How to Change Windows 7 Lock Screen Background [ 2 Ways ]

How to Change Windows 7 Lock Screen Background?

If you are searching for this question, you are in the right place.

Windows 7 OS is really amazing but at some point of time, everyone gets bored with the old regular things.

Same is the case with the old regular welcome screen of Windows 7. But do you know that you can also change it according to your choice?

I know that customizing the lock screen in the latest versions is pretty easy but in this operating system, it’s pretty different.

Because in this, first you have to configure some settings, and then after that, you have to change the login screen background image.

But don’t worry, this easy-to-use guide will help you out.

So, without further ado, let’s get started…

Apart from that, I have also published an important post on how to reset Windows 7 password using cmd which is a must-read.

How to Change Windows 7 Lock Screen Background Wallpaper

Basically, this tutorial is divided into two different parts. First, we will enable the custom login image feature using Registry Editor or GPO ( Group Policy Editor ). In the second part, we will see how to change the lock screen background on windows 7.

Moreover, I have seen many users get confused between the lock, login, or logon screen but they are all same. In simple words, this is the background image of your computer machine when you log into the operating system.

Now I hope everything is clear & we can move further.

So, let’s get started…

1. Enable Custom Login Background Image

In this part, we will be creating a registry file using the registry editor that will help you in enabling the custom login screen in Windows 7. By default this option is disabled, so you have to enable it by adding the file and then changing its value accordingly.

And here are the steps to follow:-

1. Go to Search, type Regedit, and then click the OK button.

Regedit

2. Now search for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and then navigate to the given location.

Location:- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software> Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Authentication > LogonUI > Background

Windows HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

3. On the right-hand side, search for a registry file called OEMBackground. And if the file is not there, then you have to create a new file.

And for that, right-click on the blank space and select New & then select the DWORD (32-bit) Value option.

DWORD (32-bit) Value

And then change the file name to OEMBackground.

OEMBackground

4. Now double-click on it & change its value to 1 and then click OK.

Change Value to 1

5. Now Close the Registry Editor and move to the 2nd part.

Note:- If you are not comfortable with creating or editing registry files then I would suggest you to use the Local Group Policy Editor.

Alternative: Group Policy Editor ( GPO )

However, this part is almost similar to the above one. In the above section, we have changed the login screen settings using Registry Editor but here we will be using the Group Policy Editor which is much safer for new users.

Note:- If you are using Windows 7 Home version then it will not work because GPO is only available in Ultimate, Professional, and Enterprise versions.

And here are the steps to follow:-

1. Open Run Command and type gpedit.msc & then click OK.

gpedit.msc

2. Now navigate to the given location path.

Path:- Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon

3. Once you are in the Logon folder, you will find a setting “Always use custom logon background” & double-click on it.

Local Group policy editor

4. Now change the “Not Configured” option to Enabled & click OK.

Always use custom logon background Enabled

And Done! You are all set with the custom login background image settings using by default options of Windows OS.

Now let’s move to the next part…

2. Changing Windows 7 Lock Screen Wallpaper

Now that you have already configured all the settings, it’s time for the best part of this post where we will see how to change the lock screen background image in Windows 7 of your choice.

And here are the steps to follow:-

1. First, select any wallpaper that you want to set as the background image of your computer screen.

Note:- The image must be in .jpg format and the size less than 256KB.

2. Now rename the image to backgroundDefault.

Windows 7 Login Screen Background Image

3. Now open the Windows File Explorer and then navigate to the Windows 7 lock screen wallpaper location where all these files are stored.

Location:- C:\Windows\System32\oobe

4. In the oobe folder create a new folder and then rename it to “info”. After that, in the info folder create a new folder & rename it to backgrounds.

Windows File Explorer

5. Now copy the backgroundDefault image that you have created earlier and then paste it to the backgrounds folder.

backgrounds folder

That’s it! You have successfully changed or set the custom Windows 7 lock screen wallpaper background.

Custom Windows 7 Lock Screen Wallpaper

Note:- If the image is not fitting properly on the screen, you can rename the file backgroundDefault to specific resolutions.

  • background768×1280.jpg (0.6)
  • background900×1440.jpg (0.625)
  • background960×1280.jpg (0.75)
  • background1024×1280.jpg (0.8)
  • background1280×1024.jpg (1.25)
  • background1440×900.jpg (1.6)
  • background1920×1200.jpg (1.6)
  • background1024×768.jpg (1.33-)
  • background1280×960.jpg (1.33-)
  • background1600×1200.jpg (1.33-)
  • background1280×768.jpg (1.66-)
  • background1360×768.jpg (1.770833-)

Now let’s move further…

Using Third-Party Tools or Apps

I know that applying the above settings takes time but if you are searching for a quicker and easier way then these third-party tools can help you. One thing which I really like about these tools is that they not only allow you to change logon screen background on Windows 7 but also compress or resize the images automatically within a few clicks.

One tool which I have personally used is the Windows 7 Logon Background Changer developed by Julien Manici. And if you are searching for an alternative then you can also use Tweak’s Logon Changer for Windows 7.

And here are steps to follow:-

1. First, download the tool from the above-given link.

2. Now extract all the files from the downloaded Zip file.

3. After that, double-click on the Win7LogonBackgroundChanger.exe file and then select your favorite wallpaper & click on Apply button.

Note:- If you want to use some other custom image, then click on Choose a folder button and then navigate to the specific file or folder.

That’s it for now…

Conclusion

So, that’s how you can easily customize or change the default login screen background wallpaper using GPO and Registry Editor. Moreover, for a better computer experience use high-resolution images or pictures and set them using third-party apps or tools.

Stay tuned for the latest posts…

Feel free to share your thoughts and also tell us if you know any better way on How to Change Windows 7 Lock Screen Background Wallpaper [ 2 Ways ].

If you liked this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends.

2 thoughts on “How to Change Windows 7 Lock Screen Background [ 2 Ways ]”

Leave a Comment

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap