How to Change Your Mac's Background

For few years, I stared at the same default Catalina wallpaper. Three years! Not because I liked those colorful hills, but because iMac was a bit older and couldn’t update to the newer operating system. Yesterday, I finally snapped and figured out every single way to change desktop backgrounds on Mac. All of them.

Turns out, there are eight different ways to change your wallpaper, and each one has its purpose.

The Quick Method Everyone Should Know

Let’s start with the fastest way that works 90% of the time:

Right-click on desktop → Change Desktop Background or Change Wallpaper on newer systems.

That’s it. System Settings opens, you pick an image, done. Should take 5 seconds.

But of course, it’s never that simple. Sometimes right-click doesn’t work. Sometimes the option isn’t there. Sometimes you want more control. Keep reading.

Method 1: System Settings (The Official Way)

This is what Apple wants you to use:

Apple menu → System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
Wallpaper (in sidebar)
Click the desktop preview
Choose from:
- Apple wallpapers
- Photos from your library
- Colors (solid or gradient)
- Your own folders

The hidden gem here: Click the dropdown that says “Fill Screen” to change how images fit. This fixes 90% of “my wallpaper looks weird” problems.

Fit options explained:

Fill Screen: Zooms to fill, might crop edges
Fit to Screen: Shows entire image, might have bars
Stretch to Fill: Distorts image to fit exactly (usually looks terrible)
Center: Original size in middle
Tile: Repeats small image (very Windows 95)

Method 2: From Finder (The Drag Method)

Found a perfect image while browsing? Don’t open System Settings:

Open image in Finder
Right-click the image file
“Set Desktop Picture”

Done. Works with any image file Finder can preview.

Pro tip: Hold Option while right-clicking to get “Set Desktop Picture on All Desktops” – changes all spaces at once.

Method 3: From Photos App

Your photos library has the perfect shot? Direct path:

Open Photos
Find your image
Right-click → Share → Set Desktop Picture

Or the hidden way:

Select photo
Click Share button in toolbar
Set Desktop Picture

Why this method is better: Photos app remembers which images you’ve used as wallpapers. Find them in Albums → Desktop Pictures.

Method 4: From Safari (Direct from Web)

See a wallpaper online? Skip the download:

Right-click image in Safari
“Use Image as Desktop Picture”

Warning: This downloads to a hidden folder. If website goes down or you clear cache, wallpaper might disappear.

Better approach:

Right-click → “Save Image to Downloads”
Then set from Finder
Now you own the file

Method 5: Dynamic Wallpapers (The Living Background)

Want wallpapers that change with time of day? macOS has built-in dynamic options:

System Settings → Wallpaper
Look for images with circle icon in corner
Select one
Choose “Dynamic” from dropdown

What actually happens:

Morning: Bright version
Afternoon: Mid-tone
Evening: Sunset colors
Night: Dark version

The secret: These aren’t videos. They’re HEIC files with multiple images embedded. You can make your own with third-party apps, but it’s complicated.

Method 6: Random Rotation (Never Get Bored)

Want variety? Set wallpapers to rotate:

System Settings → Wallpaper
Click “+” button
Add folder of images
Check “Change picture” checkbox
Choose interval:
- Every 5 seconds (why?)
- Every minute (still why?)
- Every hour (reasonable)
- Every day (perfect)
- When waking from sleep (my favorite)
- At login only

My setup: Folder with 30 wallpapers, changes when waking from sleep. Feels fresh without being distracting.

Random order tip: Check “Random order” or it cycles predictably. Boring.

Method 7: Shortcuts App Automation

Want wallpaper to change based on time, location, or focus mode? Shortcuts app:

Open Shortcuts
Create new shortcut
Add action: “Set Wallpaper”
Choose image source
Add to automation

Examples I use:

Work focus → Clean, minimal wallpaper
Personal focus → Family photo
Weekend → Nature scenes
9 PM → Dark, calming image

Location-based: Set office wallpaper when arriving at work. Requires location permission, drains battery slightly.

Method 8: Terminal (For the Brave)

Because sometimes you need to script it:

osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to set desktop picture to POSIX file "/path/to/image.jpg"'

For multiple monitors:

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to set picture of every desktop to "/path/to/image.jpg"'

Why use Terminal?

