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- There are two primary ways to change the wallpaper on your Chromebook.
- You can change your Chromebook wallpaper by using the Wallpaper picker or through the Files app.
- You can also change the wallpaper of your Chromebook by choosing from a number of its preset wallpapers or any of the images saved to your computer.
- In addition to the wide range of pre-installed wallpapers, the Chrome Web Store has tons of free themes you can choose from to customize the appearance of the Google Chrome browser.
Welcome to our guide on how to change your Chromebook’s background. Part of the fun of getting a new Chromebook is customizing some of its settings to add that personal touch. In fact, changing the background appearance is one of the first things people do when they initially set up their Chromebook.
It’s normal not to be satisfied with the default boring Chromebook wallpaper; you can always change it to make it look more personal and visually appealing.
If this is your first time using a Chromebook, understanding how some of its settings work can require a bit of effort, even for simple details like changing your background wallpaper. One thing to note is that the Chrome operating system interface is the same on all devices, so the process for changing the wallpaper and theme is the same for all Chromebooks. Also, the Chrome Web Store has plenty of free themes you can use to personalize the Google Chrome browser’s appearance.
Change background on a Chromebook
To change the desktop background on your Chromebook, here’s what you need to do:
Wallpaper Picker
1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop (to right-click — tap the touchpad with two fingers).
2. Click Set wallpaper – this will prompt the Wallpaper Picker to pop-up in a new window with a few options to choose from for your new background.
3. From the left sidebar, select one of the background categories – landscapes, art, or colors.
4. Click one of the many images on the right to set it as your wallpaper.
5. If you prefer to use your own custom image as the wallpaper, Click My Images located at the bottom on the left side. You’ll see a list of all the images in your Downloads folder; choose the one you want as your Chromebook wallpaper.
Sometimes the images you’ve saved on your Chromebook might appear a bit blurry and stretched out, especially on a high-resolution display. If that happens, scroll to the top and select either Center or Center Cropped to make it look better.
Tip: On step 4, When choosing one of the images, you can also click on Daily Refresh at the bottom of each photo; this will make Chrome OS switch to a random wallpaper from the category each time you start up your Chromebook. A great option for you not to get bored with seeing the same wallpaper every day.
Files app
1. Click the button in the bottom-left corner of your screen.
2. Tap the up arrow to open it.
3. Select Files.
4. Under Downloads – You’ll see thumbnails of all the images in your Downloads folder, right-click on the one you want as your Chromebook wallpaper.
5. Click Set as wallpaper.
Change theme wallpaper on Chromebook
You can personalize your Chromebook a little further than just the Chrome OS wallpaper by setting a theme from the Chrome web store.
Changing the theme on your Chromebook doesn’t actually change the look and feel of the operating system; instead, what it does is change the appearance of the Chrome browser to the theme of your choice from the Chrome web store. The theme will appear as a background image each time a new tab is opened
Tip: Since Chrome browser is standard across all devices, Chrome users on Mac and Windows can also customize the Chrome browser by installing custom themes from the Chrome Web Store.
Selecting a theme of your choice is worthwhile as it allows you to tie in the color palette of your ChromeOS wallpaper with that of your browser.
To download and install a new theme for Chrome:
1. Click the Menu button in the bottom-right corner.
2. Select Setting or type chrome://settings into your address bar.
3. Select Appearance on the left side under “settings.”
4. Select Browser themes to open the themes section of the Chrome Web Store. Scroll through the page and browse through plenty of options. You can also browse for themes using the search bar, category, or rating. You can preview each theme by clicking the thumbnails and once you find the theme you like, select it. To see all themes in a specific category, select View all next to that category.
5. Select Add to Chrome. Once installed, the “Add to Chrome” icon changes into a grayed out “Added to Chrome” icon. The new theme will seamlessly be applied to Chrome immediately.
Note: Your Theme settings will be stored as part of your Google Account, so when you sign in to Chrome on another device, your theme will follow you. To prevent this, navigate to Settings > Sync > disable Themes toggle.
Remove a theme from Chrome
If you decide to change your mind or don’t like how the new theme looks, select Undo below the search bar to instantly remove the theme. To install a different theme, simply follow the same process outlined above.
If you no longer want a theme installed on Chrome, you can easily reset it to the default theme from your Chromebook’s settings.
1. Open Settings or type chrome://settings into your address bar.
2. Scroll down to Appearance
3. Select Reset to default next to “Browser Theme.” Your browser will now return to the default theme, usually gray and white.
Change wallpaper on Chromebook FAQs
Answer to related questions people also ask:
How do I set a picture as my background on a Chromebook?
- Download an image (jpeg or png) from the web you’d like to use as your background wallpaper.
- Click the Launcher located in the corner of the screen, and then click the Up arrow to open it fully.
- Select “Files.”
- In the left column of your screen, choose the folder with your image.
- Right-click on the image and choose ‘Set as wallpaper.’
Can I put icons on my Chromebook desktop?
There is no way to put desktop icons on Chrome OS, and there is currently no way to add custom website shortcuts. All program icons in Chrome are located in the start menu – this helps Chromebooks remain less complex and work faster.
How do I right-click on a Chromebook?
To right-click on your Chromebook, you just need to tap two fingers on your trackpad. Another option is to use the “Alt” key on your Chromebook’s Keyboard.