Can I use a video as my wallpaper?

Windows and Mac do not natively support video wallpapers. On Windows, third-party apps like Wallpaper Engine (Steam, $4.99) or Lively Wallpaper (free, Microsoft Store) enable video and animated wallpapers. On Android, many manufacturers include built-in live wallpaper support, and apps like Muzei or Video Live Wallpaper work well. On iPhone, iOS supports Live Photos as animated lock screen wallpapers natively, but true video wallpapers on the home screen are not supported.

Personalization

How to Change Wallpaper — Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android (2026)

Published: April 16, 2026 10 min read IT Cares

Quick Answer

Windows 11/10: Settings › Personalization › Background, choose Picture and browse for your file. Mac (Sonoma+): System Settings › Wallpaper, click any image or drag your own. iPhone: Settings › Wallpaper › Add New Wallpaper, or long-press the lock screen. Android: Long-press the home screen › Wallpapers, or Settings › Display › Wallpaper.

Changing your wallpaper is one of the quickest ways to make your device feel like yours. Yet the exact path varies wildly depending on whether you are on Windows 11, Windows 10, macOS Sonoma, an iPhone, an Android phone, or a Chromebook. This guide covers every platform in one place — including multi-monitor setups, slideshow and dynamic wallpapers, live wallpapers, lock screen customization, and what to do when the wallpaper simply refuses to change.

Platforms covered

30 sec

Fastest method (right-click image)

Free

Best wallpaper sources

Windows 11: Change Your Wallpaper

Method 1 — Settings › Personalization › Background

Windows 11

This is the official route and gives you the most options, including slideshow and Spotlight.

Press Windows + I to open Settings.
Click Personalization in the left sidebar.
Click Background.
Under "Personalize your background", choose Picture from the dropdown.
Click Browse photos and select any image on your computer.
Choose a fit: Fill, Fit, Stretch, Tile, Center, or Span (for multi-monitor).

Your new wallpaper applies instantly without restarting or logging out.

Method 2 — Right-Click Any Image

Windows 11 & 10

The fastest method. Open File Explorer, find the image you want, right-click it, and choose Set as desktop background. Windows sets it immediately. This works for JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF (static), HEIC, and TIFF files.

Windows 10: Change Your Wallpaper

Method 1 — Right-Click Desktop › Personalize

Windows 10

Right-click an empty area of your desktop.
Select Personalize from the context menu.
Under Background, choose Picture.
Click Browse and pick your image.
Select a fit option at the bottom of the panel.

The wallpaper updates immediately. Windows 10 also offers Slideshow and Solid color options from the same dropdown.

    Note: On Windows 10, if Personalize is grayed out or missing from the right-click menu, your Windows installation may be unactivated or a Group Policy is blocking personalization. See the troubleshooting section below.
  

Mac: Change Your Wallpaper (macOS Sonoma and Later)

System Settings › Wallpaper

macOS Sonoma+

Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner.
Select System Settings.
Click Wallpaper in the sidebar.
Browse the built-in Apple categories (Dynamic, Light & Dark, Colours, Landscapes) or click the + button to add your own photo or folder.
Click any image to apply it. The desktop updates live as you hover over options.

macOS Sonoma introduced per-display wallpaper settings. If you have multiple monitors, each display appears as a separate section in the Wallpaper pane — click each one to assign a different image.

    Dynamic Wallpapers on Mac: macOS includes Dynamic wallpapers that automatically shift between a lighter daytime version and a darker nighttime version based on your location and local time. Select any wallpaper marked "Dynamic" in System Settings › Wallpaper to enable this. Requires Location Services to be on (System Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services).
  

iPhone: Change Your Wallpaper

Method 1 — Settings › Wallpaper

iOS 16+

Open Settings.
Tap Wallpaper.
Tap Add New Wallpaper.
Choose a category: Photos, People, Photo Shuffle, Emoji, Weather, Astronomy, Color, or one of Apple's curated collections.
Customize depth effect, filters, or clock style, then tap Add.
Choose to use on Lock Screen only, or on both Lock Screen and Home Screen.

