7 Best Fixes for Windows 11 Wallpaper Keeps Going Black

Windows 11 allows you to customize your user experience. You can change the theme, personalize the lock screen, and, of course, the desktop wallpaper. However, some users have reported that their desktop wallpaper keeps going black. If you’re experiencing this issue, we have compiled a list of solutions to fix the problem.

1. Manually Change Your Wallpaper

To change the wallpaper on your Windows 11 computer, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type “Settings,” and open the app from the search results.

2. Go to Personalization.

3. Select Background.

4. Choose a wallpaper from the options provided under Personalize Your Background.

2. Set New Wallpaper Using Context Menu

Here’s an alternative way to replace the black background on your Windows 11 PC’s desktop.

Step 1: Press Windows key+ E to open File Explorer. Go to the folder with the image you want to use as wallpaper.

Step 2: Right-click on the image and select ‘Set as desktop background’.

If the background remains black, try the following solutions.

3. Restart the File Explorer

If you cannot change your wallpaper using File Explorer, try restarting the app and check if you can switch back to your preferred Windows 11 wallpaper. Here’s how:

Step 1: Click the Start button, type Task Manager, and open the app from the search results.

Step 2: Click on Users in the left menu.

Review and streamline the text while maintaining meaning and tone:

“Your user email address will be visible on the right side. Step 3: Click the arrow icon next to your email address.”

Step 4: After all the options are revealed, scroll down and look for Windows Explorer.

Step 5: Right-click on Windows Explorer and select Restart from the options.

Step 6: Close the Task Manager window and try changing the wallpaper from File Explorer to see if the problem is solved.

4. Update the Display Drivers

An outdated version of the Display Drivers on your Windows 11 PC may cause the wallpaper to go black on the desktop. Here’s how to check and update the Display Drivers.

Step 1: Click the Start button, type Device Manager, and open the app from the search results.

Step 2: From the Device Manager, click on the arrow next to Display Adapters.

Step 3: Right-click on your video card name and select Update Driver from the options.

Step 4: In a dialog box, click on Search Automatically for Drivers to let Windows find and install the best Display driver for your computer.

After installing the driver, try changing your wallpaper.

5. Change ‘Ease of Access’ Settings

Ease of Access is a feature that offers various accessibility settings for your Windows computer. This includes enabling On-Screen Keyboard, Magnifier, and Rich Contrast. You can try adjusting display settings in this menu to resolve the black wallpaper issue.

Step 1: Click the Start button, type Control Panel, and open the app from the search results.

Step 2: Click on Ease of Access on the bottom-right side.

Step 3: Click on Ease of Access Center.

Step 4: Click on ‘Make the Computer Easier to See.’

Step 5: Scroll down and find ‘Make Things on the Screen Easier to See.’ Step 6: Make sure ‘Remove Background Images (When Available)’ is unchecked. Step 7: Close the Control Panel window and try changing your wallpaper.

6. Rename Corrupt Transcoded Wallpaper File

Whenever you select an image for the desktop background, Windows converts the image to a JPG format, regardless of its original file format. This is known as a Transcoded Wallpaper File. If your Windows 11 wallpaper keeps turning black automatically, the Transcoded Wallpaper file may be corrupted. Here’s how you can rename it.

Step 1: Click on the Windows Search icon on the Taskbar.

Step 2: In the Search Bar, enter the following file location and press Enter:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\

Step 3: Select the TranscodedWallpaper file, and press F2 to rename it.
Step 4: Rename the file to TranscodedWallpaper.old.

Close the window and try changing the wallpaper.

7. Update Windows 11 Version

If none of the solutions work, we suggest updating Windows 11 on your computer. The new build will automatically fetch new drivers and apply improvements, which might solve the glitch.

Step 1: Click the Start button, type Settings, and open the app.

Click on Windows Update at the top-right corner.

Step 3: If an update is available, download and install it.

After completing the update installation, try changing your desktop wallpaper.

Remove Black Wallpaper

These solutions restore your favorite desktop wallpaper on Windows 11. You can also check our post on using Dynamic Lock on Windows 11.