One of the first things that I do after installing/reinstalling Windows 11 is to change the lock screen picture to Windows Spotlight so that I can see a new magnificent picture/place each day on my PC’s lock screen.
While Windows 11 allowed a Windows Spotlight picture for the lock screen, the same feature was not available for the desktop background until now. As a result, we had to either use third-party tools or the official Bing Wallpaper tool to avail this functionality.
Many users had requested the Windows development team to offer a built-in option to set the Windows spotlight picture as desktop wallpaper. Luckily, the feature is finally available.
If you like to see a new spectacular desktop background every day, you will be glad to know that Windows 11 now allows you to set a spotlight picture as desktop background.
Starting with Windows 11 build 22518, users can configure Windows 11 to use desktop backgrounds from the Windows Spotlight collection.
Set Windows Spotlight Collection picture as Windows 11 wallpaper
This guide will show you how to set spotlight as desktop background in Windows 11.
Step 1: Right-click on the desktop and then click the Personalize option.
Step 2: On the right side, click Background.
Step 3: In the Personalize your background section, select the Spotlight collection option from the drop-down menu to set the spotlight picture as desktop wallpaper.
If the Spotlight collection is missing, it’s likely because you are running a build older than 22518. Type winver in the search and press the Enter key to know your build number.
In rare cases, Windows 11 might take up to a minute to apply the spotlight picture as the desktop background. So, if the desktop wallpaper is not changed immediately, please wait for a while. And if you see a black background instead, refer to our fix to black desktop background in Windows 11 guide.
Once you set Spotlight collection as the desktop background, a Learn about this picture icon will show up on the desktop. You can double-click on the Learn about this picture icon to know more about your current desktop background. Right-clicking on the icon shows Open (shows more information about the picture), Switch to next picture, I like this picture, and Not a fan of this picture options.
If you click the “I like this picture” option, Windows 11 more display similar pictures in the future. Likewise, select the “Not a fan of this picture” option if you do not like to see similar images in the future.
How to know where a Windows Spotlight picture was taken?
If you like a Windows Spotlight desktop background and are curious to know where the picture was taken to know more about the location and visit the place, right-click on the Learn about this picture icon and click Open. A page with full details about the picture will be opened in the Edge browser.
