8 Ways to Fix Black Desktop Background In Windows 10

The standard feature for any Windows computer is the desktop wallpaper. You can easily change and modify it by setting a static image, a live wallpaper, a slideshow, or a simple solid color. However, there are chances that when you change the wallpaper, you may see a black background in Windows 10. Let’s see why it occurs and how to fix it.

Fix Black Desktop Background In Windows 10

Black Desktop Background in Windows 10? Reasons and Fixes

The black desktop background is usually because of

Method 1: Enable Show desktop background image option

You can try to enable the option of show Windows background on your computer to fix the issue of the black background. Follow these steps for this method:

1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings or type settings in the Windows search bar.

open the settings on your computer. For this, press Windows key + I or type settings in the search bar.

2. In Settings, go to the ‘Ease of access‘ section from the list of options.

go to the 'Ease of access' section from the list of options. | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

3. Now, go to the display section and scroll down to switch the toggle on for the option ‘Show desktop background image.’

scroll down to switch the toggle on for the option 'Show desktop background-image.'

4. Finally, Restart your computer to check if the new changes have applied or not. 

Method 2: Choose Desktop Background from the Context Menu

You can choose your desktop background from the context menu to fix the black desktop background in Windows. You can easily download the wallpaper on your computer and replace the black background with your new wallpaper. Follow these steps for this method.

1. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows Key + E or search file explorer in your Windows search bar.

Open file explorer on your windows computer

2. Open the folder where you have downloaded the image you want to use as the desktop background.

3. Now, right-click on the image and select the option of ‘Set as desktop background‘ from the context menu.

select the option of 'set as desktop background' from the context menu. | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

4. Finally, check your new desktop background. 

Also Read: 30 Best Desktop Widgets for Mac: Free and Paid

Method 3: Switch Desktop Background Type

Sometimes to fix the black desktop background in Windows 10, you need to switch the desktop background type. This method has helped users to fix the problem easily. Here is how you can do it:

1. Type ‘settings‘ in the Windows search bar then select Settings.

open the settings on your computer. For this, press Windows key + I or type settings in the search bar.

2. In the Settings window, locate and open the Personalization tab.

locate and open the personalization tab.

3. Click on the Background from the left side panel.

Click on the background in the left side panel. | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

4. Now again click on the Background to get a drop-down menu, where you can change the background type from picture to solid color or slideshow. 

change the background type from picture to solid color or slideshow.

5. Finally, after changing the background type, you can always switch back to your original wallpaper.  

Method 4: Disable High Contrast

In order to fix the black desktop background in Windows 10, you can try turning off the high contrast for your computer. Here is how you can do it:

1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings then click on the Personalization section.

locate and open the personalization tab. | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

2. Inside Personalization window, click on the ‘Colors‘ section from the left panel on the screen.

click open the 'Colors' section from the left panel on the screen. | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

3. Now, from the right panel on the screen, select the option of ‘High contrast settings.’

select the option of 'High contrast settings.' | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

4. Under the high contrast section, turn off the toggle for the option ‘Turn on high contrast.’

Disable High contrast to Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

5. Finally, you can check if this method was able to fix the problem.

Also Read: How to Disable Desktop Background Image in Windows 10

Method 5: Correct Ease of Access Settings

Sometimes you may experience the problem of black desktop background because of some accidental changes in your computer’s Ease of Access settings. To fix the issue with ease of access settings, follow the below steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R and type control panel in the Run dialog box, or you can search for the control panel from the Windows search bar. 

Type control in the run command box and press Enter to open the Control Panel application

2. Once the Control Panel window pops up, click on the Ease of Access Settings.

Ease of Access | Fix black desktop background

3. Now, you have to click on Ease of Access Center.

click on Ease of access center. | Fix black desktop background in Windows 10

4. Click on the Make the computer easier to see option.

Make the computer easier to see

5.  Scroll down and untick the option to Remove Background images then click Apply followed by Ok to save the new changes.

remove background images.

6. Finally, you can easily set a new wallpaper of your preference by going to Windows 10 Personalization settings.

Method 6: Modify Power Plan Settings

Another reason for encountering the problem of black desktop background on Windows 10 could be because of your incorrect power plan settings.

1. To open the Control Panel, press Windows key + R then type control panel and hit Enter.

Type control in the run command box and press Enter to open the Control Panel application

2. Now, go to the ‘System and Security‘ section. Make sure you have set the category view option. 

go to the 'system and security' section

3. Under System and Security, click on ‘Power Options‘ from the list.

Click on 'Power Options' from the list

4. Select ‘Change plan settings‘ beside the option of ‘Balanced (recommended),’ which is your current power plan.

Select 'Change plan settings' beside the option of 'balanced (recommended)

5. Now, click on Change advanced power settings link at the bottom of the screen.

select the link for 'Change advanced power settings'

6. Once the new window pops up, expand the item list for ‘Desktop background settings‘.

7. Make sure that the slideshow option says available, like in the screenshot below.

Make sure Slideshow under Desktop background Settings is set to Available

However, if the slideshow option on your computer is disabled, then you can enable it and set a wallpaper of your choice by going to Windows 10 Personalization settings.

Method 7: Set Desktop Background Using File Explorer

You can simply try a different way to set desired picture as background for Windows desktop as follows:

1. Locate the image file in File Explorer.

2. Right-click on the image and choose Set as desktop background.

Right-click on the image and select Set as desktop background

Method 8: Fix Corrupt TranscodedWallpaper file

If none of the above-mentioned methods are able to fix the problem, then there are chances that the transcodedWallpaper file on your Windows computer is corrupted.

1. Press Windows key + R then type %appdata% and hit Enter to open AppData folder.

Open Run by pressing Windows+R, then type %appdata%

2. Under the Roaming folder navigate to Microsoft > Windows > Themes folder.

Under Themes folder you will find the TranscodedWallpaper file

3. Under Themes folder, you will find the transcodedWallpaper file, which you have to rename as TranscodedWallpaper.old.

Rename the file as TranscodedWallpaper.old

4. Under the same folder, open Settings.ini or Slideshow.ini using Notepad, then delete the contents of this file and press CTRL + S to save this file.

Delete content of the Slideshow.ini file

5. Finally, you can set up a new wallpaper for your Windows desktop background.

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We hope the above guide was helpful and you were able to fix the problem of black desktop background in Windows 10. But if you still have any queries feel free to reach out using the comment section.

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