I have pushed a desktop background image through a AD group policy. In some PCs the background image is not reflected, even though AD GPO has been applied to that PC. What may be the reason?

Question

I have pushed a desktop background image through a AD group policy. In some PCs the background image is not reflected, even though AD GPO has been applied to that PC. What may be the reason?

***moved from Windows / Windows 10 / Desktop, Start, and personalization / Desktop***

Answer 1

Hi Dinesh Nair1,

Thank you for posting in the Microsoft Community Forums.

I. Group Policy Setting Issues

The policy is not applied correctly:

Verify that the group policy is properly linked to the appropriate OU (Organizational Unit) or computer object.

Check the application order and priority of the group policy to ensure that no other policy overrides or conflicts.

Policy Refresh:

Run the gpupdate /force command on the client PC to force a refresh of the group policy settings.

Verify that you receive any error messages after the policy is refreshed.

Policy configuration error:

Check the desktop background settings in the group policy to ensure that the path and file name are correct.

If you are using a network path, make sure that the sharing and permission settings for the path are correct.

II. Client-side Problems

The service is not started:

Verify that the TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper service is started on the client PC. This service may be critical for network path access.

If the service is not started, log in to the client PC as an administrator, start the service manually, and check if the problem is resolved.

Registry Restrictions:

Check the registry settings of the client PC to verify that there are no configurations that prevent changing the desktop background.

In particular, the NoChangingWallPaper value under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop should be set to 0 to allow changing the desktop background.

System Privileges:

Verify that the current user has sufficient permissions to apply the Group Policy settings.

If the user has insufficient privileges, you may need to log in as an administrator or adjust the user privileges.

III. Network Problems

Network path access:

Confirm that the client PC can access the network path where the desktop background image is stored.

Check the network connection, firewall settings, and permission settings for shared folders.

DNS resolution:

If the network path uses a domain name, confirm that DNS resolution is normal.

Check the DNS server settings and the DNS cache of the client PC.

IV. Other Factors

System version and updates:

Verify that the operating system version and update status of the client PC are compatible with the Group Policy settings.

Some system updates may affect the application of Group Policy.

Third-party software:

Check whether any third-party software or security tools prevent the application of Group Policy or the change of desktop background.

Best regards

Neuvi