How to Change the Wallpaper on a Mac

Personalising Your Mac Experience

One of the very first things most people do when they purchase a new computer is change the desktop background (wallpaper). Moving away from the default, generic Apple graphics to a personal photograph, a stunning landscape, or a minimalist design instantly makes the machine feel like your own.

While changing the wallpaper is a fundamental feature of the operating system, Apple recently moved exactly where this setting is located. If you recently upgraded your Mac to macOS Ventura or Sonoma, you will notice that the classic “System Preferences” window has been entirely redesigned to look like the iPhone’s Settings app, causing some confusion for longtime Mac users trying to find the wallpaper controls.

Here are the three fastest ways to change your Mac desktop wallpaper, depending on how you want to do it.

Method 1: The Fastest Way (From Your Own Photo)

If you already have a photograph or an image saved on your computer (for example, on your Desktop or in your Downloads folder) and you want to make it your background immediately, you do not need to open the settings menu at all.

1. Locate the image file using Finder or on your Desktop.
2. Hold down the Control key on your keyboard and click the image file (or right-click it using your mouse/trackpad).
3. A long dropdown menu will appear. Look near the very bottom of this list.
4. Click Set Desktop Picture.

Your wallpaper will instantly change to the selected image. The operating system will automatically crop or stretch the image to fit your screen resolution.

Method 2: Using the macOS System Settings

If you want to use one of Apple’s high-quality built-in wallpapers, or if you want to set up rotating wallpapers that change automatically, you need to use the System Settings menu.

1. Click the Apple Logo in the top left corner of your screen.
2. Select System Settings from the dropdown menu.
3. In the new window, scroll down the left-hand sidebar and click on Wallpaper.
4. The right side of the window will now display all available wallpaper options.

From here, you have several choices:

• Dynamic Desktop: These are special Apple wallpapers that slowly change appearance based on the time of day (e.g., a desert landscape that is bright at noon and dark at night).
• Add Photo/Folder: If you want to use a specific album from your Photos app, click the “Add Photo/Folder” button to point the system to your personal images.
• Auto-Rotate: If you select an entire folder or album, you can set the wallpaper to automatically cycle through the images every day, every hour, or every time you wake the Mac from sleep.

Method 3: Using the Photos App

If you use iCloud to sync your photographs from your iPhone to your Mac, all your best pictures are likely trapped inside the official Apple Photos app. You can set the wallpaper directly from within this app.

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Browse through your library and find the picture you want to use.
3. Click the photo once to highlight it.
4. Look at the top menu bar of your screen and click Share (or click the Share icon in the app toolbar, which looks like a square with an upward-pointing arrow).
5. From the dropdown menu, select Set Wallpaper.

Pro Tip: If you are using multiple monitors, macOS allows you to set a completely different wallpaper for each screen. Simply drag the System Settings window to the specific monitor you want to change, and any wallpaper you select will apply only to that specific display.