Windows spotlight for the Background setting reverts to Picture almost every time there is an update of the set of 4 pictures.

Question

This problem is common to all insider Builds, Canary, Dev, Beta and Release preview.

Almost every time that they update the set of the Windows spotlight pictures for the background, the setting reverts back to picture. I have to set it back to Windows spotlight manually.

The problem is not happening 100% of the times, but still almost every time.

In some rare cases the setting remains on Windows spotlight.

Any idea on why this is happening? Why does the setting change from Windows spotlight to Picture on its own?

https://aka.ms/AAy6n2u

Answer 1

Hi F G,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum and sharing your experience with Windows Spotlight. I totally understand how inconvenient it can be when your preferred background setting changes unexpectedly, especially after updates.

This issue may occur when the Spotlight service refreshes image assets or personalization settings, which can sometimes cause the system to fall back to the “Picture” option. While this doesn’t happen every time, I recognize that even occasional disruptions can impact your experience.

Below are detailed steps you can try to restore and stabilize Spotlight in this case:

Step 1: Reapply Windows Spotlight

• Go to Settings → Personalization → Background.
• From the dropdown, select Windows Spotlight.
• Wait a few seconds for the images to refresh.

Step 2: Clear Spotlight Cache Folders

This help remove corrupted or outdated Spotlight files so Windows can rebuild them.

• Enable Hidden Items in File Explorer:
  • Open File Explorer → Click View → Check Hidden items.
• Navigate to these two folders: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets %LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings
• Delete all files inside these folders (do not delete the folders themselves).
• Sign out or reboot your PC.
• After restart, go back to Settings → Personalization → Background and re-select Windows Spotlight.

Step 3: Re-register Spotlight Component

To restore the Spotlight feature if its system registration is broken:

• Open PowerShell as Administrator.
• Run the following command:

    Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach { Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register } 
  

• This reinstalls the Spotlight feature without affecting your files.

Step 4: Turn Off Theme Sync

To prevent conflicts between synced personalization settings across devices:

• Go to Settings → Accounts → Sync your settings.
• Toggle Theme sync Off to prevent conflicts between devices.

Step 5: Create a New User Profile

If the issue persists, create a fresh user profile:

• Settings → Accounts → Other users.
• Click Add account → choose Add a user without a Microsoft account. 
• Sign in with the new profile and set Spotlight as your background.

This helps rule out profile-specific corruption.

For more detailed instructions, please refer to the official Microsoft support page at:

How to create a Local account in Windows 11 - ARTICLE - Microsoft Q&A 

If these steps don’t resolve the problem, I highly suggest leaving feedback through the Feedback Hub app (Start → Feedback Hub). Please navigate to Desktop Environment → Windows Spotlight and include screenshots and steps to reproduce the issue. Your feedback will go directly to our engineering team and plays a vital role in improving Spotlight reliability for you and other Insider users.

Besides, as you're part of the Windows Insider Program, please also use the Insider-specific portalfor better visibility and faster response from Microsoft engineers.

Let me know once you've tried these steps, or if you need help getting through them. I am here to support you and will do my best to help resolve this issue.

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