How to set different wallpapers on each of your dual monitors in Windows 10, or set one picture to stretch across both

If you have dual monitors set up, then having the same image on both screens may be a wasted opportunity. Why not display two images that you love, instead of just one?

In Windows 10, you can set a different wallpaper on each monitor with a few easy clicks — however, exactly what you need to click isn’t immediately obvious.

Here’s what you need to know about setting different wallpapers on your dual monitors, using Windows 10.

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How to set different wallpapers on dual monitors in Windows 10

1. Right-click your desktop background and select «Personalize» from the menu.

2. In the new menu, browse for the images you want. Find both of the images you want so they’re pre-loaded in the «Choose your picture» bar.

3. Right-click the images you want from this bar. This will allow you to assign each image to its own monitor. They will all be «fit» in the same way (you can select this using the «Choose a fit» drop-down menu), so it’s a good idea to choose images that are similar dimensions.

Do this for both pictures, and they will appear on your monitors.

While you have multiple displays set up, you’ll also be offered a new fit option — «Span.» Span will allow long images, like panoramic shots, to be stretched across the multiple displays.

1. Set the long image as the background on your first monitor.

2. Under «Choose a fit,» select «Span.»

3. The image will fill both monitors.

How to set a dual monitor wallpaper on Windows 10?

Many will agree that Windows 10 is an excellent operating system. While purists prefer sticking to the clean and practical functionality of Windows 7, millions of users who have upgraded would never look back to the old OS. Windows 10 can still run old apps while providing a host of security improvements. What’s more, it comes with enhancements that help users boost their productivity.

For many people, having two or more monitors is indispensable. If you’ve been using Windows 7, you understand how frustrating it can be to customize your desktop background. This old operating system does not support having a single image spanning across two monitors. Well, if you’ve upgraded, you can learn how to set the same wallpaper for dual monitors in Windows 10.

If you’re on Windows 10, you can enjoy the built-in support for using one background image that spans across multiple monitors. Keep reading this article if you want to discover various methods for setting it up. We’ll also share some tricks that will make your background image look even better.

Option 1: Using One Background Image for Multiple Monitors

• Launch the Settings app by pressing Windows Key+I on your keyboard.
• Once you’re inside the Settings app, select Personalization.
• On the left-pane menu, click Background.
• Move to the right pane, then scroll down to the Choose Your Picture section.
• Select a photo for your background, and if you don’t find what you like in the quick list, you can click the Browse button.
• Right-click the photo you selected from the list.
• Now, you will see three options:

1. Set for all monitors
2. Set for monitor 1
3. Set for monitor 2

• If you want to use a single image for both monitors, select the ‘Set for all monitors’ option.

You may notice that the image fills each of the monitors you have. If you want it to span across two displays, you can click the drop-down list under ‘Choose a fit’, then select Span.

Option 2: Using Different Images for Multiple Monitors

We understand that there are users who prefer different images for their monitors. So, we’ll also share how you can configure this. Older Windows operating systems allow you to do this via the Control Panel. However, this feature was removed from Windows 10. Instead, you can set up the images via the Settings app.

We won’t deny that the Control Panel offers more options for configuring wallpapers. That said, the Settings app still allows you to use different images for multiple displays. To learn how to set up the wallpaper for dual-screen PCs, follow the instructions below:

1. Go to your taskbar, then click the Windows icon.
2. Click the gear icon to open the Settings app.
3. Select Personalization, then click Background from the left-pane menu.
4. Now, select an image from the Choose Your Picture section. You can also click Browse to locate the photo you like.
5. After selecting your background image, right-click it from the list, then select Set for Monitor 1 or Set for Monitor 2.
6. To set up the background photo for the other monitor, repeat Steps 4 and 5.

Tip 1: Having the Perfectly Fitting Background Image Across Multiple Monitors

If you’re a detail-oriented person, it may annoy you if your desktop background does not fill your monitors perfectly. Well, we can share a trick on how you can customize the image according to your preferences. Simply follow the steps below:

1. The first thing you need to do is figure out the cumulative resolution of your monitors. Let’s say you have two 1920×1080 displays sitting beside each other. Get the sum of the width of the two monitors. In this case, the cumulative resolution of the displays is 3840×1080.
2. Now, you’ll need to configure your image to have a resolution of 3840×1080. You may need to To do this, using you may need to use a third-party application like Adobe Photoshop.
3. Once you’ve edited the resolution of your photo, you can save it to any local folder.
4. Click the Search icon on your taskbar, then type “Settings” (no quotes) and press Enter.
5. Select Personalization on the Settings app.
6. Make sure you are on the Background page.
7. Select the image with the right resolution by clicking Browse under Choose Your Picture.
8. Since you want the image to fill both monitors, you need to select Span from the drop-down list under Choose a Fit.

