When you upgrade to a new operating system on your computer, then you would need to apply a new background. There are many variations of Windows 10 wallpapers that you can use, depending on whether the system is for home or personal use.
Related:Download Windows 10 Wallpaper
This image is blue and it shows the logo of the operating system. Not only that, but there is light radiating from the logo as well to give it an elegant and classy look.
Free Windows 10 Wallpaper
For those who are looking for something a bit more unique, then this one is perfect. It has a 3D version of the logo with some bright dots that are connected by thin, bright lines.
Windows 10 Minimal Wallpaper
Clean and simple is what this Windows 10 wallpaper is. It has a 3D version of the logo in the middle in a dark purple color with other shades of purple radiating from the left side.
Awesome Windows 10 Wallpaper
If you want something splashy or colorful, then this is ideal. The logo is in the lower left corner and 3 of the boxes are white, while 1 is blue and the background is green, red, white, yellow and blue.
Beautiful Windows 10 Wallpaper
This background looks like the night sky and is perfect for someone who needs a simple option for their work station. The logo is in the center along with the name of the operating system in front of some smoke.
Windows 10 Wallpaper HD
This is another unique option that has a Maple leaf in the middle of the image with rays of color radiating out from there. The name is under the leaf and the rays are done in pink, orange, blue, green, brown and yellow.
High Quality Windows 10 Wallpaper
Retro style Windows 10 wallpaper is also extremely popular, so this is the ideal one. The logo is in the middle and the background looks like someone spilled various colors of paint, including black, red, grey and white.
Black Windows 10 Wallpaper
This is a simple option with a solid black background and 10 cut out of an image in the upper right corner. In the bottom of the image there is the logo that is also cut out, which is perfect for a work station.
Amazing Windows 10 Wallpaper
This whimsical image shows various waves that cross each other in varying shades of white and blue. The logo is also on the bottom of the image, which means that it isn’t in the way.
Elegant Windows 10 Wallpaper
Simple, yet elegant is what this option is. The background is blue and it starts to fade from the top down to the bottom. The logo is in the middle in a circle of lighter blue with a white border.
High Resolution Windows 10 Wallpaper
High resolution is an idea that works great as Windows 10 wallpaper and this option uses a great photo of a coastline. There is a river, grass and a windmill in the background, while the logo is in the foreground.
Nice Windows 10 Wallpaper
There is an astronaut flying above Earth with the entirety of Space behind them. The name of the operating system along with the catch phrase is also shown.
Simple Windows 10 Wallpaper
If you are a programmer, then this option is great because it depicts the inside of a server or how we imagine that the data is transferred. There are cables and binary numbers shown behind the logo.
Abstract Windows 10 Wallpaper
Abstract, simple, classy are perfect words to describe this background that is blue with bubbles. The number 10 is done in an abstract manner to make the curves into straight lines.
Colorful Windows 10 Wallpaper
For the women this option is perfect since it has shades of pink, white, grey and blue that is abstractly placed. The logo is written in black and put in the middle of the image.
Fantastic Windows 10 WallpaperWindows 10 Stay Connected WallpaperMicrosoft Windows 10 WallpaperWindows 10 On Pastel Waves WallpaperGrey & White Windows 10 WallpaperWindows 10 On Blue Square WallpaperLight Blue Windows 10 Wallpaper
Making your computer your own is something that everyone loves to do and sometimes you need to do it in a specific manner. These options will allow you some freedom, while not deviating from the operating system’s original background.
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If you’re using Windows 10, you’ve probably noticed that the lock screen usually displays a really nice background image that is automatically chosen from Bing and automatically sized for your desktop screen. If you have a high-resolution monitor, the feature works especially well.
On a 4K or WQHD (2560×1440) monitor, the high-resolution images look absolutely great. The feature is called Windows Spotlight and it’s an option in the Windows 10 Lock Screen settings dialog.
The only problem is that there is no easy or quick way to download the images to your computer. Nor is there any way to use the Windows Spotlight feature for your desktop wallpaper. You can choose from Slideshow, but it requires you to point to a folder with pictures.
In this article, I’ll show you how to get those pictures from Windows Spotlight onto your computer, which you can then feed to the slideshow option for your desktop wallpaper.