Method 2 — Long-Press the Lock Screen

iOS 16+

Long-press any empty area of the lock screen. Swipe left or right to switch between saved wallpaper pairs. Tap the + button at the bottom to add a new one, or tap Customize to edit the current lock screen wallpaper. This method is faster once you have multiple wallpaper sets saved.

    iPhone Home Screen vs Lock Screen: Since iOS 16, the lock screen and home screen wallpapers are separate. You can have a bold, colorful lock screen and a more subtle home screen background. When adding a new wallpaper, iOS asks you at the final step which surface (or both) to apply it to.
  

Android: Change Your Wallpaper

Method 1 — Long-Press the Home Screen

Android 10+

Long-press an empty area of the home screen until the home screen editing mode appears.
Tap Wallpapers (label varies by manufacturer: "Wallpaper & style", "Wallpaper", or "Set wallpaper").
Browse the built-in categories or tap My photos to use your own image.
Select an image, preview it, then choose to apply to Home screen, Lock screen, or both.

Method 2 — Settings › Display › Wallpaper

Android (Stock / Samsung / Pixel)

Open Settings, search for "wallpaper" or navigate to Display (some manufacturers put it under Wallpaper & style directly in Settings). The path depends on your device:

Samsung (One UI): Settings › Wallpaper and style › Change wallpaper
Google Pixel: Settings › Wallpaper & style › Change wallpaper
OnePlus / Oppo: Settings › Personalization › Wallpaper
Xiaomi / MIUI: Settings › Display › Lock screen, or long-press home screen

    Dynamic Wallpapers on Android: Google Pixel devices include "Live Wallpapers" and "Motion Sense" wallpapers. Samsung offers "Dynamic Lock Screen" which updates the lock screen with fresh photos automatically. Many Android launchers (e.g., Nova Launcher) also support rotating wallpapers from a selected album.
  

Other Platforms: Apple Watch, Chromebook

Apple Watch — Change the Watch Face

The Apple Watch does not have a traditional wallpaper, but you customize its watch face, which serves the same aesthetic purpose. Long-press the current watch face on your Apple Watch until the carousel appears, then swipe to a new face and tap it to apply. You can also open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap Face Gallery, and choose a new face with your preferred complications and color scheme.

Chromebook — Change Desktop Wallpaper

Right-click an empty area of the Chromebook desktop and select Set wallpaper & style. Browse the built-in Google Photos wallpapers, daily refresh collections, or click My Images to use a photo from your Google Drive or local Downloads folder. ChromeOS also supports a daily wallpaper refresh from Google's curated collection.

Multi-Monitor: Different Wallpaper on Each Display

Running two or more monitors and want a different wallpaper on each screen? Here is how to do it on Windows and Mac.

Windows 11 / 10 — Per-Monitor Wallpaper

Open File Explorer and locate your images

Navigate to the folder containing the wallpaper images you want to use for each monitor.

Right-click the first image

Select Set as desktop background. Windows applies it to whichever monitor is currently active (where your cursor is).

Use Settings for more control

Go to Settings › Personalization › Background. Right-click any wallpaper thumbnail and choose Set for Monitor 1 or Set for Monitor 2. This gives you precise per-display control.

    Tip: For a seamless panoramic wallpaper that spans all monitors, download a wide image (e.g. 3840x1080 for two 1920x1080 monitors side by side), then set the fit to Span in Settings › Personalization › Background.
  

Mac (Sonoma) — Per-Display Wallpaper

Go to System Settings › Wallpaper. Each connected display appears as its own section in the pane. Click a display name, then click any image to apply it only to that screen. Changes take effect immediately.

Slideshow Wallpaper: Rotating Backgrounds

Windows Slideshow Wallpaper

Go to Settings › Personalization › Background. Under "Personalize your background", choose Slideshow. Click Browse to select a folder of images. Configure the rotation interval (every 1 minute, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours, or 1 day), toggle Shuffle to randomize the order, and choose whether to allow the slideshow on battery power. Windows cycles through all supported image files in the selected folder automatically.

Mac Rotating Wallpaper

In System Settings › Wallpaper, select any Apple-provided collection (e.g., Landscape, Cityscape) or add your own Photos album. Enable Rotate Automatically and set the frequency (Every hour, Every day, On wake, etc.). You can also choose to shuffle the order within the rotation.

iPhone Photo Shuffle

When adding a new wallpaper on iPhone, choose Photo Shuffle. Select the photos you want included, then set the shuffle frequency: On tap, On wake, Hourly, or Daily. iOS rotates your chosen photos as your lock screen and home screen wallpaper throughout the day.

