How do I change the desktop background?

Work for a PC today takes a lot of time from each person, because virtually all services for work today are provided in electronic form. And to somehow diversify routine everyday life, users tend to make a little bit of originality in the design of all computer tools. For example, in order to give individuality to the appearance of a computer or laptop, you can change the background image. This will help make the main screen more beautiful and enjoyable, as the new illustration will please the eye. In this article, we'll look at how to change the desktop background.

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What is the desktop?

A desktop is a graphical environment where all objects or controls of a computer or laptop are displayed. It appears immediately after the device is turned on and its operating system is booted. Normally, the main screen contains icons, shortcuts, folders, and from the bottom there is a task bar with a familiar "Start" button. A lot of items can be placed on the desktop, but there are also mandatory system folders.

Important! Previously, such folders were "Trash", "My Computer" and "My Documents".Starting with the seventh version of the Windows operating system, which is used by most PC owners, the folder "Trash" is necessarily placed on the desktop, and the rest can not be displayed on the main screen, but they are necessarily placed in the "Main Menu".

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Where can I find the background image?

First you need to select a new picture for the main screen wallpaper. By default, there are several blanks in the Windows operating system. They are placed along the path: C: \ Windows \ Web \ Wallpaper.

You can also use the Internet, because there are many beautiful illustrations for the screensaver of the main screen. Moreover, on the Internet even there are special sites that offer a wide selection of screensavers sorted for different subjects.

In order to get to one of these sites, you need to open an Internet browser and enter in the search line one of these phrases:

• desktop wallpaper;
• background for your desktop;
• download wallpapers for your desktop;
• download background for your desktop.

Important! Pictures for the screen saver are also called wallpaper, so in this context these words are synonymous.

After entering the desired phrase in the search line, go to one of the found sites, where we search for the photo you like. Then download the required drawing. This can be done in two ways:

• click on the download link next to the picture;
• right-click on the picture, select the item "Save Image As" from the context menu.

After these steps, the specified file will be downloaded. A line will appear in the browser where the download process will be displayed. If you click on the file in this line, the folder where the picture was saved will open.

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How to change the desktop background in Windows XP?

• Right-click anywhere in the free space of the main window.
• Select the "Properties" item from the context menu. It is here that you can configure most of the system's appearance settings.
• Go to the "Wallpaper" tab.
• Click on the "Browse" button to download your file.
• In the window that appears, specify the location of the desired file and click on it.
• After setting all the parameters, click the "Apply" button and the new changes will take effect.

Important! A few more tips to help you properly change the desktop background on this OS:

• If the picture does not fit the parameters of the main window, then it can be placed in the center or stretched. To perform such actions, you must go to the "Location" tab.
• If you want to change the color of the splash screen for the main screen, the necessary options are in the "Color" tab. The specified color will be behind the picture and will be visible in the names of the icons and shortcuts on the main screen.

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How to change the desktop background in Windows 7?

To put the desktop background in Windows 7:

• Right-click anywhere in the free space of the main window.
• Select the item "Personalization" from the context menu.

Important! In the initial versions of the operating system Windows 7 there is no "Personalization", so the default wallpaper can not be changed to a new one.

• In the window that appears, you can adjust the wallpaper settings for the main screen, specify the file for the splash screen.
• Click on the "Location" tab to configure the splash screen settings.
• Choose the value for the wallpaper: solid color or image.
• Click on the "Browse" button to set as wallpaper on the main screen the desired file.
• In the window that appears, select the path to the required file and click on it.
• To specify the filling option, go to the "Filling" tab. There you can choose the value for the screensaver: placement in the center or stretching.

Important! Windows 7 compared with the version of the operating system XP gives more options for customizing the wallpaper of the main screen.

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How to change the desktop background in Windows 8-10?

Putting a desktop background in Windows 8-10 is also not a big problem. Follow these instructions:

• Click the "Start" button( Windows logo).
• Select "Options".
• Click on the item "Personalization".Here you can adjust the wallpaper settings of the main window, change the color gamut of all elements of the device.

Important! Using the preview window, you can monitor the changes as they are made.

• Go to the "Background" section, specify a solid color or image for the screen saver. Also there is the possibility of creating a slide show of pictures.
• In the "Colors" section, you can define the color gamut for your computer or laptop yourself, or you can use the automatically selected version of the operating system based on the screensaver.
• After selecting the color gamut for the elements of the device, you need to determine where to display them.
• Define the theme for the desktop: light or dark.

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How to change the background of a desktop using the Windows registry?

To change the splash screen of the main window using the Windows registry, you must:

• Click on "Start".
• In the search box type regedit and click Enter.
• If a User Account Control Request( UAC) appears, click Yes.
• In the opened registry window follow the path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop.
• Double click the left mouse button on the right side of the window on the "Wallpaper" key.
• Specify the full path to the file with a picture for the wallpaper( with the extension. bmp or. jpg).

Important! The name of the picture for the splash screen should not contain spaces. If they are present, then you need to rename the file. Otherwise, the result is only a black background.

• Click on "OK".
• Close the Registry Editor window.

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How do I change the desktop background from the context menu?

Change the background of the desktop through the context menu of the picture is also very easy, you need:

1. Find the photo you want to set as wallpaper for the main window.
2. Click this drawing with the right mouse button.
3. Select the item "Set as the background image of the desktop" from the context menu.

Done, the device has a new background image!

Important! With the help of these actions, you can only set the picture as wallpaper. In order to fully configure all the parameters of the background image, you need to go to the setting called "Personalization".

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Working with the background picture

To make the background image not boring and constantly pleasing to the eye, you can create a slide show of several pictures that will automatically change after a certain period of time.

In order to create a slideshow on the main screen, you need:

• Right-click anywhere in the free space of the main window.
• Select the item "Personalization" from the context menu.
• Click on the "Location" tab to configure the splash screen settings.
• Choose the value for the screen saver: image.
• Click on the "Browse" button to set as wallpaper on the main screen the desired set of pictures.
• In the window that appears, select the path to the required files.
• Select all files for the screen saver.

Important! How to quickly select images:

• If you need all the files from the specified folder, then just press Ctrl + A.
• If the files are not placed side by side, then you need to select them by holding down the Ctrl key.
• If the desired files are placed one after another, then you can select the first picture, and then hold down the Shift key, the last one. Thus, all files that are between the first and last picture are selected.

• Click "OK".
• Set the interval for changing the wallpaper in the "Change image every" item.
• In order for the drawings to change not in order but chaotically, tick the "Shuffle" checkbox.
• Click "Save Changes".

Important! In Windows XP, it is not possible to set a slide show for the background image. This possibility is realized only starting from the seventh version of this operating system.

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How to change desktop background in Mac OS?

In addition to the Windows operating system, there are others. For example, Apple equips its devices with the operating system Mac OS.

How to put desktop background in Mac OS:

• Click on the touchpad with a double tap.

Important! If the mouse is not factory, then you need to hold down the Ctrl key and click on the touchpad or right-click.

• From the context menu select "Change desktop background".
• In the opened window "Desktop and screen saver" we specify the option for wallpaper. If you specify "Solid color" in the "Apple" section on the left, the main screen is filled with one color. If you specify "Pictures", the system prompts you to select an image for the wallpaper.
• If the desired file is in the "Image" folder, then it is enough to find it in the list. Otherwise - you need to click on the "+" sign and specify the appropriate folder.

Important! If you specify a folder from an external media( USB flash drive, SD card, external hard disk), then after disconnecting it from the device, the background image of the main screen will automatically be replaced with the standard one.

• In order for wallpaper to change automatically at certain intervals, you must tick the "Change image" box and set the time interval.
• In the second tab of the "Desktop and screen saver" window, you can configure the settings for the wallpaper. There you can set how to display the wallpaper, the time it will appear, and the source of the screensaver.

That's all. Now you know that it's very easy to change the desktop background on any operating system of your computer. Change the design of your "electronic friend" so that even during routine work you get a piece of aesthetic pleasure.