Windows 11 Spotlight images on Login never seems to work anymore

Question

It's a seemingly insignificant issue compared to the myriad of other things that could glitch and malfunction, but it is highly aggravating to me, so much so, that I actually contacted tech support on at least two occasions with no actual successful help for it.

What's actually the problem? My laptop is less than 6 months old so this really should not be a problem, right? After each update this issue seems to compound and get worse. Why is this such a stubborn issue?

Answer 1

Hello, I’m Virginia a fellow Windows user.

Check to see if the pictures are downloading into the Assets folder:

%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

Also check to see if both Edge & Bing are set as default. I’m not 100% sure this is required but others have mentioned that it is.

You could use this fix from the elevenforum to reset & re-register Spotlight:

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/reset-and-re-register-windows-spotlight-in-windows-11.5248/

I would recommend changing Spotlight to Picture, then restart the pc, running the fix then once complete changing back to Spotlight & restart pc again.

Check the above folder again after a few minutes to see if any files have been downloaded.

Please follow the instructions carefully & note than it can take 24 hours for the photo to change.

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Answer 2

It sounds like you're experiencing issues with Windows Spotlight images not displaying correctly on your login screen. This can be frustrating, especially with a relatively new laptop. One common reason for this issue is that Windows Spotlight may still be applying cached content, which can lead to problems with displaying the correct images.

To resolve this, you can try the following steps:

1. Turn off Spotlight at sign-in: Go to Settings → Personalization → Lock screen and ensure that "Show the lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen" is turned off.
2. Disable Spotlight extras: In the same menu, turn off "Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more."
3. Clear Spotlight cache: You can clear the cache by pressing Win + R, then typing in the command to delete all files in the Assets folder. Restart your PC afterward.

These steps should help ensure that your sign-in screen matches your preferences and that the issue with Spotlight images is resolved. If the problem persists, it may be worth checking for any updates or patches that could address this issue further.

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References:

• I am fed up with Windows arbitrarily changing my settings - Microsoft Q&A
• I select the Windows Spotlight but I only see this image in both my laptops! - Microsoft Q&A