Solved Automatically set Spotlight image as background on Windows 10

LesFerch · Jan 1, 2024

I went looking for an app that would automatically set the background to the Spotlight image (on Windows 10) and found Dynamic Theme. Mentioned here:

Any Windows Spotlight wallpaper app? - Windows 10 Help Forums

Hello!! I absolutely love the Windows 10 Spotlight images which are randomly displayed in login screen. Is there a way I can use the spotlight images as desktop background wallpapers via any app which will also change the images at some set interval? Ther

www.tenforums.com

However, I'm disappointed that it doesn't use the same image that is currently being used for the lock screen. Instead, it downloads a random Spotlight image on its own. While there's nothing wrong with that, I want my background to be set to the same image as the lock screen, as it is on Windows 11.

I'm going to write my own tool to do that, unless someone tells me it's already been done. So that's my question. Is there a tool out there that will set the Windows 10 background to the Spotlight lock screen image?

garlin · Jan 1, 2024

Technically, there could be multiple lockscreen images, but OK whatever...

Code:

# https://www.joseespitia.com/2017/09/15/set-wallpaper-powershell-function/

Function Set-WallPaper($Image) {
 
Add-Type -TypeDefinition @"
using System;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 
public class Params
{
    [DllImport("User32.dll",CharSet=CharSet.Unicode)]
    public static extern int SystemParametersInfo (Int32 uAction, Int32 uParam, String lpvParam, Int32 fuWinIni);
}
"@
 
    $SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER = 0x0014
    $UpdateIniFile = 0x01
    $SendChangeEvent = 0x02
 
    $fWinIni = $UpdateIniFile -bor $SendChangeEvent
 
    $ret = [Params]::SystemParametersInfo($SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER, 0, $Image, $fWinIni)
 
}

$SID = ([System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).User.Value
$LockScreenFile = Get-ChildItem "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\$SID\ReadOnly" -Recurse -File | select -First 1

Set-WallPaper($LockScreenFile.FullName)

trumpy81 · Jan 1, 2024

Les, your lockscreen images should be located in one of the folders at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\

You will need to take ownership of that folder to get into it, but from there you could possible write a script file to rotate the image files at will, set them as the Desktop image or use them for whatever purpose you like.

Please let me know what you come up with, I'd be interested to see it

Of course @garlin's script seems to have it covered ... lol

garlin · Jan 1, 2024

Actually you don't need to change any permissions, if you're only parsing your own SID's folders. My posted script doesn't need special permissions to read the folder.

trumpy81 · Jan 1, 2024

Yeah, I saw your script AFTER I had posted and I only offered a manual way to get to the images.

Your solution is much better though ... lol

garlin · Jan 1, 2024

@trumpy81, I read the Superuser discussion about requiring takeown, but they're wrong.

You can have an intermediate folder in the path which only allows execute but not read permission. If you know the child folder's name past that level, then read permission isn't required until you get to the very last folder in the full path.

LesFerch · Jan 1, 2024

@garlin Not bad. Not bad at all.

I see that file location contains the current image fill-adjusted for my monitor's resolution. Whereas, %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets contains the last three images in their original 1920x1080 (landscape) and 1080x1920 (portrait) formats. I was thinking of writing a tool that would display the current image on the primary monitor and the next newest ones on the second and third monitors respectively (not sure what I'd do with 4 or more monitors).

The script above uses SystemParametersInfo, so it will display the same image on all monitors. The IDesktopWallpaper interface has to be used to change the wallpaper on individual monitors. I've done that already in my WallP app, so I have most of the pieces already.

In the meantime, I'll definitely use that script. Thank you!

LesFerch · Jan 1, 2024

garlin said:
@trumpy81, I read the Superuser discussion about requiring takeown, but they're wrong.

You can have an intermediate folder in the path which only allows execute but not read permission. If you know the child folder's name past that level, then read permission isn't required until you get to the very last folder in the full path.

Exactly! The proof is in the testing. The script can be run in a normal PowerShell window.

trumpy81 · Jan 1, 2024

Yeah, my knowledge of Power Shell is somewhat limited and the only way I could think of, on short notice, was to access the folder directly.

The script is a much more elegant solution, but out of my scope ATM. I am learning though ... lol

LesFerch · Jan 3, 2024

BTW, for anyone looking at this thread and wondering what's he on about... I actually meant to post this to tenforums.com. Oops.

@Brink (or whomever) please feel free to relocate this to tenforums.com. In the meantime, I'll edit the title.