If you don't activate your copy of Windows 10, you have to deal with a few limitations. One of these is that the entire Personalization section of the Settings app is disabled, so you can't change your wallpaper, colors, and similar preferences.

Thankfully, you can still change the wallpaper on an unactivated copy of Windows 10. We'll show you the workaround to set any wallpaper you like.

How to Change Your Windows 10 Wallpaper Without Activating

First, download the image that you want to set as your wallpaper in Windows 10. Simply use your browser, through Google Images or similar, to locate any image that you'd like to set as your wallpaper. Right-click on it and choose Save image as, then save it to a convenient location on your PC.

Once that's done, open File Explorer and browse to the folder where you saved the image. Right-click on the picture and choose Set as desktop background. This will immediately apply the image as your wallpaper and overwrite any image that was there previously.

Set Image as Wallpaper Windows 10

If you want, you can even select multiple images by holding Ctrl while clicking them, or by dragging your mouse over them. Later, right-click on your desktop and choose Next desktop background to change the current image.

Related: How to Change the Look and Feel of Your Windows 10 Desktop

How to Change Your Wallpaper Through a Browser

Certain browsers, including Firefox and Internet Explorer, have the option to set an image as your wallpaper without downloading it. Just right-click on an image and choose Set As Desktop Background (Firefox) or Set as background (Internet Explorer) to set it as your wallpaper even faster.

Firefox Set Wallpaper Image

In most cases, it's probably a good idea to download the image so you can keep it for future use. But if you see an image you really like and want to set a new wallpaper immediately, this makes it a cinch.

Apply Wallpapers, Even With Unactivated Windows 10

With this easy workaround, you can set a desktop wallpaper while using an unactivated copy of Windows 10. This helps your computer feel more personalized, even if you can't use all of the other customization options.

Keep in mind that doing this won't remove the "Activate Windows" watermark that appears on your computer; that requires other steps.