Tip 2: Switching to a Different Background Images Easily

Some people get restless when they have to look at the same background image for hours to end. Of course, it can be annoying to go through several steps just to change the photo every time. Well, there is a workaround for this issue. You can follow the instructions below and have the ability to switch to different background images within a few clicks.

1. Save the images you want to use for your desktop background in a local folder.
2. Copy the photos, then open File Explorer by pressing Windows Key+E on your keyboard.
3. Once File Explorer is up, navigate to this path: C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows
4. Right-click any empty area in the folder, then select Paste from the context menu.
5. You will see a security warning. Make sure you select the ‘Do this for all current items’ option, then click Continue.
6. Now, select the photos you want to use as your wallpaper.
7. Right-click the selected images, then choose Set as Desktop Background from the menu.

After completing these steps, your background image will change. If you want to switch to a different wallpaper, you can right-click an empty area on your desktop. All you need to do is select Next Desktop Background from the options.

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Do you think we missed other great Windows 10 wallpaper tips?

Don’t hesitate to share them in the comments below!

Windows 10, Dual Monitors and Two Wallpapers

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Thank you for being a part of Windows 10 Technical Preview testing.

I would suggest you to try the following steps.

a. Right click on the Empty screen.
b. Click on Display settings.
c. The process of setting up different wallpaper on a Windows 10 computer requires that the second monitor must be enabled in extended mode. Once you have dual or multiple monitors running in Extended Mode, you can set different wallpaper for different monitors on c computer running Windows 10.
d. Makeup your mind as to which wallpaper you wish to have on your second monitor and open Personalization’s Desktop Background tab and right click on the desired wallpaper to be set as background for the second monitor.

Note: When you right on the desktop background you will get an option to select the monitor to set the desktop background.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other issues with Windows in future.

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Hello — The display setting shows monitor 1 and 2 in extended mode.

When I run personalize from the desktop in either monitor there is no option to set the background for a different monitor.

Whether I click on monitor 1 or monitor 2 on the desktop, the new background shows on both monitors.

How do I get the option to select a different background on the second monitor in extended mode?

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This looks like it will work, as Display Fusion allows: Different image on each monitor, to Span image across all monitors, to Display a live preview of your desktop to help identify your monitors and Sets a Screen Saver for the Window Logon screen.

I still wonder why in Windows 10, the right click of an image in Personalization does not allow the selection of monitor 1 or monitor 2 for the background?

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Did you upgrade to the latest Build 10166?

If you have not upgraded to the latest Build 10166, then I would suggest you to upgrade to the latest Build and check if that helps.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any other issues with Windows in future.

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You have to use the old personalization from control panel but it seems hidden.

• Open up Run (Win+R).
• Paste this «control /name Microsoft.Personalization /page pageWallpaper» without quotes, press OK.

From here you should be familiar with the customizations you had before. Setup your picture locations. You can right click a image and Set for monitor 1,2,3 depending on your setup.

On this screen you will also be able to setup shuffling of background at specified interval.

Edit: I am not using the Insiders version as I’ve moved to retail but this should work.

Easy access. Creating a shortcut.

• Another helpful way to access this is to right click your desktop, new and create a shortcut.
• Paste the above in quotes in the the box where it says Type the location of the item.
• Name it Wallpaper Control or whatever you like.
• Put the shortcut into «C:\Users\Your Username Here\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs» where Your Username Here is obviously your login username.
• Now it’ll be in your Start Menu in All Apps or you can simply press your Windows key and start typing whatever you named it, in my case once I start typing by the time i press «wa» I can press enter and it’ll load the page.

Dual monitors with each monitor showing different pictures

(Slide shows must use and share the same picture locations)

• Example you have 2 monitors, 1 and 2.
• Select all first and set your intervals and click shuffle.
• Deselect all your pictures by pressing Clear all.
• Set monitor 1 to any random picture.
• Set monitor 2 to any random picture that is not the same one you set for monitor 1.
• Press select all

Note: I tested with 10 seconds and what it seems to do is alternate between monitors. So monitor 1 changes first after 10 seconds, then the monitor 2 changes 10 seconds later. Roughly maybe off a couple seconds I’m not sure. I only came across this b/c I wanted 2 separate wallpapers on each monitor and thought I’d help some of you guys out.