How to Restrict Users from Changing Desktop Wallpaper in Windows?
If you run a company, you might want to set your company logo or any particular wallpaper on all of your users’ desktops. On the other hand, if you use a single system you might still want to have your desired wallpaper on Desktop and it really annoys when someone changes the wallpaper.
So if you are tired from people changing the wallpaper and want to prevent users from changing it everyday, then this tutorial will help you.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn a way to set your desired wallpaper on Desktop and no one will be able to change it neither from Desktop Properties nor by right-clicking on an image and select “Set as Desktop Background“.
Advertisement
So here we start our tutorial:
1. Type regedit in RUN dialog box or Start Menu Search box and press Enter. It’ll open registry Editor.
2. Now go to following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
3. Under “Policies” key, create a new key “System“. It might already exist in some systems.
4. Now select “System” key and in right-side pane, create a new STRING value Wallpaper and set its value to the exact path of your desired wallpaper. You can use .JPG and .BMP files in this method.
e.g. if your wallpaper exists in “E:\Wallpapers\Wall1.JPG”, then set the same path as value of “Wallpaper”.
Advertisement
5. You can also set the wallpaper style e.g. Centered, Tiled or Stretched. Create a new STRING value WallpaperStyle and set its value to as following:
- 0 (Centered)
- 1 (Tiled)
- 2 (Stretched)
6. That’s it. Now restart or log off your system and no one will be able to change the wallpaper.
NOTE:
Also check out another method to restrict changing Desktop background in following tutorial:
[Windows 10 Fix] Desktop and Lock Screen Background Slideshow Reset to Picture
PS: If you also want to disable the “Desktop” tab in Desktop Properties, then you can visit following tutorial:
How to Enable / Disable Changing Themes, Wallpapers, Screen Savers and Other Desktop Settings?
And if you want to prevent Registry Editor so that no one can delete those new STRING values, then visit following tutorial:
All Kinds of Restrictions for Windows 2000, XP, 2003 and Vista
It does not work for me. Can right click desktop and change background to whatever I want after a system restart.
Thanks Guys, anyone got any other suggestions for preventing users from making their PC a more user-friendly experience?
As an administrator I can’t use my user name to change applications and or change the background even if I’m in the Administrator group, and if I login as an Administrator I have permission to do every thing…I’m stumped….
@BOFH
If you mean preventing users saving wallpaper saying “**** “, then, er, yes!
@BOFH
Spot on my friend. What a ridiculous thing for a business to do.
Under policies if system is not available then what will do
^^ Its mentioned in point 3. If the key is not present, you’ll need to create it manually.
Thank you for you valued input on this subject.
For a long time, I have had many people think it is cute to change my computer background to the blank screen background — which is nothing but a blue screen, which looks pointless!! The idea of a desktop background is to show the beautiful picture which in relation goes with the four seasons: “spring, summer, fall and winter”.
Also the screensaver gets changed without consent, and that is irrating.
But thanks to your advice, I can now lock out people from changing it, unless asked about it first.
Thank You.
Brian Johnson
How do I undo the same in future, If I want to change the setting.
Do I directly need to delete the key?
Kindly let me know.
Thanks,
Ritesh
^^ Yes. Just delete the 2 Strings created in the tutorial.
I only want to restrict one user logon. Our systems have 3 each (one is the admin). Its the general one I need to restrict. Do I logon at the user I want to restrict and make the registry changes? I don’t want the forced background of the general user to affect the “normal” background of the other 2 users.
^^ Yes. Log into that user account and apply the tweak.
it works when i try to change my wallpaper from pictures i have saved on my computer, but when i change it from a photo off google it still changes the photo, any clue why ??
Hi today i am wondering how to disable user’s from accessing or changing the windows desktop background from where only an admin can change them and i need to know how to put this code into my application so when a user clicks a button they automatically change the privileges to admin so that guests on the computer cant change the desktop background or personalize it without putting in the admins user name and password.
13/06/2016:
For those who failed to fix the issue, they can try searching for the key “NoChangingWallPaper” and set the value to 1
The full path is “HKEY_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Policies\ActiveDesktop”
Very useful. I’d lke to know if there is a way of applying this to any/all accounts, rather than one in particular. Would that be under local machine? or is it only for individual accounts?