Live Wallpapers and Dynamic Wallpapers

Live wallpapers are animated or moving backgrounds. Support varies by platform:

iPhone: iOS natively supports Live Photos (a short video clip) as lock screen wallpapers. When you wake the screen, the Live Photo briefly animates. Go to Settings › Wallpaper › Add New Wallpaper › Live Photos.
Android: Most Android devices ship with built-in live wallpapers. Long-press the home screen › Wallpapers › Live Wallpapers. Third-party apps like Wallpaper Engine (free Android companion) or Muzei expand the options.
Mac (Dynamic Wallpapers): macOS dynamically adjusts Apple's built-in wallpapers based on time of day and your location. Select any image tagged "Dynamic" in System Settings › Wallpaper. No third-party software needed.
Windows (via third-party): Windows does not natively support live or video wallpapers. The most popular solutions are Wallpaper Engine (Steam, $4.99 — supports video, interactive, and web-based wallpapers) and Lively Wallpaper (free on the Microsoft Store — supports video, GIF, and web page wallpapers).

Lock Screen Wallpaper (Separate from Desktop)

On many platforms, the lock screen background is separate from the desktop wallpaper. Here is how to change each independently:

Windows 11/10: Settings › Personalization › Lock screen. Choose a picture, slideshow, or Windows Spotlight (fresh Bing photos every day). This is completely separate from the desktop background setting.
Mac: The lock screen on macOS mirrors your desktop wallpaper. There is no separate lock screen wallpaper in macOS Sonoma by default.
iPhone: Since iOS 16, lock screen and home screen wallpapers are fully independent. Set them separately via Settings › Wallpaper.
Android: When applying any wallpaper, Android asks whether to apply to the Home screen, Lock screen, or both. Choose Lock screen only to change it independently.

    Windows Spotlight: Under Settings › Personalization › Lock screen, if you choose Windows Spotlight, Microsoft serves a beautiful new Bing photo to your lock screen every day automatically. It requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account. No manual effort needed after the initial setup.
  

Where to Get Free Wallpapers

You do not need to pay for high-quality wallpapers. These sources offer thousands of free, high-resolution images:

Unsplash (unsplash.com): Over 3 million free photos in 4K and higher. No account required. All photos are free for personal and commercial use.
Pexels (pexels.com): Similar to Unsplash with a large free library. Has a dedicated wallpaper category and a desktop app for Windows and Mac that auto-rotates wallpapers.
Bing Wallpaper App: Microsoft's free app that delivers the daily Bing homepage photo (always stunning, 4K quality) as your Windows desktop wallpaper. Download from the Microsoft website.
Windows Spotlight: Built into Windows, delivers daily Bing photos to your lock screen automatically. No extra app needed — enable it under Settings › Personalization › Lock screen.
Wallhaven (wallhaven.cc): Community-curated collection of high-resolution desktop wallpapers. Searchable by resolution, category, color, and ratio.
Your own photos: A personal photo from a vacation, your pet, or a local landmark makes an excellent wallpaper. Most modern phones shoot at 12MP or higher — more than sufficient for 1080p and 4K displays.

Platform Wallpaper Feature Comparison

Platform	Desktop Wallpaper	Lock Screen Wallpaper	Slideshow / Rotate	Dynamic / Live	Multi-Monitor
Windows 11	Yes	Yes (separate)	Yes (native)	3rd party	Yes (per-monitor)
Windows 10	Yes	Yes (separate)	Yes (native)	3rd party	Yes (per-monitor)
macOS Sonoma	Yes	Mirrors desktop	Yes (native)	Dynamic (native)	Yes (per-display)
iPhone (iOS 16+)	Home screen	Yes (separate)	Photo Shuffle	Live Photos	N/A
Android 10+	Home screen	Yes (separate)	Varies by OEM	Live Wallpapers	N/A
Chromebook	Yes	Mirrors desktop	Daily refresh	No	Limited
Apple Watch	Watch face only	N/A	No	Animated faces	N/A

Troubleshooting Wallpaper Problems

"This image cannot be set as wallpaper" on Windows

Windows displays this error when the image file is corrupted, saved in an unsupported format, or has a zero-byte file size. Solutions:

Open the image in Paint, save it as a new PNG or JPG file, then try setting it as wallpaper again.
Convert WebP images (often downloaded from the web) to JPG using Paint or an online converter — Windows older than version 22H2 may not support WebP natively as a wallpaper.
Check that the file path does not contain special characters or is not stored in a cloud-synced folder with restricted access.

