpaper both manually and through a series of specific programs for the purpose.
How to change the Mac wallpaper
Do you own a Mac and not a Windows PC? Don't worry: the necessary steps a change the Mac wallpaper they are extremely simple to put into practice!
First, right click on an "empty" spot on the desktop and select the item Change desktop background from the menu that appears. Once this is done, in the window that is proposed to you, choose the folder from which to select the background of your liking, acting from the left panel.
To use the default Mac images, expand the menu Apple, by clicking on the arrow corresponding to it, and choose the item Desk pictures. To use a single background color, instead, select the item Full colors. And if the image of your interest is in the macOS camera roll / photo collection, click on the arrow next to the menu Gallery and select, from there, the album that contains it.
To use an image stored in another folder on your Mac, expand the entry instead Foldersclick on your button [+] located at the bottom left and, using the panel that appears on the screen, select the folder of your interest and click on the button Select. Finally, click on the newly added folder to view the images inside.
If you want to turn on presentation mode and automatically change your Mac wallpaper based on regular time intervals, check the box Change image, below, choose the time interval you prefer (eg. Every 30 minutes) from the adjacent drop-down menu and that's it. All the images contained in the selected folder will be used as wallpaper.
Once you've selected the image you're interested in, you don't need to do anything else, as the change is instant. For more information on how to change the Mac wallpaper, you can refer to the tutorial that I have entirely dedicated to the theme.
