How to change your desktop wallpaper on Mac

Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then select Wallpaper in the sidebar. Pick a built-in wallpaper, a colour or an image under Your Photos. If your file is not listed, choose Add Photo → Choose File and open it from Finder.

The new picture applies to the desktop you are currently using. If it appears everywhere, check the current wallpaper controls and turn off Show on all Spaces before setting the other desktops individually.

In Finder, Control-click a saved image and choose Set Desktop Picture. In Photos, select an image, open the Share menu and choose Set Wallpaper. These routes are faster when you already have the file in front of you.

Use Wallpaper settings when you need more control. It is the better place to change the image position, choose a still version of a dynamic wallpaper or manage photos and folders you have added before.

A wallpaper should match the display’s aspect ratio and, ideally, its physical pixel dimensions. A small square image can still fill a widescreen display, but macOS has to enlarge and crop it. Text near the edge is usually the first thing to disappear.

For a labelled project wallpaper, export a separate image for each monitor. Keep the project name within a generous safe area, then use Fill Screen for an edge-to-edge result or Fit to Screen when keeping the whole image matters more than filling every pixel.

First assign System Settings to All Desktops from its Dock icon. Move to the Space you want to change, choose its wallpaper, switch to the next Space and repeat. Mission Control lets you check the row without closing Wallpaper settings.

Use a different colour as well as a different image. Colour survives behind busy windows and remains recognisable when the desktop shrinks into a Mission Control thumbnail.