Where are Windows 10 desktop wallpapers stored? [duplicate]

I plugged in a thumb drive to my pc, right-clicked on an image, and chose ‘Set as desktop background’. The thumb drive was subsequently stolen. Windows obviously creates a copy on the image since it remains as the desktop background even after the thumb drive is removed. My question is, where exactly is this file stored?

5 Answers 5

Open regedit and go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\General key

The name of the key you are looking for is WallpaperSource

While the answers from duDE & CharlieRB is correct

I also think what OP is looking for is in %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\

There would be a file called TranscodedWallpaper.jpg which is the currently set wallpaper

Some wallpapers are also stored in this location: C:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

The images don’t have an extension but paint will open them. The larger files are the wallpapers. Copy the ones you want to another folder and add .jpg . List by date so you know when you get new ones.

How to Get the Old Windows 10 Default Wallpaper Back

In May of this year, Microsoft introduced the Windows light theme in a Windows update. The introduction of this new theme also introduced a new, lighter, default Windows 10 wallpaper.

Unfortunately this update also completely removed the original, darker, background that many of us have become accustomed to. Luckily someone uploaded a 4k version of this wallpaper to Imgur and we’re here to show you how to restore it.

You can also download this wallpaper in various resolutions thanks to a user over at the Windows 10 Forums. If you’re unsure of which resolution to use, just use the 4k version at the Imgur link above.

At a Glance

1. Click this Imgur link
2. Right click anywhere on the image and click Save image as. and save it to your Desktop
3. Find the image on your desktop, right click it and choose `Set as desktop background`

Video: How to Restore the Old Windows 10 Default Wallpaper

How to Restore the Old Windows 10 Default Wallpaper

Step 1: Open this Imgur link and save the image to your desktop.

Step 2: Go back to your desktop and find the image you just saved. Right click it and choose Set as desktop background .

Your desktop wallpaper should now be back to the original Windows 10 wallpaper.

Windows 10 Wallpapers Location

Another option you may have, if you have access to another Windows 10 computer that has not yet received the update, is to pull the original image from that computer’s windows wallpaper directory.

You can do this by navigating to the C:\Windows\Web\4K\Wallpaper\Windows directory on the older Windows 10 version PC and copying over the img0_3840x2160.jpg file to the updated computer. I’d recommend using something like Dropbox to do this but you could just as easily use a USB stick.

Once you have the original file copied over to the computer with the update, simply right click and set it as your desktop background like shown in this tutorial with the copy from Imgur.

A user over at the Windows 10 Forums retrieved these images and uploaded them for others to use. You can download these instead of copying them over from an older computer.

On the topic of frustrating changes Microsoft has made this year, have you suddenly started seeing a program called Microsoft Teams startup when you turn on your computer? If so, and you find that it annoys you, we have an article on how to uninstall it or simply remove it from the startup processes.

The location of Windows 10 wallpapers for the Desktop and the Lock Screen

Windows 10 uses impressive pictures for the desktop background and for the Lock Screen. Some of them look great, and we especially like the new default wallpaper for Windows 10 May 2019 Update. If you want to know the location of those images, so that you can use them as wallpapers for other PCs and devices, read this article:

Where to see the background pictures used by Windows 10

Windows 10 uses a set of wallpapers that are found on every PC or device where it is installed. When you open the Settings app, go to Personalization.

When you select Background on the left, the right side of the window lets you see the pictures used as desktop wallpapers for Windows 10, in the area highlighted below.

Click or tap on Lock Screen in the column on the left, and on the right side of the Settings window, you see the pictures used by Windows 10 for the Lock Screen.

Next, let’s see how to find all these wallpapers on the disk.

The location of the wallpapers used by Windows 10 for the desktop

The location for Windows 10 desktop wallpapers is “C:WindowsWeb”. Open File Explorer, go to the C: drive, double-click on Windows and then on Web. There you find several subfolders: 4K, Screen, and Wallpaper.

If you open the 4K folder and all its subfolders, you find the wallpaper with the Windows logo, at different resolutions, and aspect ratios. This is the wallpaper used by default for Windows 10 May 2019 Update or newer.

