DesktopBackground

DesktopBackground specifies the path to a graphic file that is used for the desktop background. The desktop background image can reside in any subfolder under %windir%. The desktop background can only be set in the default theme.

The image will be cropped to fit the size of your display, while preserving the aspect ratio of the image.

Select an image which will look good when cropped to the common aspect ratios for your computer. In most cases, we recommend that you use a 1920x1200 image with the focal point of the image near the center.

The graphic can have any name, but must be a .png, .jpg, or .bmp image.

Note

In Windows 10, if you use this setting, you’ll also need to set ThemeName. If you set these two settings (ThemeName and DesktopBackground), Windows will create the theme for you.

Values

Path_to_background_image_file

Specifies the path to the graphic file. Path_to_background_image_file is a string with a maximum length of 259 characters.

This string type supports empty elements.

Valid Configuration Passes

specialize

auditSystem

auditUser

oobeSystem

Parent Hierarchy

Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup | Themes | DesktopBackground

Applies To

For a list of the Windows editions and architectures that this component supports, see Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup.

XML Example

The following XML output shows how to assign a background to a customized theme.

<settings pass="oobeSystem">
    <component processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" versionScope="nonSxS" name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" language="neutral">
        <Themes>
            <ThemeName>Fabrikam Theme</ThemeName>
            <DesktopBackground>%WINDIR%\web\wallpaper\fabrikam.jpg</DesktopBackground>
        </Themes>
    </component>
</settings>

Related topics

Themes