- Right-click on an empty area of the desktop, and choose "Personalize".
- When Windows 7 opens the Control Panel, click on "Desktop Background" at the bottom.
- To use a solid background color (vs. picture) for your desktop, select "Solid Colors" from the dropdown; click on a swatch to use one of the predefined colors, or click "More" (bottom of the window) and create your own with the color picker. Click "OK" and "Save Changes" to apply.
- To use a picture as wallpaper, select any other choice from the dropdown:
• "Windows Desktop Backgrounds" include all pictures that ship with Windows 7.
• "Pictures Library" gathers images from the Public Pictures folder (including the standard seven "Sample Pictures"), accessible to all users on your PC, plus images from your own Pictures folder.
• By default, "Top Rated Photos" includes only the seven samples; but if you've rated pictures using Windows Explorer, the ones with highest ratings will appear there as well.
• "My Pictures" shows all images saved in your profile's Pictures folder (a "library", in Windows 7).
• "Windows Backgrounds" contain nature art; you may need to install some free software from Microsoft (Live Essentials / Photo Gallery) to see these Windows Live wallpapers.
• "Windows Photo Viewer" shows images you have set as desktop background from that program. - Click on the photo you'd like to use for your desktop, and it is applied so you can preview it.
Tip: Select multiple images' checkbox to make Windows rotate wallpaper, like a slideshow. Then, optionally set the "Change picture every..." timer at the bottom, turn "Shuffle" on or off, and optionally disable slideshow wallpaper when running on battery.
- Depending on the picture you use and your screen resolution, you may need to adjust the way it is displayed on screen, using the "Picture position" dropdown (bottom left).
• "Fill" = Image is resized (constrained proportions, no distortion), so that no area of the desktop remains filled with color - this nearly always means that part of the picture is cropped.
• "Fit" = Picture's height or width fills the screen, the rest is a solid color - no distortion occurs.
• "Stretch" = Distorts image to make it as wide and as high as your screen resolution.
• "Tile" = Repeats the picture across the screen - no effect if it is larger than your screen resolution.
• "Center" = picture centered on screen; unless dimensions match screen resolution, Windows will crop the picture, or fill the rest of the screen with the color selected under "Solid Colors". - Click on "Save changes" to apply the current preview, or "Cancel" to revert without saving.
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