How to Enable Desktop Slideshow in Windows 10

This guide shows you how to turn your Windows 10 desktop background into a rotating slideshow of your favorite photos. You’ll learn how to set up the slideshow, control the timing, and fix common issues. No special software is needed—everything is built into Windows 10.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 10 PC (any recent version, ideally updated)
• A folder containing at least two images (JPG, PNG, BMP, or GIF) that you want to use as your background
• Your images should be stored locally or on a drive that’s always connected (not a removable USB drive that you might unplug)

Step-by-Step

1. Open Settings. Click the Start button (Windows logo) in the bottom-left corner, then click the gear icon (Settings). Alternatively, press Win + I on your keyboard.
2. Go to Personalization. In the Settings window, click on Personalization (it usually has a paintbrush or monitor icon).
3. Select Background. In the left sidebar, click Background. This is the first option under Personalization.
4. Choose Slideshow. Under the “Background” drop-down menu (currently showing “Picture” or “Solid Color”), click it and select Slideshow.
5. Browse for your folder. A new section appears called “Choose albums for your slideshow.” Click the Browse button.
6. Pick your photo folder. In the file picker, navigate to the folder that contains your images. Select the folder (not individual files) and click Choose this folder.
7. Adjust slideshow settings. After selecting the folder, you’ll see options:
   • Change picture every: Choose how often the background changes (e.g., every 1 minute, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day).
   • Shuffle: Toggle this on if you want the images to appear in random order instead of alphabetical order.
   • When using battery power, pause the slideshow: If you’re on a laptop, you may want to leave this on to save battery. If you want the slideshow to keep running on battery, turn it off.
8. Done! Your desktop background will now cycle through the images in that folder. You can close Settings.

Common Mistakes

• Selecting individual images instead of a folder. The slideshow needs a folder. If you select a single image, the slideshow won’t work.
• Using a folder that’s empty or has only one image. The slideshow requires at least two images; otherwise, it will just show the one image and not change.
• Choosing a folder on a removable drive. If you use a USB drive or SD card, the slideshow will stop when the drive is disconnected.
• Forgetting to click “Choose this folder”. If you just close the file picker, the folder won’t be added.
• Mixing incompatible file formats. While Windows supports common formats, extremely large or corrupt images might cause issues. Stick to standard JPG or PNG files for best results.

Tips

• Create a dedicated slideshow folder. Put all your favorite wallpapers in one folder (e.g., C:\Users\YourName\Pictures\Wallpapers) so you can easily select it.
• Use high-resolution images. For sharpness, use images that are at least the resolution of your screen (e.g., 1920×1080 for Full HD).
• Right-click any image file and choose “Set as desktop background” to instantly add it to the current slideshow album—but note this changes the background to that single picture, not the slideshow. To add to the slideshow, you need to place the file in the selected folder.
• Use the “Shuffle” option to keep things fresh and avoid seeing the same order every time.
• If you have multiple monitors, the slideshow applies to all monitors, but you can set different background styles (e.g., slideshow on one, picture on another) by using the “Background” drop-down per monitor in the Personalization settings (if you have multiple displays, you’ll see a preview for each).

Troubleshooting

Slideshow option is grayed out or not working.

• Make sure you have at least two images in the selected folder.
• Check that the folder is accessible and not corrupted. Try creating a new folder with a couple of test images.
• Restart Windows Explorer: Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), find “Windows Explorer” in the list, right-click it, and choose “Restart”.
• If you’re on a laptop, check the “When using battery power, pause the slideshow” setting—if it’s on and you’re on battery, the slideshow won’t change.

Slideshow stops after a while or doesn’t start.

• Check if the folder is on a network drive or a cloud-synced folder (like OneDrive) that might be offline. Move the images to a local folder.
• Ensure the images aren’t locked by another program. Close any photo editor that might be using them.
• Run the Windows Troubleshooter: Go to Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Background apps (or “Windows Store Apps” if related). This can sometimes fix system glitches.

Slideshow works but shows the wrong images.

• You might have multiple folders selected. Go back to Background settings and click “Browse” to see which folders are chosen. Remove any you don’t want by selecting them and clicking “Remove”.
• If you have “Shuffle” off, the order is alphabetical by file name. Rename files if you want a specific order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use images from the internet for the slideshow?
Yes, but you need to download them to a local folder first. The slideshow doesn’t fetch images from URLs.

Does the slideshow work on a locked screen?
No, the desktop slideshow only changes the background on your desktop, not the lock screen. To change the lock screen, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and select “Slideshow” there.

Can I set different slideshows for multiple monitors?
Yes, you can. In the Background settings, you’ll see a preview for each monitor. Click on a monitor and then choose a different background type or folder for that monitor.

Will the slideshow slow down my computer?
Generally, no. The slideshow uses minimal resources. However, if you have thousands of very large images, the initial indexing might cause a slight delay. Keeping the folder to a reasonable size (e.g., a few hundred images) is fine.

Can I use a GIF as a slideshow image?
Yes, but only the first frame of the GIF will be shown as a static image. Animated GIFs won’t animate as your desktop background.

How do I stop the slideshow?
Go back to Settings > Personalization > Background and change the drop-down from “Slideshow” to “Picture” or “Solid Color”.

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