Personalization Enable or Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background in Windows 11

Brink · Sep 25, 2023

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Windows Spotlight on the desktop background for your account, specific users, or all users in Windows 11.

You can have Windows Spotlight as a theme and display different background images on your desktop and lock screen in Windows 11.

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable Windows Spotlight on the desktop background.

Contents

Option One: Enable or Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background for All or Specific Users in Local Group Policy Editor
Option Two: Enable or Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background for Current User using REG file

EXAMPLE: Windows Spotlight on desktop background enabled and disabled

Option One

Enable or Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background for All or Specific Users in Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.

All editions can use Option Two to configure the same policy.

1 Open the all users, specific users or groups, or all users except administrators Local Group Policy Editor for how you want this policy applied.

2 Navigate to the policy location below in the left pane of the Local Group Policy Editor. (see screenshot below)

User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Cloud Content

3 In the right pane of Cloud Content in the Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Turn off Spotlight collection on Desktop policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)

4 Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you want.

5 Enable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background

This is the default setting.

A) Select (dot) Not Configured. (see screenshot below)

B) Click/tap on OK, and go to step 7.

6 Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background

A) Select (dot) Enabled. (see screenshot below)

B) Click/tap on OK, and go to step 7.

7 You can now close the Local Group Policy Editor if you like.

Option Two

Enable or Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background for Current User using REG file

1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

2 Enable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background for Current User

This is the default setting

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Enable_Windows_Spotlight_on_desktop_background_for_current_user.reg

Download

(Contents of REG file for reference)

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent]
"DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop"=-

3 Disable Windows Spotlight on Desktop Background for Current User

A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.

Disable_Windows_Spotlight_on_desktop_background_for_current_user.reg

Download

(Contents of REG file for reference)

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CloudContent]
"DisableSpotlightCollectionOnDesktop"=dword:00000001

4 Save the REG file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded REG file to merge it.

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

7 You can now delete the downloaded REG file if you like.

That's it,
Shawn Brink