Personalization Find and Save Windows Spotlight Images in Windows 11

garlin · Oct 8, 2025

I've updated my original script to also copy Spotlight Desktop wallpapers in full resolution.

Copies both Spotlight Lock Screen (1920x1080 resolution) and Desktop wallpapers (3840x2160 resolution).
Portrait-style images for both of them are only available in 1080x1920 resolution.
Save folder is renamed "Windows Spotlight" on the Desktop. The old folder didn't have a space between the words.
Image filenames are now written in UTF-8 format, to preserve accented characters in place names.
For example: 2025-09-24 Cabo de São Vicente Lighthouse, Portugal - Lus Casaca (Getty Images) 1920x1080.jpg
Copied files have the same time stamps as the original Windows sources.
If you prefer not to save portrait-style images, you can edit one line in the batch file:
Code:
```
$LandscapeOnly = $true
```

WElevenNewbie · Oct 9, 2025

Thank you very much for your newest version @garlin

Is it possible that not all pictures offer a high resolution Desktop Wwallpaper (3840x2160)?

When I ran your script for the first time today, I only got these 3 variants:
2025-10-08 Gran Sabana, Venezuela - apomares (Getty Images) 1920x1080
2025-10-08 Lamar Valley, Wyoming, USA - Tom Murphy (Design Pics) 1920x1080
2025-10-08 Region Tagant, Mauretanien - Heinzelmann (Adobe Stock) 1920x1080
(and the corresponding Portrait versions in 1080x1920).

Do I need to adjust anything to get the 3840x2160 variants?

WElevenNewbie · Oct 9, 2025

I had a quick look and in my Win11-Registry there is no 'CacheRoot' in the Path
'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\IrisService\Cache'
to loop for with

Code:

foreach ($RegKey in (Get-ChildItem $IrisCache | where { $_.Property -contains 'CacheRoot' }))

only numeric SubKeys like these:

garlin · Oct 9, 2025

Can you export the "IrisService\Cache" tree to a registry file, and attach it as a ZIP?

I'll need to search your reg, and see if the expected JSON data is hidden there, but without a CacheRoot entry. Thanks.

WElevenNewbie · Oct 9, 2025

I would prefer not to share this information as it includes product keys and other non-public regional and personal information.

However, I can assure you that none of your looped $ParentJSON.batchrsp.items like

$ChildJSON.ad.landscapeImage.asset
$ChildJSON.ad.iconHoverText
$ChildJSON.ad.copyright

exists in any of my various numeric subkeys.

Some of them includes nothing useful in the RawJson "batchrsp" at all:

"RawJson"="{\"batchrsp\":{\"ver\":\"1.0\",\"errors\":[{\"code\":2040,\"msg\":\"Demand source returns error (Name: GN_ps, Error: No eligible content.).\"}]}}"

Others look like advertising entries for WhatsApp, Instagram, CoPilot and so on.

Maybe you can show me one of YOUR working entries and I can compare it myself?

garlin · Oct 9, 2025

This data is from a VM instance, so I'm not worried about the tracking data links.

WElevenNewbie · Oct 9, 2025

Thank you for your quick response and support!

As I feared, these entries are completely missing from my system:
"CacheRoot"=
"InitialJson"=

And your "RawJson"= differs completely from mine.

I assume there is a problem with the entries for Desktop Wallpapers in my Win11 registry.
As no one else seems to have this problem, please don't spend any more time on this issue.
Thanks again!

LesFerch · Oct 9, 2025

WElevenNewbie said:
As no one else seems to have this problem

Small sample size. The tutorial has a different, more limited, script. I gave a thumbs up for the support from @garlin, but have not tested his script.

WElevenNewbie · Oct 9, 2025

garlin said:
This data is from a VM instance

Just to let you know @garlin :
Your new script works perfectly fine!
I've just installed a fresh copy of Windows 11 in a VM and get the bigger Desktop Wallpapers too.

Sorry for any unnecessary trouble caused. :hug:

WElevenNewbie · Nov 19, 2025

One litte addition for your script:

You should use something like


function Sanitize-FileName {
    param([string]$Name)
    # Replace all invalid characters with a hyphen
    return ($Name -replace '[\\\/:*?"<>|]', '-').Trim()
}

and use it like this before the Download starts:


$LandscapeFile = Sanitize-FileName $LandscapeFile

Otherweise files with invalid characters (like a Slash or colon) from the description or creator can not be saved.

garlin · Nov 19, 2025

While that's a helpful suggestion, my impression of the MS metadata feeds is they're already sanitizing the source text and it won't pass any "bad" characters. If you dig deeper into the cache content, it's very heavy on structured JSON. For their own benefit, they're probably not passing problematic text in the raw JSON.

