Software & Apps Windows How to Change the Wallpaper on Your Computer or Phone How to change the wallpaper on desktop & mobile devices by Stacy Fisher Stacy is a freelancer with over 18 years experience writing about technology and personal finance. She has published hundreds of articles and co-authored a book. our editorial process Stacy Fisher Updated on December 22, 2020 Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide What To Know On Windows: Open the image in Photos. Right-click the image, and pick Set as > Set as background.On Mac and Linux: Open the photo in your file browser. Right-click it, and select Set Desktop Picture/Set as wallpaper.On iOS: Open the image in Photos. Tap More > Use as Wallpaper > pick Set Lock Screen or Set Home Screen. This article explains how to change your desktop wallpaper across various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. How to Set the Windows Desktop Background Locate an image you want to become your wallpaper and open it. (By default, it will open in Photos.) Right-click or tap-and-hold it to choose either Set as > Set as background or, in older versions of Windows, Set as desktop background. Alternatively, perform a similar step in File Explorer. Open File Explorer, right-click the image and select Set as desktop background. Another way to change the desktop wallpaper in Windows is to open the Personalize option on the desktop: Right-click the desktop and select Personalize. (Or in the Windows 10 menu, go to Settings > Personalization > Background.) In Windows 8/7/Vista access the Control Panel's Personalization applet. Under the Background dropdown, select Picture. Use an image from Microsoft or select Browse to find a different picture on your hard drive. Optionally fit, stretch, or fill the screen with the photo, or even tile, center, or span it across several screens. Some versions of Windows offer additional options, like automatically changing the desktop wallpaper after a period of time, which comes in handy if you don't want to settle with just one background. Use an image you already own, or see this list of the best free wallpaper sites to download some others. We also keep a list of websites dedicated to free desktop wallpapers of a certain type, like holiday wallpapers, wallpapers for each season (such as Autumn and Spring), beach wallpapers, and more. Changing the Wallpaper on Other Devices Windows isn't the only operating system that can have its desktop wallpaper customized. Below are some instructions for other devices including how to change it on a wide variety of mobile phones. On macOS and Linux Right-click a photo on your Mac and choose Set Desktop Picture. Use photos online or ones saved to your computer. Another way to change the desktop image on a Mac is to right-click a blank area on the desktop and choose the Change Desktop Background option. If you use this method, choose some other wallpapers and have all of them cycled on a schedule. If you're using a Linux OS, such as Ubuntu, right-click the photo saved to your computer and pick the Set as Wallpaper option from the menu. Another option is to right-click the desktop and go to Change Desktop Background. On Apple and Android Devices IOS and iPadOS One way to change the wallpaper on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is to first save the image to your phone and then open the Photos app to view it. With the image now open, use the More button on the bottom of the screen to select Use as Wallpaper, and then choose Set Lock Screen or Set Home Screen to pick whether to use it on your home screen and/or lock screen background. Images you take with an iOS devices will fit perfectly as the wallpaper image on your iPhone, or visit sites that offer perfectly-sized images for iPhone or iPad wallpaper, like PhoneWalls. Android Use this Android guide for changing the wallpaper. As with iOS devices, you enjoy plenty of free websites to download hundreds of Android wallpapers, such as AndroidWalls. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit