How to Enable Windows 11 Lock Screen Fun Facts
Windows 11 lock screen fun facts show daily trivia, tips and jokes on your sign-in screen, next to the background image. The feature needs an active internet connection, because Windows downloads the daily content from Microsoft.
To start seeing the trivia, turn on Windows Spotlight in your Personalization settings. After that, you can click the icons on the lock screen at any time to read more about the photo or fact on display.
Open Settings Personalization Lock screen, then select Windows Spotlight from the dropdown menu. Fun facts appear automatically with Spotlight enabled. For Picture or Slideshow modes, tick the checkbox labeled Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.
How to change your lock screen settings
What appears on your lock screen is controlled by one setting in the Settings app. You can choose Windows Spotlight, a personal picture or a slideshow. Spotlight brings the fun facts with it. The other two options can show them too, but only if you tick a checkbox.
You need to be signed in with a normal user account to change this. The setting is the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro.
Open the Settings app first. The quickest way is to press Win+I. Then:
- Click Personalization in the left menu. The personalization options appear on the right.
- Click the Lock screen box on the right side. The lock screen settings page opens.
On the lock screen page, find Personalize your lock screen. Use the drop-down to pick one of three options:
- Windows Spotlight: fun facts and tips are turned on automatically. Windows also rotates the background pictures for you.
- Picture: you choose one image. Fun facts are off until you tick the checkbox described below.
- Slideshow: Windows cycles through your own folders of pictures. Fun facts are off until you tick the same checkbox.
If you choose Picture or Slideshow, tick the box labeled Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen. To undo the change later, pick a different option in the same drop-down, or untick the box.
Lock your PC with Windows + L to check the result. Spotlight content is downloaded in the background, so the first fun fact may take a little while to show up.
How to reset Windows Spotlight (Admin Required)
You may see the same picture every day, or only a plain background. Resetting Windows Spotlight clears the damaged files. Windows then downloads fresh background images and trivia. You run the reset from Command Prompt with administrator rights.
- Open the Start menu and type CMD.
- Right-click Command Prompt in the results and select Run as administrator. If User Account Control asks for permission, click Yes. A Command Prompt window opens with administrator rights.
- Run the following commands one by one. Type or paste the first, press Enter, wait for it to finish, then do the same with the second.
DEL /F /S /Q /A %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets\*.*
DEL /F /S /Q /A %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings\*.*
Restart the computer after running both commands. Windows rebuilds the Spotlight cache automatically on the next boot. Once you are back at the lock screen, give it a few minutes with an internet connection. New content may not appear instantly.
Advanced Troubleshooting: Registry Fix (Admin Required)
Be careful here, because incorrect registry changes can damage your operating system. Before you change anything, back up the registry. In Registry Editor, click File Export and save a copy somewhere safe.
- Press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter. If User Account Control appears, click Yes. Registry Editor opens.
- Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager
- Look for RotatingLockScreenEnabled in the right pane and make sure it is set to 1. To change it, double-click the value, type 1 in the Value data box, and click OK.
- Close Registry Editor, then sign out and back in, or restart the PC, so the change takes effect.
If the setting reverts, or the option still can't be changed, a work or school account may be managing your PC. In that case the lock screen options are controlled by your organization, and you will need to ask your administrator.
Summary
You manage Windows 11 lock screen fun facts in Settings Personalization Lock screen If they stop showing up or behave oddly, resetting the Spotlight cache usually fixes it. If the checkbox is greyed out, the RotatingLockScreenEnabled registry value is the next place to look.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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