How to Change Your Mac's Background

Learn to change your Mac's background!
2 minutes

I love customizing my Mac, changing my Mac's wallpaper or background is a big part of that. I tend to change my Mac background with my mood, the seasons, and my ever-fluctuating interests. Luckily, it is easy to do, and can be done in under 2 minutes!

There are many ways to change your Mac background, be it in system preferences or directly from the image. However, in this guide, I will show you what I think is the easiest way to change your Mac background. I will also show you how to adjust that image on your Mac's screen.

Once you are done changing your Mac's background, learn how to change your Mac's appearance!

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Find the Image

First, you will want to find the family photo, screenshot, or other image that you plan on using as your Desktop Picture (otherwise known as your background or wallpaper).

If you have to search for an image online, save it to your desktop for easy access.

If you have a photo you want to use, consider doing the same, or making it easy to locate and right-click.

Once you have the image on your Mac, move to the next step.

Right-Click the Image

Next, right-click the image, so that you can bring up the selection pane. On a MacBook, right-clicking is a two-finger click.

Click "Set as Desktop Picture"

Scroll down to the bottom of the selection pane and click "Set as Desktop Picture."

Choose How it Will Fit the Screen

Now, you can play with how the image fits your screen. To adjust how the image fits the screen follow the steps below:

  1. Click the Apple logo
  2. Click System Preferences
  3. Select "Desktop & Screen Saver"
  4. Select the option you prefer

They are many options for how the image appears on the desktop, all of which change the aesthetic and location of the image on your Mac's screen:

  1. Fill Screen- This option will make the image fit the screen, often cutting off edges if the image is a different size or shape than your screen.
  2. Fit to Screen- This option will allow the image to maintain its original size and shape, but you will have space on the screen that is filled by the color of your choosing. A small swatch will appear next to the "fit to screen: selection that you can click on, which will allow you to customize the color.
  3. Stretch to Fill Screen- This option will stretch the image in the necessary directions in a way that may distort the features within that image.
  4. Center- This option will center a smaller version of the image on your desktop. Like "fit to screen," this option will allow you to customize the color that surrounds your image.
  5. Tile- This option will create a tiled sequence of your image, so multiple of the same image fill the entire screen.

Try them out and see which one you like best! Once you have made your selection, you are free to enjoy your new background!

Change your Mac's accent color in under a minute!
1 minute

Mac appearances are, lucky for Mac users, highly customizable. Customizing your Mac's appearance can be a fun way to make your Mac fit your style or aesthetic.