How to Change the Background on a Mac: Wallpaper, Lock Screen, and More
Changing the background on a Mac is one of the simplest ways to personalize your experience — but the exact steps, options, and results vary more than most people expect. macOS gives you several layers of customization, and where you look depends on which version of macOS you're running, whether you want to change your desktop wallpaper, your lock screen, or both.
What "Background" Actually Means on a Mac 🖥️
When most people say they want to change their Mac background, they usually mean the desktop wallpaper — the image displayed behind all your open windows. But macOS also has a lock screen background, which is what you see when your Mac is locked or waking from sleep.
In older versions of macOS, these were effectively the same image. Since macOS Ventura (13.0), Apple separated them into distinct settings, giving users more control but also adding a step that catches people off guard.
How to Change the Desktop Wallpaper on macOS Ventura and Later
If you're running macOS Ventura, Sonoma, or newer, here's where to go:
- Click the Apple menu () in the top-left corner
- Select System Settings
- In the left sidebar, click Wallpaper
- Browse the built-in categories: Dynamic, Still, Aerial Screen Savers, or your own Photos
From here you can:
- Select a static image or a dynamic wallpaper that shifts with the time of day
- Choose whether the same image applies to all desktops (Spaces) or set different ones
- Use your own photos by clicking Add Photo or Add Folder
Dynamic wallpapers are macOS-native images that subtly change appearance based on the time of day using location data or your system clock. Not all images in the library are dynamic — look for the small clock icon to identify them.
How to Change the Background on macOS Monterey and Earlier
On macOS Monterey (12) and older versions, the path is slightly different:
- Click the Apple menu → System Preferences
- Open Desktop & Screen Saver
- Select the Desktop tab
- Choose from Apple's built-in wallpapers or navigate to your own image files
The interface is more grid-based and less visual than the newer System Settings layout, but the core options are the same.
Changing the Lock Screen Background 🔒
This is where macOS Ventura and later made a meaningful split:
- In System Settings → Lock Screen, there's a separate wallpaper picker for what displays when your Mac is locked
- By default, macOS may mirror your desktop wallpaper here, but you can set a different one
- On older macOS versions, there's no separate lock screen wallpaper option — whatever is set as your desktop is also your lock screen
If you're on an older macOS and want a different lock screen image, that functionality simply doesn't exist natively without third-party tools.
Using Your Own Photos as a Wallpaper
macOS supports a wide range of image formats for wallpapers including JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and TIFF. A few things affect how your photo looks:
| Factor | What It Affects |
|---|---|
| Image resolution | Low-res images may appear blurry on Retina displays |
| Aspect ratio | Images not matching screen ratio will be cropped or letterboxed |
| File location | Images in iCloud may need to be downloaded locally first |
| Display count | Multi-monitor setups can have independent wallpapers per screen |
For Retina and Liquid Retina displays, images below roughly 2560 × 1600 pixels may not look sharp at full screen. This matters more on larger displays or when using multiple monitors.
Setting Different Wallpapers for Multiple Desktops
macOS supports multiple desktop Spaces through Mission Control, and each Space can have its own wallpaper:
- Right-click on any desktop → Change Wallpaper (macOS Sonoma and later)
- Or go to System Settings → Wallpaper and look for per-Space options
This feature is particularly useful for people who organize their workflow across multiple virtual desktops and want a visual cue to distinguish them.
Wallpaper Options Worth Knowing
Shuffle/Auto-Change: macOS lets you rotate through a folder of images at set intervals — useful for variety without manual changes.
Aerial wallpapers: These are the same high-resolution video-style images used in screen savers. On newer Macs, particularly those with Apple Silicon, aerial wallpapers can animate smoothly as a live desktop background.
Third-party apps: Apps like Unsplash Wallpapers, Dynamic Wallpaper Club, or others available through the Mac App Store extend what macOS offers natively — including live wallpapers, weather-reactive images, and larger curated libraries.
What Varies by Setup 🔧
The exact experience of changing your Mac background depends on several factors that aren't one-size-fits-all:
- macOS version determines which settings panel you're using, whether lock screen and desktop are separated, and which wallpaper types are available
- Mac model and chip (Intel vs. Apple Silicon) affects whether animated or aerial wallpapers run smoothly
- Display type (standard vs. Retina, built-in vs. external) shapes how wallpaper resolution and color accuracy translate to what you actually see
- iCloud Photos integration affects whether your personal image library is immediately accessible or requires a sync step
- Multiple monitors add complexity when you want consistent or differentiated backgrounds across screens
The built-in options are surprisingly capable for most users, but whether the native tools cover everything you want — or whether a third-party app fills a gap — comes down to how you use your Mac and what you're actually trying to achieve with the change.