If you’re not sure what Windows Spotlight is or if it’s not enabled on your computer, you can click on start and type in lock screen to bring up this dialog.
As you can see, the lock screen images are really nice and change about every two days. Luckily, all of the images that have been shown on your computer are actually already stored on your system, albeit not in a very user-friendly way.
Find Windows Spotlight Images
The first step is to find all the stored images on your Windows 10 system. To do this, you’ll need to open Windows Explorer and click on the View tab.
Go ahead and check both the File name extensions and Hidden items boxes. Once you have done this, navigate to the following directory below, using your own user account in place of username.
C:UsersusernameAppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalStateAssets
You should see a bunch of files in this folder if you have been using Windows Spotlight for some time. Go ahead and click on the Size column to order the items by file size.
The reason I mention sorting by size is because some of the files in the folder are less than 50 KB and are not the wallpaper images. You can just ignore those files. Now what you want to do is create a new folder somewhere else on your drive that you will use for the wallpaper images.
Select all the files that are larger than 100KB or so and copy them to the new folder. To copy, select the files and then hold right-click and drag the images to the second Explorer window.
You’ll notice that it’ll say “Move to Wallpapers”, which you can ignore since you’re holding down the right-click button your mouse. When you let go, you’ll get another dialog, however, saying the files can harm your computer.
You obviously can ignore this since these are files that are already on your computer. The reason why the message appears is because they are being moved from a system protected hidden folder. Click OK and then you’ll be able to choose Copy here.
To make the images viewable again, you have to right-click on them to rename them. Since you have no idea what the photo will be, just give it a number for the name. You’ll also have to add the file extension. The images are all going to be either .PNG or .JPG, so try them in that order.
Once you rename the file, go ahead and double-click on it to see if it opens in your default photo viewer program. If it does, you’re good to go. If not, try the other file extension. You should start seeing previews of the images in Explorer also as you rename them. Some remain with the default image placeholder icon, but the images load just fine.
That’s about all there is to it. It’s not the simplest procedure by any means, but it’s not risky and it’s fairly straight-forward. I suggest turning on Spotlight for a couple of weeks and then grabbing all the images. The only downside here is that the folder contents change often and it doesn’t keep a record of every single image ever shown. It will delete some and replace them with newer images, so you might have to repeat this procedure every couple of months.
Other Ways to Get Spotlight Images
If you feel that’s way too much work for those images, you do have a couple of other choices. First, you can spend a dollar and get the SpotBright app, which allows you to download the Spotlight images in just two clicks.
The second way is even easier. Someone has been nice enough to find each image used in Spotlight and post it to Imgur. There are at least 200+ images in this album and they are all full HD resolution images. Using the site, you have the advantage of downloading a lot more of the Spotlight images than you’ll find in the hidden folder.
A third way is to use a clever PowerShell command. Even if you are non-technical, it’s very easy to run and it’ll save you a lot of manual work. Just create a folder on your desktop called Pics and then open PowerShell by clicking on Start and typing in powershell.
Now just copy and paste the following command into the PowerShell window and press Enter:
Open the Pics folder on your desktop and voila! All the images from the LocalState/Assets folder should be there. You’ll need to delete out the useless files, but otherwise it saves you a lot of time. Enjoy!
Recently we published an awesome collection of Natural wonders theme packs and today we’re back with Windows 10 theme collection for animal lovers.
It’s always a great choice to have some beautiful scenery to greet you every time you peek at your desktop. From wide landscapes to natural sights, Windows 10 and older versions have had some stunning backgrounds loaded in by default. Better yet, with the added collection of theme packs, you can get some of the most amazing collection of photography to decorate your desktop
If you’re a wildlife enthusiast or just a lover of animals in general, you’re in for a treat. This comprehensive list of theme packs of the Animal Kingdom was created from searching through the galleries of Microsoft’s personalization gallery and other 3rd-party services across the internet. From the domestic sights of playful puppies and kittens to the wild packs of lions and wolves, the amazing sights of the deep seas and the vast savannas are brought to your desktop with just a few clicks.
Windows Theme Collection for Animal Lovers
You can download Windows 10 themes directly from the links listed below. These themes are compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8 and all versions of Windows 7 except Windows 7 Basic.
