How to Change the Desktop Background on a Mac

When you buy a new Mac, it comes configured with Apple’s default, often abstract, sweeping landscape wallpaper. While beautiful, seeing the exact same image every time you open your laptop can quickly become monotonous. Because the Desktop is the very first thing you see and the background against which you do all your work, it should reflect your personality. Whether you want to feature a favorite family photo, a stunning vacation landscape, or a minimalist solid color to reduce visual distraction, macOS makes it incredibly simple to change the desktop background.

Method 1: The Quick Right-Click (Fastest)

If you are simply looking to browse Apple’s built-in gallery of high-quality images, this is the most direct route.

1. Close or minimize all open windows so you can clearly see your current desktop wallpaper.
2. Right-click (or hold Control and click) on any empty space on the desktop.
3. A small menu will appear. Select Change Wallpaper…
4. The System Settings window will instantly open directly to the Wallpaper section.
5. Scroll through the gallery. Apple provides dozens of options categorized by “Dynamic Desktop” (images that shift from day to night based on the time), “Landscapes,” “Cityscapes,” and “Colors.”
6. Click on any image thumbnail. The change applies instantly to your desktop; there is no “Save” button to press.

Method 2: Using Your Own Custom Photo

If you want to use a picture of your dog or a graphic you downloaded from the internet, you can easily pull it into the Wallpaper settings.

1. Follow steps 1-4 above to open the Wallpaper settings window.
2. Scroll all the way down past the Apple images to the section labeled Add Photo or Folder.
3. Click the Add Photo… button.
4. A standard Finder window will appear. Navigate through your hard drive to find the specific image file you downloaded.
5. Click the image and select Choose. The image will be applied immediately.

Method 3: The Finder Shortcut

If you already have a Finder window open and are looking directly at an image file (e.g., in your Downloads folder), you do not need to open System Settings at all.

1. Open a Finder window and locate the image file.
2. Right-click the image file.
3. Look near the bottom of the long drop-down menu and select Set Desktop Picture.

The image is instantly applied to your background.

Managing Multi-Monitor Setups

If you have an external monitor plugged into your MacBook, you can have a different wallpaper on each screen. When you open the Wallpaper settings window, it will only change the background of the specific screen the window is currently located on. To change the second monitor, simply drag the Wallpaper settings window across to the second screen, and then select your new image.