The only "special" characters would be ones I introduce to the filename. My arbitrary scheme works out to:

Code:

[Date if provided] {location} - {photographer} ({copyright holder}) {x pixels}x{y pixels}

{location} is usually furnished as "place, country".
{photographer} looks like MS is sometimes incorrectly lopping off part of the photographer's name, like leaving some social media tag instead of a person's name.

This script's been around for two years, and I haven't seen "bad" characters getting passed off. But if that does happen, I will implement your suggested fix.

WElevenNewbie · Nov 20, 2025

It just happened yesterday with a Slash in "Bisti/De-Na-Zin" which is not a valid character for a filename:

Feuer · Nov 20, 2025

@Brink

"%LocalAppData%\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalCache\Microsoft\IrisService\"

I dont know if they give same file names or not but
If a file exist with same filename in different subfolders, BAT file will not copy each of them, it will only copy the first of them (although they are different files)

for example

There are 2 different files in A and B folder with same name 123456.jpg

"%LocalAppData%\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalCache\Microsoft\IrisService\A\123456.jpg"
"%LocalAppData%\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalCache\Microsoft\IrisService\B\123456.jpg"

There will be 1 file from "A" folder

"%UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowsSpotlightImages\123456.jpg"

Tell me if i am wrong.

Brink · Nov 20, 2025

Hello @Feuer,

If a file with the same name is copied into the folder that already has file with the same name, it should add the usual "(1)" type number to the file name.

Feuer · Nov 20, 2025

Code:

cd "%LocalAppData%\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalCache\Microsoft\IrisService\"
for /r %%f in (*) do (
  if "%%~xf"==".jpg" (
    set dest="%UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowsSpotlightImages\%%~nxf"
    if not exist !dest! copy "%%f" !dest!
  )
)

I talk about BAT file

If file exist with the same name in destination folder, this BAT script will not copy the file even if it is different or not

if not exist !dest! copy "%%f" !dest! - if file does not exist it will copy
but if it exists in destination it will not copy

"%LocalAppData%\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalCache\Microsoft\IrisService\A\123456.jpg" - it will copy this one to %UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowsSpotlightImages\

so we have "%UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowsSpotlightImages\123456.jpg" now

FOR loop continues

"%LocalAppData%\Packages\MicrosoftWindows.Client.CBS_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalCache\Microsoft\IrisService\B\123456.jpg" - but it will not copy this one because 123456.jpg exists in "%UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowsSpotlightImages"

The batch file is working like this.

You can try that if you want
Create A and B folders in \IrisService\ folder, put 2 different jpg files with same name (in my example 123456.jpg) run the BAT script that you give in tutorial, you will see only one 123456.jpg file exist in "%UserProfile%\Desktop\WindowsSpotlightImages"

Brink · Nov 20, 2025

@Feuer,

Are they different sizes for you? If not, then I don't think it matters if it they are identical files with the same name.

Feuer · Nov 20, 2025

I told this because working of BAT files, it was a senario but it is possible. I havent any issue.

Brink · Nov 20, 2025

Feuer said:
I told this because working of BAT files, it was a senario but it is possible. I havent any issue.

No worries. I just wanted to check if it was an issue.

garlin · Nov 20, 2025

WElevenNewbie said:
It just happened yesterday with a Slash in "Bisti/De-Na-Zin" which is not a valid character for a filename:

After searching online, I did find other references to the same New Mexico spot as "Bisti/De-Na-Zin".

I've updated the script using this new expression:

Code:

$SharedName = ('{0} {1} - {2} ({3})' -f $Date, $Description, $Creator, $Licensing) -replace '[\/:]',' - ' -replace '[\\*?"<>|]

"/" and ":" are replaced by " - ".
All other special characters are blocked.

garlin · Nov 20, 2025

Lock Screen images are only in 2K, but the Desktop images are 4K (in landscape mode). Not sure why MS does that.

Personalization Find and Save Windows Spotlight Images in Windows 11

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