Customizing Your Lock Screen Background in Windows 11
Many Windows users like to personalize their desktop wallpaper to reflect their personality or interests. But did you know you can also customize the background image on your lock screen in Windows 11? Your lock screen is the first thing you see whenever turning on or waking your device, so choosing an appealing background can be a great way to add some extra flair.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to change your Windows 11 lock screen background to a picture, slideshow, or use Windows Spotlight. We’ll also cover some tips on selecting images, adding motion effects, and displaying useful info on your lock screen. Follow along to make your lock screen uniquely yours.
Accessing the Lock Screen Settings
The first step is simple – open up the Settings app. You can quickly get there by pressing the Windows key + I on your keyboard.
In Settings, click on "Personalization" in the left sidebar. Then along the right pane, find and select the "Lock screen" option. This is where you can configure all settings related to your lock screen background.
Choosing a Static Picture
The default and easiest option is to set a single picture as your background. Windows 11 comes pre-loaded with some beautiful high-quality images you can choose from, like landscapes and abstract art.
Or you can select "Picture" from the Background dropdown menu and pick any image file saved on your PC. We recommend choosing a high-resolution picture with vibrant colors that will look great stretched across your display. Pick a scenic landscape photo, a snapshot of loved ones, or whatever else makes you happy each time you see your lock screen.
Don’t be afraid to frequently change it up and use different images. Variety keeps things fresh!
Displaying a Photo Slideshow
If you want more visual variety, you can set up a photo slideshow to rotate through a collection of images.
To do this, choose "Slideshow" from the Background dropdown. Then click "Add a folder" and select whichever folder on your PC contains the pictures you want to use.
You can narrow it down to your favorite subset of images within a folder too. Just check the boxes next to each image to include it in the slideshow.
Finally, use the dropdown menu to choose how long you want each photo to display before automatically transitioning to the next one. 5 seconds is a good starting point.
Now you’ve got a dynamic revolving set of lock screen backgrounds!
Leveraging Windows Spotlight
For fresh new background images delivered directly to your lock screen, you can select the "Windows spotlight" option.
This displays a new professional quality image on your lock screen each day, along with an accompanying fun fact. The pictures are pulled from a Microsoft curated selection .
Windows Spotlight offers an effortless way to regularly change up your look and learn something new. Give it a shot!
Adding Background Motion
To make your lock screen feel more alive, you can enable the “Lock screen motion” effect. This subtly shifts and pans around your chosen static background image in response to slight movements of your PC.
So if you gently tilt or rotate your laptop, the lock screen background will drift accordingly as if it’s floating in 3D space. It’s a neat trick that makes each time you glance at your lock screen feel unique.
Go ahead and turn on the "Lock screen motion" toggle switch to see the parallax effect in action .
Displaying Helpful Lock Screen Info
Looking to add practical at-a-glance info to your lock screen alongside the pretty picture? You can enable notifications, calendar events, news headlines, and more.
Under "Lock screen personalization" turn on "Get fun facts, tips, tricks and more on your lock screen". This displays randomly selected tidbits and jokes curated by Microsoft to pleasantly surprise and delight you each time you unlock your device .
For productivity, switch on "Show calendar events on my lock screen" to view upcoming appointments. You can also toggle on weather and mail previews.
Customize as needed so your lock screen provides just the right mix of aesthetics and useful info to power your day.
Previewing and Testing Your Lock Screen
Once you’ve customized all settings to your liking, you can preview your creation before finalizing it.
Click the Start menu in the bottom left corner of your screen, then select your user account icon to temporarily lock your PC. This lets you view your lock screen and ensure everything looks just right. Make any final tweaks needed for perfection.
When ready, click or tap anywhere on the lock screen to unlock your device again. Now you can sit back and enjoy your new personalized lock screen background whenever you’re away from your PC!
Exploring Other Personalization Options
Customizing your Windows 11 lock screen background is just one part of making your device feel distinctly yours.
You can also change up your desktop wallpaper, theme colors, startup and shutdown screens, taskbar layout, system sounds, font choices, and much more. Don’t be afraid to really tailor Windows’ look and feel to match your style.
If you need any help personalizing your PC, let us know in the comments. We’d love to offer tips to make your Windows experience perfect for you. In the meantime, get creative and have fun making Windows your own!
