How to change your Mac wallpaper

If you’re tired of all this purple, there’s an easy fix. | Image: Samar Haddad / The VergeLook, no disrespect to Apple’s default desktop wallpapers, but staring at the same combination of orange and yellow all day, every day,...

AbJimroe AbJimroe
Aug 25, 2023 - 21:01
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How to change your Mac wallpaper

Look, no disrespect to Apple’s default desktop wallpapers, but staring at the same combination of orange and yellow all day, every day, can get a bit boring. If you’ve long felt that your office life could use a bit of spicing up, a new wallpaper could be just the thing you need.

I’m here to show you how. It only takes a few seconds, and I’ll be with you every step of the way.

How to change your Mac wallpaper

First, you’ll want to open System Settings. This is in the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.

From there:

Scroll down to the Wallpaper tab on the left side. If your Mac is plugged into multiple displays, select the display you want to change. Select a new wallpaper. Apple has a number of options that you can choose from, including plain colors.

A screenshot of the System Settings Wallpaper menu in macOS.

Colors abound.

If none of Apple’s wallpapers strike your fancy and you want to choose a photo of your own, it gets a bit more complicated.

How to change your Mac wallpaper to a photo

Move your photo over to your computer from your phone, camera, drive, or wherever it’s saved. I tend to use AirDrop for this since I have an iPhone.Place it in a folder that you can find easily. Back in System Settings, click Add Folder at the bottom of the Wallpaper page. Find the folder your photo is in and select it. The contents of that folder should immediately appear.

A screenshot of the Wallpaper System Settings menu in macOS with an additional folder labeled Clean-Up Crew displayed at the bottom.

That’s a photo I took at the very bottom.

Select your photo of choice. And there you have it! A new wallpaper all your own.