How to Change the Homescreen on Any Device or OS
Your homescreen is the first thing you interact with every time you unlock your device — so it makes sense to want it configured exactly the way you like. Whether you're on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, or a Chromebook, the process for changing your homescreen varies significantly. Here's a clear breakdown of how it works across platforms, what you can actually customize, and what factors shape your options.
What "Changing the Homescreen" Actually Means
The term covers a surprisingly wide range of changes depending on the device:
- Wallpaper/background image — the most common change people mean
- Layout of icons or widgets — rearranging, resizing, or removing items
- Default launcher or shell — replacing the entire interface (primarily Android and Windows)
- Lock screen vs. homescreen — these are often separate customizable layers
- Taskbar, dock, or Start menu configuration — relevant on desktop operating systems
Understanding which of these you actually want to change is the first step, because the method and depth of customization differs for each.
How to Change Your Homescreen by Platform
🖥️ Windows
On Windows 10 and 11, "homescreen" typically refers to the desktop background and the Start menu layout.
To change the desktop wallpaper:
- Right-click on an empty area of the desktop
- Select Personalize
- Choose Background, then select an image, slideshow, or solid color
To customize the Start menu (Windows 11): Go to Settings → Personalization → Start to control which apps are pinned and whether recommendations appear.
Windows also supports dynamic desktops and third-party tools like Rainmeter or Stardock Fences that go much further — replacing the entire desktop environment with widgets, custom layouts, and live data feeds.
🍎 macOS
On a Mac, the desktop background is changed via: System Settings → Wallpaper (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences → Desktop & Screen Saver on older versions.
macOS is more locked down than Windows in terms of shell replacement, but you can customize the Dock position, size, and contents, and use tools like Übersicht for widget-based overlays.
Android
Android offers the most flexibility of any mobile OS. You can change:
- Wallpaper — long-press the homescreen → Wallpaper & style
- Widget layout — long-press to add, move, or resize widgets
- Icon packs — many launchers support third-party icon sets
- Launcher — the entire homescreen app can be replaced
Launchers are the key differentiator on Android. Apps like Nova Launcher, Lawnchair, or manufacturer defaults (Samsung One UI Home, Pixel Launcher) each offer different grid sizes, gesture controls, and visual styles. Changing your launcher fundamentally changes how your homescreen looks and behaves.
To change the launcher: Settings → Apps → Default Apps → Home App
iOS / iPadOS
Apple limits homescreen customization compared to Android, but iOS 14 and later introduced meaningful options:
- Wallpaper: Settings → Wallpaper → Add New Wallpaper
- Widget stacks: Long-press the homescreen → tap + to add widgets
- App Library: Lets you hide pages of apps while keeping them accessible
- Custom app icons: Achievable via Shortcuts, though this is a workaround rather than a native feature
iOS 18 expanded customization further, allowing icon tinting, freeform icon placement, and lock screen/homescreen pairing.
Chrome OS
On Chromebooks, right-click the desktop and choose Set wallpaper & style. The launcher (the shelf) can be customized in terms of pinned apps and position, but deep layout changes aren't natively supported.
Key Variables That Shape Your Options
Not every user ends up in the same place, even when following the same steps. Several factors determine what's actually possible:
| Variable | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| OS version | Features like iOS widget stacks or Windows 11 Start menu require updated software |
| Device manufacturer | Samsung, OnePlus, and other Android OEMs ship modified launchers with different default options |
| Third-party tools | Launchers, wallpaper apps, and desktop utilities massively expand what's possible |
| Account type | Managed/enterprise devices may have locked-down personalization settings |
| Technical comfort | Some customization paths (ADB on Android, terminal tweaks on macOS) require more hands-on setup |
The Spectrum of Customization Depth
At one end, changing a wallpaper takes about 10 seconds on any platform. At the other end, users who want a fully rebuilt interface — custom icon packs, gesture-driven navigation, live widget dashboards, and per-app theming — are looking at a meaningful time investment and, on Android especially, a willingness to experiment with third-party apps.
Most users land somewhere in the middle: a custom wallpaper, a handful of widgets showing weather or calendar data, and a rearranged app grid that matches how they actually use their device.
The right level of customization also depends on how stable you want your setup to be. 🔧 Heavy third-party modification on Android, for example, can occasionally introduce bugs or complicate OS updates. Light native customization on iOS is more stable but less flexible.
Lock Screen vs. Homescreen — Don't Confuse Them
On both iOS and Android, the lock screen and the homescreen are customized separately. Changes to your homescreen wallpaper won't automatically apply to the lock screen, and vice versa — depending on your settings. On iOS, when you create a wallpaper pair, you can choose to link or unlink them. On Android, the option is usually presented during the wallpaper-setting process.
On Windows, the lock screen background is also separate from the desktop background, found under Settings → Personalization → Lock Screen.
What's achievable on your homescreen comes down to a specific combination of your OS, device, software version, and how far you want to go with third-party tools — and those details are entirely particular to your own setup.