African Wildlife
The heart of African wildlife with the traditional scenery filled with herds of elephants, majestic lions and prowling leopards in the vast savanna. The rich wildlife of the country comes to your desktop with this free Windows theme.
14 Images | Download
Animal Affection
It’s always a pleasant sight to see animals show the same signs of emotions and affections that we as humans do. From the gentle kiss to the caring grooming, watch these animals of a diverse variety display their affections to one another in this free theme for Windows.
14 Images | Download
Beautiful Birds
The exotic beauty of the avian wildlife brings the stunning beauty of the birds to your desktop. Colorful feathers and pretty little faces make up this free Windows theme. This is one of the best Windows 10 themes I have installed on my laptop.
15 Images | Download
Birds of a Feather
As the old saying goes, ‘Birds of a feather, flock together’ in this colorful display of groups. From birds of the same species migrating together, displaying signs of affection or merely chilling atop branches, the collective beauty of the birds brought to your desktop in this free Windows 10 theme.
15 Images | Download
Birds of Prey
The amazing species of birds built for the hunt. From massive vultures and intimidating eagles to swift hawks and nocturnal owls, this free Windows 10 theme brings the action as the birds prey on their next target.
12 Images | Download
Bright Butterflies
Fluttering about in a dazzling display of colors, these are the prettiest of the insects. Bringing together colorful designs and patterns on their wings as they rest atop branches or drink sweet nectar from flowers, these butterflies with brighten any desktop in this free theme for Windows.
15 Images | Download
Bumbling Bees
Witness the hive mind of the bees in action as they do their work collecting nectar from flowers one at a time. Extreme close-up photography by Mayur Kotlikar in this free theme for Windows.
9 Images | Download
Bunnies and Ducklings
To be able to imagine a cuter combination of animals would be quite difficult. The cutest of the bunnies hopping around as ducks float and walks about in this free theme for Windows overloaded with cuteness.
8 Images | Download
Burly Bears
The wild sights of one of the most intimidating animals on the planet. Bringing together a burly combination of Grizzly, Brown, Panda and Polar bears, this free Windows theme shows all their sides from lazing about to hunting for a meal.
12 Images | Download
Diving Dolphins
Dolphins are the kittens of the aquatic world. Eyes brimming with joy as they leap into the air and dive swiftly for a smooth swim, this free Windows theme brings the playfully agile aquatic mammals to your desktop.
8 Images | Download
Frisky Kittens
Undoubtedly the most popular of the animals in the entire internet, bring the everyday life of a Kitten to your desktop. From taking a nap to examining mundane objects with utmost curiosity, this free theme for Windows brings the daily life of cute Kittens to your desktop.
14 Images | Download
Frolicsome Flamingos
The long-legged birds with a color of red like no other, these flamingos flock in groups as they relax in streams and ponds. The lone birds standing majestically or the entire flock taking flight in this free vibrant theme for Windows.
15 Images | Download
Furry Families
There’s no love like that of the family. Witness the furriest of the animal kingdom, from polar bears to wild cats, as they display adorable parental care by hugging, cuddling and gently kissing the young ones in this free theme for Windows.
14 Images | Download
Galloping Horses
The majestic sight of untamed horses of all breeds and sizes prancing around in the open fields is one to behold. The free spirit of the galloping horses brought to your desktop with this free Windows theme.
6 Images | Download
Happy Penguins
The isolated and rarely seen sights of the black & white birds in large groups. Ghazi telugu movie download 720p. From the parents watching over the young ones having fun in the ice or diving deep for a swim, these pictures from the South Pole bring the unique lifestyle of penguins to your desktop with this free Windows theme.
12 Images | Download
Hummingbirds
Fluttering faster than the naked eye can see, these hummingbirds sure put a lot of effort into staying in one place. Watch their mid-flight action besides nature in these colorful photographs captured by Desiree Skatvoid in this free Windows theme for your desktop.
11 Images | Download
Insect World
Most people cringe at the mention of insects but these insects will show you the other side with this elegance and beauty. From the minutest of cute ladybugs to colorful butterflies, a look in the fascinating beauty of insects like never before with this free Windows theme.
20 Images | Download
Ocean Life
The ocean is home to some of the most fascinating and vibrant life forms on the planet. Bring the ocean life from around the world, from tropical fishes and jellyfishes to gigantic whales and killer sharks to your desktop with this free theme for Windows.
