How to Change the Wallpaper on a Chromebook

Personalising Your Chrome OS Experience

Chromebooks are famous for their simplicity and speed, offering a streamlined operating system that gets out of your way and lets you focus on the web. However, just because Chrome OS is simple does not mean it has to be boring. One of the easiest ways to make your Chromebook feel like your own personal device is to change the desktop wallpaper.

Google includes a massive library of high-quality, pre-installed wallpapers with every Chromebook, ranging from stunning landscape photography to abstract digital art. You can also upload your own personal photos, or even set your wallpaper to change automatically every single day, giving you a fresh look every time you open the lid.

Whether you are using a premium Google Pixelbook or a budget-friendly Lenovo Chromebook for school, the process for changing your background is exactly the same.

Method 1: Choosing a Pre-Installed Google Wallpaper

Google’s default wallpaper collection is genuinely excellent, and the easiest way to refresh your screen is to pick one of their curated images.

1. Close all open windows so you can see your current desktop background.
2. Right-click anywhere on the empty desktop. (If you are using a trackpad, click with two fingers simultaneously to perform a right-click).
3. A small menu will appear. Click on Set wallpaper & style.
4. A new window will open. Click on the Wallpaper section (it usually shows a preview of your current background).
5. You will now see a grid of different categories, such as “Landscapes,” “Cityscapes,” “Art,” and “Solid colours.” Click on a category that interests you.
6. Scroll through the images and click on the one you like. Your desktop background will instantly change to reflect your new choice.

Method 2: Setting a Daily Rotating Wallpaper

If you cannot decide on just one image, you can tell Chrome OS to surprise you with a new wallpaper every morning.

1. Follow the steps above to open the Wallpaper menu.
2. Click into any category (for example, “Landscapes”).
3. Look at the very top of the image grid. You will see a button labelled Change daily.
4. Click this button to turn the feature on.

Your Chromebook will now automatically select a random image from that specific category and apply it as your background every 24 hours (provided your device is connected to Wi-Fi).

Method 3: Using Your Own Custom Photo

If you prefer to look at a photo of your family, your pet, or an image you downloaded from the internet, you can easily use your own files.

1. Ensure the photo you want to use is saved on your Chromebook (either in your Downloads folder or your Google Drive).
2. Right-click the desktop and select Set wallpaper & style.
3. Click on Wallpaper.
4. Instead of clicking a Google category, look for the section labelled My Images and click it.
5. You will see a grid of all the recent image files saved on your device. Click on your preferred photo to apply it to your desktop.

Note: For the best results, ensure your custom photo matches the resolution of your Chromebook’s screen. If you use a low-resolution image, Chrome OS will stretch it to fit the screen, making the wallpaper look blurry or pixelated.