How to Change Wallpaper on Mac (and Use Your Own Photos)

Your desktop picture is the one bit of the Mac you look at all day, so it's worth getting right. Changing it takes a few seconds, and there are shortcuts that skip the settings altogether. Here's every route, plus how to rotate through several photos and fix the most common problem: a picture that looks stretched or cropped.

Change the wallpaper in System Settings

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Click Wallpaper in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down to find it.
3. Pick an image from one of the categories, or scroll to Your Photos.
4. Use the options at the top of the window to adjust how it looks, such as light or dark versions.

The change applies straight away. There's no Save button to press.

The built-in options explained

Category	What you get
Dynamic Wallpapers	Pictures that brighten and darken with the time of day where you are
Aerials	Moving views that play when you lock or wake the Mac, and double as a screen saver
Shuffle Aerials	Still aerial images that change at an interval you choose
Pictures	Still artwork and photography from Apple
Colors	A plain solid colour, the least distracting choice

One thing worth knowing about aerials: Apple uses the aerial you pick as your screen saver by default too. If you'd rather keep a different screen saver, change it separately in Screen Saver settings.

Use your own photo

In Wallpaper settings, scroll to Your Photos and click Add Photo. You then have three choices:

• Choose from Photos to pick from your Photos library.
• Choose File to pick an image saved anywhere on the Mac.
• Choose Folder to add a whole folder, which is useful for rotating pictures.

You can also drag a picture from your desktop or a folder straight onto the preview at the top of Wallpaper settings.

Three shortcuts that skip the settings

• From Finder: Control-click an image file and choose Set Desktop Picture.
• From Safari: Control-click a picture on a web page and choose Use Image as Desktop Wallpaper.
• From Photos: select a photo, click the share button and choose Set Wallpaper.

The Finder route is the one I use most: save a picture, Control-click it, done. If you're not sure how to Control-click, it's the Mac's right-click; hold Control while you click the trackpad.

Rotate through several pictures

Add a folder or a Photos album as your wallpaper, then turn on the shuffle option at the top of Wallpaper settings and choose how often it changes. It's a nice way to see family photos or travel shots without opening an app. Keep the folder to pictures that look good wide, because portrait photos will be cropped or shown with bars.

Fix a stretched or cropped picture

When you choose your own image, options appear for how it fills the screen. Fill Screen crops the edges to avoid bars, Fit to Screen shows the whole image and may leave bars, Stretch to Fill Screen distorts it, and Center or Tile are for small images or patterns. For a sharp result, use a picture at least as large as your display resolution; a small image enlarged to fill a big screen looks soft.

Different wallpaper on each screen

If you have a second monitor, Wallpaper settings show a choice for each display, so you can pick a separate picture for each one. Each desktop space can have its own wallpaper too: switch to the space, then change the picture there.

Why you can't remove a photo

Apple won't let you remove a picture from Your Photos while it's set as the current wallpaper. Choose a different wallpaper first, then hover over the old one and click the remove button.

Wallpaper and dark mode

If you switch between light and dark appearance, a Dynamic Wallpaper is the one that follows along best, because it shifts with the time of day. Apple also offers light and dark still versions of some Dynamic Wallpapers in the options at the top of Wallpaper settings, so you can lock it to one look if the changing brightness bothers you. A darker wallpaper is easier on the eyes in the evening and makes white app windows stand out less sharply.

Change the lock screen picture

On recent versions of macOS the login screen uses your desktop wallpaper, so changing one changes the other. Aerials are the exception people notice: they animate on the lock screen and settle into a still picture once you're signed in. If you'd prefer a calmer login screen, pick a still picture or a solid colour instead of an aerial.

Where to find good wallpapers

Your own photos usually make the best desktop, because they mean something to you. If you want something new, look for images labelled for free use, and check the size is close to your screen's resolution. If you're tidying your Mac while you're at it, my guide to sending large files helps you move big photo sets off it, and these productivity hacks cover the rest of a desktop tidy.

My verdict

System Settings, Wallpaper, is the main route, but Control-clicking an image in Finder and choosing Set Desktop Picture is quicker. Pick Fill Screen for most photos, use a folder if you want the picture to change, and choose a solid colour if you find busy wallpapers distracting.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change my wallpaper on a Mac?

Open System Settings, click Wallpaper and pick an image or add your own.

How do I set a photo as wallpaper on a Mac?

Control-click the image in Finder and choose Set Desktop Picture, or use Set Wallpaper in Photos.

Can I use a different wallpaper on each monitor?

Yes. Wallpaper settings let you choose a picture for each display.

Why does my wallpaper look stretched?

Change the fit option to Fill Screen or Fit to Screen, or use a larger image.

Can the wallpaper change automatically?

Yes. Add a folder or album and turn on shuffle.