Wallpaper Keeps Resetting to Default

If your wallpaper reverts to the Windows default or a solid colour after restarting, the usual causes are:

Ease of Access setting: Go to Settings › Accessibility › Visual effects (Windows 11) or Settings › Ease of Access › Display (Windows 10) and make sure Show Windows background is enabled.
Corrupted wallpaper cache: Open File Explorer, navigate to %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes, and delete the file called TranscodedWallpaper (no extension). Also delete CachedImage if present. Restart and set your wallpaper again.
Group Policy enforcement: On a work or school computer, IT policy may be re-applying a corporate wallpaper on every login. Contact your IT department to request an exception.

How to Remove a Group Policy Wallpaper Lock

If your organization has locked the wallpaper via Group Policy and you have administrator rights on your own personal PC, you can remove it:

Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
Navigate to User Configuration › Administrative Templates › Desktop › Desktop.
Find Desktop Wallpaper and double-click it.
Set it to Not Configured, click OK, and restart your computer.

    Important: Modifying Group Policy on a work-managed device without authorization may violate your organization's IT policy. Only do this on a personally owned PC where you are the administrator.
  

Need Help Setting Up Your Display?

IT Cares handles personalization, multi-monitor configuration, and full workstation setup. Remote session from $59 — we take care of it while you watch.

(888) 711-9428 Book a Session

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best wallpaper size for my screen?

For most modern monitors and laptops, the ideal wallpaper resolution is 1920x1080 (Full HD) or 2560x1440 (2K/QHD). 4K displays benefit from 3840x2160 images. For iPhones, use the exact screen resolution of your model — iPhone 15 Pro is 2556x1179. On Mac with Retina displays, use images at least 2560x1600. When in doubt, download at the largest available size — the OS will scale it down cleanly without visible quality loss.

How do I set a different wallpaper on each monitor?

On Windows 11 or 10, go to Settings › Personalization › Background. Right-click any wallpaper thumbnail and choose Set for monitor 1 or Set for monitor 2. Alternatively, right-click an image in File Explorer and choose Set as desktop background while your cursor is on the target monitor. On Mac, open System Settings › Wallpaper, click each display name in the sidebar, and assign a different image to each one.

Why won't my wallpaper change on Windows 10?

The most common causes are: (1) Ease of Access has "Show Windows background" turned off — go to Settings › Ease of Access › Display and re-enable it. (2) A Group Policy is enforcing a wallpaper — this is common on work computers. (3) Windows is not activated — unactivated Windows 10 restricts the personalization panel. (4) A corrupted cache file — delete TranscodedWallpaper in %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes and try again.

How do I make a slideshow wallpaper on Windows?

Go to Settings › Personalization › Background. Under "Personalize your background", select Slideshow from the dropdown. Click Browse to point Windows to a folder of images. Set the change interval (1 minute up to 1 day), toggle Shuffle if you want random order, and decide whether to continue on battery power. Windows cycles through all images in that folder automatically in the background.

Can I use a video as my desktop wallpaper?

Windows and Mac do not support video wallpapers natively. On Windows, use Wallpaper Engine (Steam, $4.99) or the free Lively Wallpaper (Microsoft Store) to set MP4 videos, GIFs, or even web pages as your live desktop background. On Android, many manufacturers include live wallpaper support; apps like Wallpaper Engine (free Android app) also work. On iPhone, iOS supports Live Photos as animated lock screen wallpapers, but true video home screen backgrounds are not available.

How do I lock my wallpaper so it does not change?

On Windows, open gpedit.msc, go to User Configuration › Administrative Templates › Desktop › Desktop, enable Desktop Wallpaper, enter the path to your preferred image, and set the style to Fill. Standard users will not be able to change it. On Mac, macOS Screen Time (System Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy) can restrict access to System Settings for managed user accounts, which prevents wallpaper changes.