Windows 11 Desktop Background Keeps Changing – 5 Ways

In the Microsoft forum, some users complain that their Windows 11 desktop background keeps changing. The background can be changed and kept for a few minutes but it will go back to the original picture then.

This issue is often triggered by corrupted Windows files, misconfigured settings, faulty Windows update changes, etc. So, the following methods will target the possible triggers to troubleshoot them one by one.

Before that, some of the endeavors were related to modifying the registry editor or deleting files; these two moves may cause data loss, severely even system crashes. In this way, you can perform a data backup with MiniTool ShadowMaker first.

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5 Ways – How to Fix Black Desktop Background on Windows 10

Sometimes, the black desktop background appears on Windows 10. If you encounter this issue. Don’t worry, this post provides methods for you to fix it.

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Change Desktop Background Settings

The Slideshow feature can make Windows 11 keep changing the desktop background. If you have enabled Slideshow, you can switch to other choices in Personalization settings.

Step 1: Open Settings and go to the Personalization tab.

Step 2: Choose Background and expand the drop-down menu next to Personalize your background. Then choose Picture or Solid color from the list.

Turn off the Sync Feature

When you turn on the Sync feature, the changes on the background desktop may sync to other devices linked by the Microsoft account. You can try to turn off the sync settings.

Step 1: Open Settings and go to Accounts > Windows backup.

Step 2: Locate Remember my references and turn it off to prevent Windows from syncing any data.

Delete Theme Files

When the theme files get damaged, the desktop background keeps changing in Windows 11. You can try to delete those corrupted theme files and stop Windows 11 from automatically changing the wallpaper.

Step 1: Open the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R.

Step 2: Copy and paste this command and press Enter.

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\

Step 3: Choose to delete all the contents in that folder. If you can’t locate them, click View > Show > Hidden items in File Explorer to show the hidden items.

Rebuild Your Icon Cache

You can delete all your old icon cache and then try changing your desktop wallpapers to rebuild your icon cache.

Step 1: Open File Explorer and show your hidden items.

Step 2: Go to C:\Users\bj\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer. Then replace bj with your username to locate the folder.

Step 3: When you see those files with the name starting with iconcache and ending with .db, please delete them all. Then restart your PC to try changing the wallpaper.

Lock Desktop Background Settings

Another method you can use when the desktop background keeps changing in Windows 11 is to lock the desktop background settings.

This method requires you to change Registry Editor, so you’d better back up the registry or create a restore point first in case system errors are triggered by the mistaken changes.

Step 1: Open Run and type regedit to enter.

Then follow this path in Registry Editor.

Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

Step 2: Right-click on Policies and choose New > Key to name it ActiveDesktop.

Step 3: Right-click on the ActiveDesktop key to choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the value NoChangingWallPaper.

Step 4: Then double-click on the value to enter 1 in Value data and click OK.

Bottom Line:

Many users find the Windows 11 desktop background keeps changing automatically. This issue happens because of misconfigured settings or corrupted files. The above methods have been listed to resolve this issue and you can try them one by one.