Changing the Default Lock Screen Image

I looked into changing the default lock screen image that's shown after a restart, not the one you might choose like Windows Spotlight. Here's the normal default:

Supposedly you can do that by changing a registry setting:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization

and setting a LockScreenImage value, like this:


I did that but with varying results. I've seen cases where it chooses the image I specify, but in most other cases it's changing it to something different, but not the image I specified, nor still using the default one. So it partially works, making a change, but it's not using the one I'm specifying. Any ideas why it's choosing a different random image than what I'm specifying?

Settings>Personalization:

A. Under Background choose Picture.
B. Click on Browse and choose the image you want to use.

You'll need to be signed on to your PC as Administrator, show hidden files, folders and drives in Folder Options, navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows, Take Ownership of the SystemData folder, drill down to LockScreen_A...., etc.,
copy the notdimmed.jpg from one of the other folders to LockScreen_W, restart Explorer.

(This method will reset with every update!)

Edwin said:

You'll need to be signed on to your PC as Administrator, show hidden files, folders and drives in Folder Options, navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows, Take Ownership of the SystemData folder, drill down to LockScreen_A...., etc.,
copy the notdimmed.jpg from one of the other folders to LockScreen_W, restart Explorer.

(This method will reset with every update!)

I follow most of what you said, but don't follow:

copy the notdimmed.jpg from one of the other folders to LockScreen_W, restart Explorer.

Which one should I copy? Can I choose a picture of my own, and if I do should I rename it to some special name?

PaulaJava said:

I changed my default on our servers and computer with this registry hack:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization]"
LockScreenImage"="C:\\Windows\\Web\\Screen\\img103.png"

I don't like the cave. Cave's scare me.

Well, I can't get that to reliably change the lock screen either. It keeps choosing this image, which is img101.png at that location, no matter what I select with that registry key, such as a different location, or no matter if I even change that image there to something else.

Does anyone else have any ideas on this? I still can't get the lockscreen to change to what I want. Thanks in advance.

- - - Updated - - -

I also tried contacting support for Winaero since it doesn't change the lockscreen either to see if they had ideas, but the email bounced. Does anyone know how to contact Winaero support?

Bumping to see if there's any other ideas. Thx.

js0873 said:

Bumping to see if there's any other ideas. Thx.

Running Windows 10 Pro v1903 this powershell script worked for me. Run it as admin. Read the comments with the .ps1 for usage. It's pretty straightforward.

Change Lock Screen and Desktop Background in Windows 10 Pro

p.s. Don't know if it makes any difference, but I disabled Ctl-Alt-Del for my lock screen.