How to change black background on computer

There are times when you just want to use a new wallpaper to give your desktop a fresh look. You could decide to use your favorite picture, a live wallpaper, a slide show, or a simple solid color.

However, the desktop display settings might disappoint you. While trying to change the wallpaper, you could suddenly see a black background on your desktop. If your PC has the “black desktop background display” issue, here’s how you can resolve that problem.

1. Enable the “Show Desktop Background Image” Option

This issue is usually caused by the way you’ve configured your display settings. So, to resolve it, you could start by enabling the “show desktop background image” option.

Here are the steps for enabling the desktop wallpaper:

1. Press Win + I to open the System Settings.
2. Click the Ease of Access option from the menu items.
3. Next, click the Display option on the left-hand side pane.
4. Locate the Show desktop background image button and then switch it on.

Finally, restart your device to save these new changes.

2. Configure the Display Settings via the Ease of Access Center

You can also resolve the “black desktop background display” issue by configuring the Ease of Access settings. Here's how:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type Control Panel and click Enter.
3. Next, click the View by drop-down menu and select Small icons.
4. Select the Ease of Access Center from the menu items.
5. Scroll down and click the Make the computer easier to see option (below the Explore all settings option.)
6. Next, scroll down and uncheck the Turn off all unnecessary animations and the Remove Background images options.

Click Apply, click OK, and then restart the device to save these changes.

3. Set the Desktop Background Using a Different Method

In some instances, the issue might be caused by the method you’ve used when changing your desktop wallpaper. So, let’s explore an easy method that’ll help get rid of this problem:

1. Press Win + E to open the Windows File Explorer. From there, navigate to the folder containing the image you want to use as your desktop wallpaper. Alternatively, you can download a high-resolution wallpaper for your desktop.
2. Next, right-click on the image and then select Set as desktop background.

If the issue persists, restart your device and check if your desktop background has changed.

4. Configure the Desktop Background Settings

This issue is sometimes caused by the changes made in the Desktop Background settings. For instance, you might have mistakenly selected the Solid color option on these settings.

So, to resolve the problem, here are a few easy steps to follow:

1. Type Settings in the Start Menu search bar and select the Best match.
2. Select the Personalization tab from the menu items.
3. Click the Background option on the left-hand side pane.
4. Next, click the Background drop-down menu and select Picture from the options. From there, select your favorite picture and make it your Desktop wallpaper.

If you’d like to use a solid color or a slide show as your Desktop background, here’s what you can do:

1. Navigate to the Desktop Background settings as per the previous steps.
2. Click the Background drop-down menu and select Solid color or Slideshow from the options. Follow the on-screen instructions and then restart your device when you finish.

5. Configure the High Contrast Settings

In some rare cases, the High Contrast settings are responsible for the “black desktop background display” issue. So, here’s how you can turn off these settings to resolve the issue:

1. Type Settings in the Start Menu search bar and select the Best match.
2. Select Personalization from the Menu items.
3. Click the High contrast option on the right-hand side.
4. Next, locate the Use high contrast section and switch off the Turn on high contrast button.

Close the settings window and restart your device to apply the changes.

6. Configure the Power Options Settings

If this issue occurs when you try using a slide show, then you might need to make some changes to the Power Plan settings. So, let’s check out how you can tweak a few settings to get rid of this error:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command dialog box.
2. Type Control Panel and press Enter.
3. Click the View by drop-down menu and select Small icons.
4. Next, click Power Options from the menu items.
5. Click Change plan settings on the right and then click Change advanced power settings.
6. Expand the Desktop background settings option and then click the Slide show option.
7. Choose the Available option for both the On battery and Plugged in options.

Click Apply, click OK, and then restart your device to apply these settings.

7. Fix the Display Drivers

This display issue might be caused by incompatible or corrupted Display drivers. So, the best way to resolve the problem is to update or reinstall these drivers.

Now, here are the simple steps for updating the Windows Display drivers:

1. Press Win + X to open the Quick Access Menu.
2. Select Device Manager from the menu items.
3. Next, double-click the Display adapters option.
4. Right-click on the Display adapter and select Update driver.

In the next window, click the Search automatically for updated driver software option.

Alternatively, reinstall the Display adapters to tackle the “black desktop background display” issue. Here’s how:

1. Open the Quick Access Menu and Device Manager by following the previous steps.
2. Expand the Display adapters option, right-click on the Display adapter, and select Uninstall device.
3. Click the Action tab and select Scan for hardware changes. Finally, restart your device to apply these settings.

8. Use the System Restore Tool

You could also resolve this display issue by using the System Restore Tool. This is a feature that helps undo any recent system changes on your PC. So, it could get rid of this issue by restoring your device to its previous state.

Here’s how you can use the System Restore tool:

1. Type Create a Restore Point in the Start Menu search bar and select the Best match.
2. Navigate to the System Protection tab, click System Restore, and then press Next.
3. Select Show more restore points from the options.
4. From there, select the most recent restore point from the list and click Next. Finally, click Finish and wait for the process to complete.

The System Restore tool will only work if you’ve created a restore point. So, if there are no restore points on your device, you might consider updating Windows to tackle this issue.

Customize the Windows Desktop to Your Liking

The “black desktop background display” issue can be quite irritating. However, you can easily tackle this problem by tweaking a few display settings. In most cases, you can easily get rid of this issue by updating or reinstalling the display drivers.

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