How to Set Windows Spotlight as Desktop Wallpaper

Windows Spotlight brings stunning photos from all over the world to your screen. Usually, you only see these images when your computer is locked. With a new update, you can now bring those same beautiful images to your desktop background. This guide helps you find these hidden gems and set them as your permanent wallpaper.

Why use Windows Spotlight?

Using Windows Spotlight keeps your desktop feeling fresh. Instead of looking at the same static image every day, your wallpaper will rotate through professional, high-quality photos automatically. It is a great way to discover new places without changing your settings manually.

What happens when you are done?

Once you finish these steps, your desktop background will switch to the Windows Spotlight theme. Your wallpaper will update periodically with new, high-quality images provided by Windows. You will enjoy a dynamic, 4K desktop background that changes daily.

Requirements

This feature is currently available in the Windows 11 build 25169. It is only accessible to users in the Windows Dev channels or those enrolled in the Microsoft Insider Preview program.

Steps to set Windows Spotlight as your wallpaper

1. Open your computer’s settings. Press Windows key + I on your keyboard, or click Start and select Settings.

2. 

3. Click the Personalization tab on the left side of the screen.

4. 

5. In the Personalization menu, click Background.
6. Under Personalize your background, select Windows Spotlight from the dropdown menu.

How to find and save Windows Spotlight images

Windows hides these images in a system folder. You can extract them to save as permanent wallpapers. Follow these steps to find the Windows Spotlight folder location:

1. Open File Explorer and paste this path into the address bar: %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
2. You will see files with no extensions. Copy these files to a new folder on your desktop.
3. Rename each file by adding .jpg to the end (e.g., image1.jpg).
4. You can now view these files and set them as your desktop wallpaper.

Troubleshooting: Why is my Windows Spotlight stuck?

If your images stop changing, the cache might be corrupted. To fix this, you can reset the spotlight settings. Note: This step requires admin privileges. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run the following commands one by one:

del /f /s /q /a %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets\*

del /f /s /q /a %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings\*

After running these, restart your computer to refresh the service.

Summary

By following these steps, you can turn your desktop into a gallery of global photography. We covered how to enable the feature, how to extract hidden files from the AppData folder, and how to fix common issues. Remember to check your Windows Insider status if the option is missing.