How to Change the Login Screen Background on Windows

When you start your PC using the Spotlight function in Windows 11/10, the Lock screen displays a different background image each time. However, you can customize this feature to display a specific image or a group of images. On your Windows PC, you can quickly change the background of your lock screen to any image you desire. In this article, we will show you how to set and change the Login screen background of your Windows PC.

How to Change the Login Screen Background on Windows

Given below are two methods using the Windows in-built tools to change the lock screen wallpaper:

Set a custom image on Lock Screen
Set as a Slide Show on Lock Screen
Set a custom image
Force Lock Screen Image via Group Policy

You will need admin permission to access Group Policy.

1] Set a custom image on Lock Screen

You can change the lock screen background of your PC via Windows Settings, where you can choose to display an image or a slide show. This is how you change the logon image via Windows Settings:

Open Windows Settings (Win + I) and click on the Personalization option on the left pane. Next, scroll down and click on the Lock screen option.
Click on the drop-down menu next to Personalize your lock screen and choose Picture.
Click on the Browse photos option next to Choose a photo. Next, select your preferred image and click the Choose picture button.

The Windows Logon screen will be set to the chosen picture.

2] Set as a Slide Show on Lock Screen

Adding multiple images here lets you set the lock screen as a slide show. Here is how:

Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
Click on the drop-down menu next to Personalize your lock screen and choose the Slideshow option.
You can choose the images you want the lock screen to display, create an album or a folder, and choose the folder to display on the lock screen.
Under the Advanced slideshow settings, you can customize the slideshow by enabling or disabling the settings according to your preferences.
Select the slideshow duration by using the Turn off the screen after the slideshow has played for option.

The images from the selected folder locations will display and rotate on the Windows Lock screen once you have finished customizing the settings.

3] Set Windows Spotlight

Windows Spotlight will play default images on the lock screen as a slideshow. Here is how to do it:

Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
Click on the drop-down menu next to Personalize your lock screen and choose the Windows Spotlight option.

After you finish the instructions, the Windows Lock screen will rotate images downloaded from the cloud by the system.

4] Force Lock Screen via Group Policy

Here, we will use the Group Policy method to fix an image for your PC’s lock screen. Here is how you set a lock screen image using Group Policy:

Open Group Policy and navigate to the following path:

Computer Configuration\ Administrative Templates\ Control Panel\ Personalization

Double-click from the Personalization folder to open the Force a specific default lock screen and logon image setting.
In the next window, click on the Enabled radio button.
After that, set a path for the lock screen image in the text box under the Path to lock screen image in the Options category.
Click Apply, and then OK.

Next time you restart your PC, you will see the set image on your PC’s lock screen.

Note: If you use the Windows Home version, follow our easy guide to enable Group Policy.

Conclusion

Windows 11/10 provides various options for personalizing the desktop experience, including changing the login and lock screens’ background images. This post has explained how to change the lock screen wallpaper or login screen background using multiple methods. They are straightforward to implement, but let us know if you still have questions.

How Do I Change My Lock Screen Wallpaper Without Activating Windows?

Double-click on the image you want to set as wallpaper in the Photos app. Once done, click on the three-dots menu available in the top-right corner. Click on Set, and then Set as background. While Windows doesn’t allow changing wallpaper without activation, this workaround still works.

Where Is the Windows Login Screen Background?

Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen—enabling the Show lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen option is available right here You may also right-click on your desktop and select Personalization or open Windows Setting using Win + I.