How to Change Your Wallpaper on Windows 11, Mac, iPhone and Android (2026)

The short version

• ●Windows 11: right-click the desktop → Personalize → Background → Browse photos.
• ●Mac: right-click the image in Finder → Set Desktop Picture.
• ●iPhone: save the image to Photos → open it → Share → Use as Wallpaper.
• ●Android: open the image in Google Photos or Gallery → ⋮ → Use as / Set as wallpaper.

The rest of this guide covers each step in detail, including unzipping a wallpaper pack and fixing images that look stretched.

Step 1: Unzip your wallpaper pack

Wallpaper packs usually arrive as a single ZIP file. You need to extract it before you can use the images.

• ●Windows: right-click the ZIP → Extract All → Extract.
• ●Mac: double-click the ZIP. A folder with the images appears next to it.
• ●iPhone / iPad: open the Files app, find the ZIP in Downloads and tap it once. iOS extracts it into a folder. Then open an image → Share → Save Image to put it in Photos.
• ●Android: open Files by Google (or your phone's file manager), tap the ZIP → Extract.

Step 2: Set the wallpaper

Windows 11

1. Right-click an empty part of the desktop and choose Personalize.
2. Click Background.
3. Next to Personalize your background, choose Picture.
4. Click Browse photos and pick your image.
5. Under Choose a fit for your desktop image, pick Fill. This avoids black bars.

Want it to rotate? Choose Slideshow instead of Picture and select the whole folder from your pack.

macOS (Sonoma, Sequoia and later)

The fastest way: find the image in Finder, right-click it and choose Set Desktop Picture.

For more control, open System Settings → Wallpaper → Add Folder and pick the unzipped pack folder. You can then choose Fill Screen and turn on automatic rotation.

iPhone (iOS 16 and later)

1. Open the image in Photos.
2. Tap Share → Use as Wallpaper.
3. Pinch to position it, then tap Add and choose whether to use it on the Lock Screen, Home Screen or both.

Android

Menus differ between phone makers, but one of these always works:

• ●Open the image in Google Photos → tap ⋮ → Use as → Wallpaper.
• ●Or long-press the home screen → Wallpaper & style → Change wallpaper → My photos.

Why does my wallpaper look cropped or stretched?

Screens come in different shapes. Most desktop monitors are wide (16:9, like 2560×1440), while phones are tall (around 9:19.5). A single image can't match every shape exactly, so your system has to crop or scale it.

• ●Use Fill (Windows) or Fill Screen (Mac). This crops a little from the edges but never stretches the image.
• ●Avoid Stretch, which distorts the picture.
• ●Pick images with the main subject near the centre. They survive cropping on both wide and tall screens.

The easiest fix is to start with an image made for your screen's shape. Hawkforge desktop files are widescreen (around 2560×1440, a few are 21:9 ultrawide), and every wallpaper pack also has a tall 1440×3120 phone file for each design, framed so the subject stays whole instead of being cut in half by an automatic crop.

Looking for something new?

If you're here because you want a fresh background, these packs are a good start:

• ●Serenity Wallpaper Pack: calm landscapes and soft abstract art.
• ●Dark Mode Essentials: deep, dark designs that are easy on the eyes at night.
• ●Lofi Aesthetic Pack: cosy study-room and rainy-city scenes.

Or browse all wallpaper packs.