Automation scripts
Remote management
Bulk changes
When GUI breaks

Multiple Monitors: The Complicated Part

Got multiple monitors? It gets tricky:

Same Wallpaper on All Screens

System Settings → Wallpaper
Select image
Hold Option key
“Set for All Desktops” button appears
Click it

Different Wallpaper per Monitor

System Settings → Wallpaper
Secondary monitor appears as tab
Click each monitor tab
Set different image

The Monitor Identity Crisis

Sometimes macOS forgets which monitor is which:

System Settings → Displays
Arrange button
Drag monitors to match physical setup
Now wallpapers appear on correct screens

Spaces and Mission Control

Virtual desktops (Spaces) can have different wallpapers:

Create new Space (Mission Control → “+” button)
Switch to that Space
Change wallpaper
Each Space remembers its wallpaper

The annoying default: By default, all Spaces share wallpaper. To fix:

System Settings → Desktop & Dock
Mission Control section
Uncheck “Displays have separate Spaces”
Log out and back in

Warning: This changes how apps behave across monitors.

Where macOS Stores Wallpapers

Ever wonder where those default wallpapers live?

System wallpapers: /System/Library/Desktop Pictures/

Your custom wallpapers: ~/Library/Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture/

Downloaded dynamic wallpapers: /Library/Application Support/com.apple.idleassetsd/

Current wallpaper setting: ~/Library/Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db

Don’t modify these directly unless you know what you’re doing. One wrong move and your desktop goes black.

Optimal Wallpaper Settings

After testing hundreds of wallpapers, here’s what works:

Resolution:

Minimum: Your screen resolution
Ideal: 2x your screen resolution
Example: 5K iMac = 5120×2880 minimum

File format:

JPEG: Best for photos
PNG: Best for graphics
HEIC: Best for dynamic
Avoid: BMP, TIFF (huge files)

File size:

Under 10MB: Loads instantly
10-20MB: Small delay
Over 20MB: Noticeable lag

Color profile:

sRGB for consistency
P3 for wider color (newer Macs)

Common Problems and Fixes

“Wallpaper Keeps Changing Back”

Usually three causes:

MDM/Work computer: IT controls it. You can’t win.
iCloud sync: Turn off Desktop & Documents in iCloud
Focus modes: Check if Focus is changing wallpaper

“Wallpaper is Blurry”

Your image is too small. Solutions:

Find higher resolution version
Use “Center” instead of “Fill Screen”
Accept the blur or find new image

“Can’t Right-Click Desktop”

Desktop covered in files? Two fixes:

Command + Option + H + M (hides all windows, minimizes all)
Use System Settings method instead

“Wallpaper Too Dark/Bright”

macOS might be auto-adjusting:

System Settings → Wallpaper
Uncheck “Automatically adjust brightness”
If missing, your image doesn’t support it

“Black Desktop After Change”

The database is corrupted:

Terminal: rm ~/Library/Application Support/Dock/desktoppicture.db
killall Dock
Reset wallpaper

My Wallpaper Philosophy

After years of testing, here’s what I’ve learned:

For productivity:

Simple, non-distracting
Dark enough for white text
No faces (they watch you)
Abstract or nature

For creativity:

Bright, inspiring
Changes daily
Personal photos work
Art that makes you think

For video calls:

Remember people see it
Nothing controversial
Clean, professional
Or use virtual background

The 2-week rule: If you haven’t noticed your wallpaper in 2 weeks, it’s perfect. If you notice it constantly, it’s wrong.

Quick Wallpaper Sources

Free high-quality sites:

Unsplash.com (best overall)
Pexels.com (good variety)
MacOS Wallpapers on Reddit
NASA Image Gallery (space pics)

Apple’s hidden collection: Go to System Settings → Wallpaper → Download more wallpapers from Apple

Screenshot your own:

Play 4K video on YouTube
Pause at perfect moment
Command + Shift + 3
Crop and use

The gradient option: Sometimes solid color or gradient is perfect. System Settings → Wallpaper → Colors

Advanced Tips Nobody Mentions

The Lock Screen sync: Want matching lock screen?

Set desktop wallpaper
Lock screen (Command + Control + Q)
Click wallpaper preview on lock screen
Choose same image

The seasonal automation:

Create folder: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter wallpapers
Shortcuts automation by date
Changes automatically four times per year

The meeting mode: Before important video calls:

Set professional wallpaper
After call, revert to fun one
Or use Focus mode to automate

The iPhone sync: Use same wallpaper on Mac and iPhone:

Add image to Photos on Mac
iCloud syncs to iPhone
Set on both devices
Consistent aesthetic

The Bottom Line

Changing your Mac wallpaper shouldn’t require a guide this long. But here we are. The quick right-click method works most of the time. System Settings gives you more control. Everything else is for specific situations.

My advice?