15 Images | Download
Ogling Owls
The nocturnal birds of prey and its various types as they sit atop branches or fly down for the hunt. From the wise visage of the barn owl to the majestic grandeur of the snow owls, his free Windows theme is sure to turn your desktop upside down.
12 Images | Download
Playful Pandas
The laziest and most docile of the bears, these Pandas just want to relax and have fun. Bring the big, black & white bundles of joy to your desktop as they eat, sleep, cuddle and nurse each other in this free theme for Windows.
15 Images | Download
Playful Puppies
The never-ending energy and enthusiasm of puppies of various breeds is joyous sight. From the everyday life full of action as the busy pups explore their surroundings in this free theme for Windows for your desktop. If you’re a dog lover, beware of over cuteness in this theme.
13 Images | Download
Quirky Foxes
The various varieties of foxes from the well-known red foxes and snowy-white arctic foxes to the absolutely adorable fennec foxes, watch the quick little animals live in the snow and plain lands in this free theme for Windows.
12 Images | Download
And if it means selling this poor dark elf out. Skyrim destroy the thieves guild mod. Now I wonder if I alternatively could bring them down as well. I do not mean killing all the NPCs, but I would rather bring them down in a quest-line of its own.I want to know if it's possible to bring them down, because if it's not I would join them, even though I haven't stolen anything yet, as I want a rather complete play-through.
Radiant Jellyfish
The translucent glow of the mysterious group of jellyfishes may just be the most colorful sight in the deep ocean. Bring the various hues of the soft creatures of the sea to your desktop with this free theme for Windows.
8 Images | Download
Ravens and Crows
The dark sights of the most mysterious of the birds are truly chilling. From the lone raven perched atop branches to flocks of crows flying above the gloomy skies, this free Windows theme brings a gothic feeling to your desktop.
11 Images | Download
Slithery Snakes
The slithery group of invertebrates as they watch with their wide-eyes brought to your desktop. Bring the serpents of various types, sizes and colors home with this free theme for Windows.
13 Images | Download
Terrific Tigers
The lonesome predators from the group of wild cats, these tigers are capable of showing their ferocity and affection in a moment’s notice. Bring the images of them relaxing with a swim or nursing the young to your desktop with this free Windows theme.
14 Images | Download
Tropical Fish
The vivid world of the school of tropical fishes is as vibrant and lively as the ocean life gets. Witness these aquatic life forms up close as they swim in schools through colorful reefs and shallow ocean floors in this free Windows theme for your desktop.
9 Images | Download
Whale School
The massive creatures of the ocean are truly a majestic sight to behold as they dive high or swim deep. These amazing images bring the gigantic Blue whales along with other species like the Killer Whale, the Humpbacks and more in this free Windows theme.
15 Images | Download
Wild Cats
The wild cats from around the world as they watch over their territory. From the majestic lions and lonely Tigers to the family of Cheetahs and cautious Leopard, the best of the Big Cats comes to your desktop with this free Windows theme.
14 Images | Download
Wolf Pack
The intimidating group of wolves as they hunt in packs and display the occasional sign of affection. Displaying silent aggression and elegance, these wolves roam about the snowy terrains at night in this free Windows theme.
15 Images | Download
And there you go. The diverse wildlife from around the world brought to your desktop with these themes. If you like the above list of fee Windows themes you can click here to download more Windows 10 Themes for free from various categories. Hope you enjoyed this collection. Stay tuned for more Windows theme packs.
Microsoft's Windows 10 offers users many ways to customize the OS. Indeed, we have a rather large article detailing all the methods by which you can make Windows 10 yours. One throwback style has an animated desktop. Indeed, yesterday you may have seen my Instagram video showing one in action featuring the famous Windows 10 logo from the new login screen.
Today, I'll show you how you can do the same using a third-party app called DeskScapes 8 from Stardock!
A video posted by Daniel Rubino (@daniel_rubino) on
The 'duh' moment
Before we get started, I should point out the obvious. Using an animated desktop on a laptop, older computer, or even a newer one with lower-end specs is probably not the best idea if you are concerned with battery life and graphics performance. There is no doubt that in using such a setup you could tax your system just to make it look fancy.
