One of the underrated features of Windows 10 is the customizability of the operating system. Users can change the way Windows looks and feels according to their own liking, making the device feel a part of their own. Each new Windows update introduces some new features, which expands this customizability further.
However, a recent update seems to have broken things, as users reported black desktop background and lock screen. Here, I shall discuss how you can solve this error easily on your computer.
How To Fix If Desktop Background Is Black In Windows 10?
It is highly likely that you either saw the Windows 10 wallpaper goes black after updating the operating system or installing a third-party application. One of the first things you should try is to repair or uninstall the application that caused this error.
If this didn’t help you solve this error, let us take a look at some other solutions that you can try to solve this error.
Solution 1: Review The Settings
It is possible that you may have already done it, but let us begin by taking a look at your current personalization settings. Right-click on an empty desktop background space, and select Personalization from the context menu.
Here, check the background wallpaper if it is set to a solid color. Also, check the current theme if you are using some third party theme. Change the theme to something else and check if the error persists. You can get this error if Windows cannot file one of the files in your current theme.
Solution 2: Change Settings Option
If you see Windows 10 sign in screen black, there is an option that you can enable to view the lock screen background as the sign in screen. Refreshing this option should show the background image that you set, therefore solving this error.
Follow these steps for the same:
- Open the Settings You can use the keyboard shortcut Win + I.
- Go to the Personalization section.
- From the left pane, select the Lock screen option.
- In the right column, locate an option that says the following:
Show lock screen background on the sign-in screen - Check the status of this option. If it is already enabled, first disable it and then re-enable it.
- Restart your computer to check if the error persists.
Solution 3: Remove A Corrupted File
Windows may be unable to change the desktop wallpaper if the TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file becomes corrupted. Simply deleting this file should solve your black desktop background error. Follow these steps for the same:
- Open a Run dialog using the Win + R shortcut.
- Enter the following path to directly open the directory in File Explorer:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\ - Here, either rename or delete the TranscodedWallpaper.jpg file. You will find the appropriate option from the right click context menu.
- Next, locate the slideshow.ini file and double click on it. It should open in a text editor like Notepad or MS Visual Code.
- Delete the contents of the file and save the file.
Solution 4: Change Ease Of Access Settings
There is an option in the Ease of Access section of the Settings app that can prevent you from seeing the desktop wallpaper, or make Windows 10 background turn black. Enabling this setting should solve your black desktop wallpaper error.
Follow these steps to locate and enable this setting:
- Open Settings and click on Ease of Access.
- Under the Vision section in the left pane, select Display.
- In the right column, turn off the toggle under the following option:
Show desktop background
Restart your computer to implement the changes. This should solve your error.
Solution 5: Update Graphics Driver
If none of the solutions helped you, there might be something wrong with the graphics driver. Simply updating the graphics driver should solve your error. Check here for more details on how to update your graphics drivers.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know how you can fix the black desktop background error easily using one or a combination of the solutions provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.