When you open the Wallpaper subfolder, you find other folders:

• Flowers – it contains the standard Windows 10 wallpapers with flowers. There are six of them, all in Full HD resolution or higher.
• Windows – it contains the standard wallpaper with the Windows 10 logo.
• Windows 10 – it has five wallpapers at different resolutions, featuring nature scenes.

If you have purchased your Windows 10 PC, laptop or device from a manufacturer like HP, Dell, Lenovo, and so on, you may also find a folder created by the manufacturer, with their own default wallpapers. For example, our laptop has an HP Backgrounds folder with a wallpaper created by HP.

The location of the wallpapers used by Windows 10 for the Lock Screen

Windows 10’s Lock Screen wallpaper location is “C:WindowsWebScreen.” There you find six wallpapers, all in Full HD resolution or higher.

Which Windows 10 wallpapers do you like best?

Navigate through all the wallpapers that are bundled with Windows 10, and tell us which you like best. What do you think about the new wallpaper from Windows 10 May 2019 Update? We like it a lot more than previous versions, as it looks more optimistic and modern. Comment below and let’s discuss.

Where are Themes / Wallpapers stored in Windows 10

Along with all the features, Windows 10 comes with a variety of lovely wallpaper collection. I have seen many users love these wallpapers just because they are kind of cool. Every new version of Windows brought their own set of wallpapers/themes along with them.

Though in the previous versions doesn’t quite come with eye-catching wallpapers Windows 10 has changed the game instead. Now you have some quite a fresh collection to choose. You can also change the theme of your account.

Moreover, mostly you can access them through the Personalize menu. But what if you want to use these wallpapers/themes on other devices like iPad, mobile devices or older versions of Windows? I mean, where are they stored in the drive?

So, if you want to know in Windows 10 where is themes/wallpapers location, then just stay tuned because I’ll be telling you all about it.

The Location of Themes / Wallpapers in Windows 10

Usually, all the folder of all wallpapers is C:\Windows\Web\Wallpapers . So, to find Windows 10 default wallpapers follow the instructions below:

Step-1: First open File Explorer by pressing Windows Key + E.

Step-2: Once you’re in the File Explorer copy and paste the following path in the address bar:

Step-3: In the path, you will find three subfolders. It is the location of all default wallpapers in Windows 10.

Let’s take a look at the folders:

4k Folder

This folder contains all different versions of the classic Windows 10 wallpaper known as Windows Hero. You will find them in various sizes with screen orientations.

So, they are going to be perfect for any other devices. The resolutions are pretty high and are available even in 4K meaning 3840 x 2160 (dimensions)

Screen Folder

The Screen Folder has the default images of the lock screen background. Though, they are kind of cool too. Windows 10 will download many other types of beautiful wallpaper if you enable the spotlight feature.

Wallpaper Folder

This one is the last folder, and it contains three more subfolders in it.

The Flowers folder: You will find some built-in flowers theme here. These are pretty simple but elegant in their way.

The Windows folder: It comes with just only one image.

The Windows 10 folder: This one has some default background wallpapers that are available in the Settings app.

Though the images aren’t as high resolution as found in OS X, they have a range from 1920×1200 to 3840×1200. So, they would look great on other devices. You just have to go to the location and copy them to a USB drive or other storage service.

And then transfer it to your desired device and use it. It’s as simple as that.

Though, you must be wondering why the folder has the Web in the path when the images are not related to the internet. It’s just previously Windows didn’t have the ability to set.JPG as background images, but later they brought a feature called Active Desktop.

This folder is to display your web content on the desktop and could set JPEG file as the desktop background. So, from Windows 98, all the images were kept in the WindowsWebWallpapers sub folder.

Though in Modern Windows they don’t need Active Desktop to views when files in File Explorer but the path remains the same. So, dig in and get your favorite wallpaper from Windows 10.

Hasib is a born geek and loves tweaking his computer and gadgets for effectiveness and productivity. At WindowsChimp, he specializes in writing Tutorial guides and discovering new hacks to share.