If you like to make your Windows 10 desktop look the best it can be, you may be shocked to learn that Windows 10 only saves the last five wallpapers you’ve used in its recent list. As such, if you've changed your wallpaper enough, you can’t switch back to the Windows 10 default wallpapers: There is no reset button to bring back your default wallpapers again.
However, all is not lost. The images are still lurking within Windows 10; you just need to go hunting for them. Here’s where to find the background images that come with Windows 10 if you ever want to switch back to the default.
How to Recover Windows 10's Default Background Images
You'll find the background images that came with Windows 10 lurking at "C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper." As such, we can navigate the wallpaper picker to that folder and choose the one we want to use again.
- To start, right-click on the desktop and select Personalize.
-
-
You can copy or move the images to a new location, perhaps where you store your other background images. And if you need it, be sure to check out our guide on how to change the wallpaper on an unactivated copy of Windows 10.
How to Get Back Windows 10 Default Lock Screen Images
The Windows 10 log-on screen and lock screen have a unique set of images. The Windows 10 lock screen's photos were taken at some amazing locations, so it's worth digging them back up again for reuse.
Much like the wallpapers, the Windows 10 lock screen image location is at "C:\Windows\Web\Screen," so we just need to repeat what we did for the backgrounds here.
- To change your lock screen image, open the personalization settings as above.
- Then navigate to the Lock screen tab on the left.
-
Under Background, browse to the Windows 10 default lock screen image location and choose which you want to appear when your computer wakes.
Reverting to Default Windows 10 Wallpapers
Windows 10 may not store very many images in its recent lists for desktop wallpaper and log-on screen background, but you can easily retrieve the default Windows 10 images now that you know where they are stored.