Of course, if you are running a high-end rig with CPU and GPU cycles to spare, there is nothing wrong with doing this trick. Indeed, I am running it on two Core i5 desktop systems (Intel Skylake) with plenty of RAM and two rather high-end GPUs (an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 and 970, to be precise).
If you want a more accurate estimate having an animated desktop will consume between 6-9% of CPU with an average of around 7 percent. Although that is not terrible, it could constrain your setup if on an older rig. The good news is not only can you pause your animated desktop you can quickly just switch to a static image at any time saving your precious CPU for when you need it.
Why the tutorial?Windows 10 Hd Wallpaper 1920x1080
Besides just explaining the basics there is one other issue. DeskScapes 8 gets its name because it is made for Windows 8 systems. It can run on Windows 10 however if you just try to install it you are going to get an error message.
This impediment is very easy to get around, and I'll show you how to get it going. That said, the reason this is not meant for Windows 10 is the app is not optimized for the newer OS and, as such, Stardock cannot guarantee performance or any issues. So do this at your own risk.
Let's get started!
Animated desktops in Windows 10
Before we being, you need to download the DeskScapes 8 installer. The app has a free 30-day trial and costs $9.99 for a single license. Having 30 days to try this app is more than enough for you to decide if you want to justify the $10 price tag.
Besides the preinstalled animated desktops within the app, you can also create your own or navigate to the site WinCustomize to download ones the community has made. There are quite a few, so you should find something to pique your interest.
1. Download
Head to Stardocks' site and grab the installer. Agree to use the 30-day trial and download.
2. Compatibility Mode
The trick to running the app on Windows 10 is to use compatibility mode. This feature is an old function from previous releases, and it works well here for the installer. Right-click on DeskScapes8_cnet-setup.exe and choose Troubleshoot Compatibility.
3. Troubleshoot ProgramWindows 10 Background Is Black
You should be presented with two options. Select the second one Troubleshoot program.
4. Earlier version
Next, choose the first option The program worked in earlier versions of Windows but won't install or run now from the menu. Hit Next to proceed.
5. Version choice
On the next menu, select Windows 8 and hit Next.
6. Test it
Next, choose Test the program… This part is where it gets tricky. Normally, the program just launches, and you can then proceed with Next. However, this is an installer we are running so you should see a blinking Windows shield ( User Account Control ) icon appear in the taskbar.
Note that it won't be an active window so you could miss it if you are not looking for it. Click on it and agree to let the installer run.
7. Install
Now you can finally install the program to your computer. During the process, you will be asked if you optionally would like to install Decor8 , another Stardock app. I advise against this only because the app is to customize the old Start Screen in Windows 8 and is not very relevant for Windows 10. Make sure you have the box unticked, and the proceed.
8. 30-day Trial
Stardock lets you try DeskScapes 8 for 30 days. However, you still need to register and let the app verify the trial to begin. The process is simple only requiring an email and a verification link. This action starts the trial period. Although not as convenient as just using a non-phone-home program Stardock likely does this to cut down on piracy, so cut them some slack.
Exit Compatibility
It should be noted that once you hit Test the program… you ran the full app installer. As such, at any point you could just hit Cancel on the compatibility mode window as we already got what we wanted. Still, if you did not do so, you can now hit Cancel. There is no need to re-run using Next.
A video posted by Daniel Rubino (@daniel_rubino) on
That's it! You now have DeskScapes 8 installed on Windows 10. Here are a couple of other tidbits:
For those who want the new Windows 10 login screen with the fancy Windows logo and lasers, you can find it on WinCustomize (link below). The theme is made by AzDude, who is one of the most prolific creators on that site. The version I use is Windows 10 v1 (link) although he has a few variations out there, so try them all and use what you think looks best.
Overall, DeskScapes is running rather well on my PC, and I have no issues or complaints. This program is a rather high-end way to customize your PC, but there is little denying that it has a certain wow appeal to it. Whether you will like it and want to pay the $10 is up to you, but at least you now know how to get it on your PC.
There is no word if a Windows 10 version is on the way, but we'll keep you posted if we hear anything.
More Resources
Remember that we have many other articles on Windows 10, if you need help you always check these other resources:
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