Personalization Delete Desktop Background Wallpaper History in Windows 11


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Desktop_background_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to delete all or specific recent images from desktop background wallpaper history for your account in Windows 11.

You can change your desktop background in Windows 11 to be a picture, solid color, a slideshow, or Spotlight collection.

Windows keeps the last 5 recent images referenced with full path in the registry as your desktop background wallpaper history.


Contents

  • Option One: Delete All Desktop Background Wallpaper History using REG file
  • Option Two: Delete Specific Desktop Background Wallpaper History in Registry Editor


EXAMPLE: Desktop background "Recent images" history

Desktop_background_wallpaper_recent_history.png





Option One

Delete All Desktop Background Wallpaper History using REG file


1 Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below.

Delete_all_desktop_background_wallpaper_history_for_current_user.reg


(Contents of REG file for reference)
Code:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers]
"BackgroundHistoryPath0"=-
"BackgroundHistoryPath1"=-
"BackgroundHistoryPath2"=-
"BackgroundHistoryPath3"=-
"BackgroundHistoryPath4"=-

2 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

3 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

4 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

5 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.




Option Two

Delete Specific Desktop Background Wallpaper History in Registry Editor


1 Open Registry Editor (regedit.exe).

2 Navigate to the key below in the left pane of Registry Editor. (see screenshot below step 3)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers

3 In the right pane of the Wallpapers key, select the BackgroundHistoryPath0, BackgroundHistoryPath1, BackgroundHistoryPath2, BackgroundHistoryPath3, and/or BackgroundHistoryPath4 string values (REG_SZ) you want to delete, right click on the selected item(s), and click/tap on Delete. (see screenshot below)

Desktop_background_wallpaper_recent_history_regedit-1.png

4 Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)

Desktop_background_wallpaper_recent_history_regedit-2.png

5 When finished, you can close Registry Editor if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


 

Attachments

  • Desktop_background.png
    Desktop_background.png
    16.7 KB · Views: 149
  • Delete_all_desktop_background_wallpaper_history_for_current_user.reg
    872 bytes · Views: 267
Last edited:
Hey @Brink anyway you could share that Alien background? I really like it... if not, that's fine.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro β
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    Laptop
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    HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eg0070wm
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    Intel® Core™ i7-1165G7
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System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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    PC/Desktop
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    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
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    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
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    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
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    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
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    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
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    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
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    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
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    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
@Brink, is there a similar place in the registry for the lock screen? For the recent images under Personalization > Lock screen?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-10600K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Elite AC
    Memory
    32 GB (G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3600C16D-32GVKC)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming Z Trio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG UltraGear 32GR93U
    Screen Resolution
    4K
    Hard Drives
    Kingston A2000 500GB; Kingston A2000 1TB; Seagate Barracuda Compute 3,5", 8TB
    PSU
    be quiet! Straight Power 11 750W
    Case
    be quiet! Silent Base 801
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-1155G7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xᵉ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
@Brink, is there a similar place in the registry for the lock screen? For the recent images under Personalization > Lock screen?
Hello mate, :)

The lock screen custom image history is stored below. Each custom image is stored in a LockScreen_x folder. Deleting the folder will remove that image from history.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
I'll take a look at it later, thanks.

I installed the default photos app today and before I could change its settings, it changed the lock screen image automatically. To a picture of my water meter, which I also took today. :eyeroll:
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-10600K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Elite AC
    Memory
    32 GB (G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3600C16D-32GVKC)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming Z Trio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG UltraGear 32GR93U
    Screen Resolution
    4K
    Hard Drives
    Kingston A2000 500GB; Kingston A2000 1TB; Seagate Barracuda Compute 3,5", 8TB
    PSU
    be quiet! Straight Power 11 750W
    Case
    be quiet! Silent Base 801
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-1155G7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xᵉ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
@Brink, that did the trick, thanks! I found only some folders in SystemData pertaining to the lock screen images, no other info. So just deleted the entire SystemData folder. :scream:If it ever gets recreated, it will be with default permissions. MS should just add an option to clear recent images or something...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-10600K
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z490 Elite AC
    Memory
    32 GB (G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3600C16D-32GVKC)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming Z Trio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG UltraGear 32GR93U
    Screen Resolution
    4K
    Hard Drives
    Kingston A2000 500GB; Kingston A2000 1TB; Seagate Barracuda Compute 3,5", 8TB
    PSU
    be quiet! Straight Power 11 750W
    Case
    be quiet! Silent Base 801
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-1155G7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xᵉ
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
Another alternative to removing your custom background image would be the same as mentioned by Brink in his tutorial, but you could just remove the last one from the list because all the default Windows Backgrounds are c:\windows\web\wallpaper\themeb\img24.jpg but your personalised background will be saved under your C:\Users\YourUsername\ therefore, all you need to do is look through the list anything not associated with windows\web\wallpaper\ you know that these are the personalised images for your desktop. Why MS didn't make this easier for the novice I do not know.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    n/a
    Memory
    8GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel
    Sound Card
    RealTeck
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Laptop
    Screen Resolution
    HD
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    SSD
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    n/a
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    n/a
    Cooling
    n/a
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    n/a
    Mouse
    HP
    Internet Speed
    1G
    Browser
    MSE
    Antivirus
    Norton
    Other Info
    n/a
Hey @Brink,
great tutorial, (y)

Is there a possibility that You make reg file for deleting (all) recent lock screen images from history, 🙏

Cheers
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
Hey @Brink,
great tutorial, (y)

Is there a possibility that You make reg file for deleting (all) recent lock screen images from history, 🙏

Cheers

Hello, :alien:

I'm not aware of an easy way to delete the contents of the ReadOnly folder below for an account with an unique ID to clear it with the level of protection it has by default.

 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Spectre x360 2in1 14-eu0098nr (2024)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 155H 4.8 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Graphics card(s)
    Integrated Intel Arc
    Sound Card
    Poly Studio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED multitouch
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    2 TB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD
    Internet Speed
    Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE200 (2x2) and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes Premium

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