5 Fixes for Unable to Change Desktop Background on Windows

Quick Tips

• On Windows, you can change the desktop wallpaper with a few simple steps and set up a slideshow to keep things fresh.
• Try renaming the TranscodedWallpaper file on Windows to fix the issue.
• If the issue persists, review the Group Policy or Registry settings.

Fix 1: Ensure Windows Is Activated

Although you can use an unactivated version of Windows 10 or 11, there are a few limitations. One of them is the inability to change the desktop background or themes. Here’s how to check Windows’ activation status in the Settings app.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app and head to System > Activation.

Step 2: Check the status of Activation state.

If it says “Not active,” purchase a license key to activate Windows first.

Fix 2: Rename Corrupt Transcoded Wallpaper File

Windows saves your desktop wallpaper image in a file named TranscodedWallpaper. However, if this file has become corrupted, you can’t change the desktop background.

To fix this, rename the TranscodedWallpaper file on your PC, forcing Windows to recreate the file.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. In the text field, type the following path and press Enter.

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

Step 2: Select the TranscodedWallpaper file, press F2, and rename it to TranscodedWallpaper.old or something else.

After completing the above steps, see if you can change the desktop wallpaper on Windows.

Fix 3: Modify Ease of Access Settings

Did you recently change the Ease of Access settings on your Windows PC? If so, that might be why you can’t change the desktop background. Here’s how to fix that.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type control panel, and press Enter.

Step 2: Use the drop-down menu at the top right corner to change the view type to Large icons. Then, click on Ease of Access Center.

Step 3: Click on Make the computer easier to see.

Step 4: Clear the Remove background images checkbox and hit Apply.

Fix 4: Check Group Policy Settings

Another reason you may be unable to change the desktop background on Windows is if the “Prevent changing desktop background” policy is enabled. As a result, you may get the “Custom backgrounds have been turned off by your administrator” message while changing the desktop wallpaper.

To fix this, you must change the Group Policy settings. Note that this is only possible if you run the Windows 11 Pro, Education, or Enterprise edition.

Step 1: Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

Step 2: Use the left pane to navigate to the following folder:

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Control Panel\Personalization

Step 3: Double-click the Prevent changing desktop background policy in the right pane.

Step 4: Select Disabled and click Apply, followed by OK.

Fix 5: Modify Registry Files

If you can’t access the Group Policy Editor or the issue persists, modify a few registry entries to restore your ability to change the desktop background on Windows.

Step 1: Click the search icon on the taskbar, type registry editor, and select Run as administrator.

Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, paste the following path in the address bar at the top and press Enter:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

Step 3: Right-click on the Policies key, go to New, and select Key from the submenu. Name the key ActiveDesktop.

Step 4: Right-click the ActiveDesktop key, go to New, and select DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the DWORD as NoChangingWallPaper.

Step 5: Double-click the NoChangingWallPaper value and enter 0 in the value data field. Then, click OK.

Restart your PC to check if you can change the desktop background.