I downloaded a wallpaper for lock screen and Cannot get rid of it

Question

I DL a Wallpaper from wallpaperaccess, and now I can't get rid of it. I have gone through everything in personalization; deleted the picture from my computer; and deleted the wallpaper history with HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers. The wallpaper still shows up on my lockscreen, and cannot change it to a new one. How do I get rid of it?

System-info.txt

Answer 1

Hi,

In this case, try this: take a new wallpaper, place it in the folder C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows, name it "lock" and add the extension .jpg.

After that, you will create a restore point:

Start menu > settings > system > about > system protection > create > give it the name you want and click OK.

After that you will open the on commando prompt:

REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PersonalizationCSP

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PersonalizationCSP /v LockScreenImagePath /t REG_SZ /d "C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows\Lock.jpg" /f

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PersonalizationCSP /v LockScreenImageUrl /t REG_SZ /d "C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows\Lock.jpg" /f

REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PersonalizationCSP /v LockScreenImageStatus /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Restart your PC and see if the lock screen wallpaper changes.

Please confirm if it worked.

Thanks

Answer 2

The lock screen image is likely cached or controlled by Windows Spotlight or a policy, so changing/deleting the original file and history is not enough. Use these steps in order:

1. Set a new lock screen image in Settings
   1. Open Settings → Personalization → Lock screen (or use this shortcut: Lock screen).
   2. Under Personalize your lock screen, select Picture.
   3. Choose one of the built‑in images or browse to a different image file and select it.
   4. Turn Off the option Show the lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen so the sign‑in screen cannot keep using the old cached image.
2. Disable Spotlight extras that can reapply images
   1. In Settings → Personalization → Lock screen, turn Off:
      • Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen.
   2. In Settings → System → Notifications, turn off tips (for example, any Windows tips/spotlight‑style suggestions).
   3. In Settings → Privacy & security → Diagnostics & feedback, turn off tailored experiences.
3. Clear cached lock screen/Spotlight images Windows can keep using cached images even after changing the setting. Clearing the cache forces it to stop using the old wallpaper:
   1. Open File Explorer.
   2. Go to the Spotlight cache folder for the current user (for example, the Assets folder under the ContentDeliveryManager cache) and delete all files in that folder. These files are safe to remove; Windows will recreate them as needed.
   3. Restart the PC.

After these steps, the lock screen should show the new image selected in Settings, and the downloaded wallpaper should no longer appear.

If the device is domain‑joined or managed by an organization, also check with the administrator in case a Group Policy such as Force a specific default lock screen and logon image is configured under Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Control Panel → Personalization, which would override local changes.

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References:

• Customize the Lock Screen in Windows
• Configure the desktop and lock screen backgrounds (windows-11)
• Configure the desktop and lock screen backgrounds (windows-10)
• I am fed up with Windows arbitrarily changing my settings - Microsoft Q&A
• Cant change Lock Screen - Microsoft Q&A