When Windows 8 was first released, the operating system received a ton of criticism for what it did. Complaints included replacing the Start Menu with the Start Screen and a new design aimed at focusing Windows application development within the new Start Screen as opposed to desktop apps. It also received a ton of criticism for not allowing users to do it, the biggest of which was customizing the Start Screen. Fortunately, with Windows 8.1, users can now style the Start Screen to their liking, even with a picture. Here’s how to add a background to the Start Screen in Windows 8.1.
To go Start screen.
Press to open the desktop. You can also open the Desktop with the Desktop Live Tile.
right click in any free space of Windows taskbar. It’s the small translucent bar that stretches across the bottom of the screen.
Choose from the drop-down menu Properties.
Click inside the Taskbar and Navigation properties Navigation. It is the second tab from the left in the Properties Window.
In the area labeled Star Display inside the navigation properties, click the checkbox next to it. Show my desktop background on Start. Then click.
After that, any desktop background you choose will automatically become the background of the Start Screen. Even bright sunsets will still look gorgeous behind Windows 8.1’s sea of Live Tiles, as the Start Screen automatically puts a shaded gradient over all backgrounds.
Your Start Screen background is now directly tied to your Desktop backgrounds, so the Desktop background will change every time it changes. Using multiple Desktop backgrounds allows for automatically changing backgrounds on the Start Screen as well.
As long as you’re signed in with your Microsoft Account on both devices, each background syncs to any other Windows device you own.
This includes anything running Windows 8.1 or Windows RT, like Microsoft’s Surface 2. Windows 8.1 is a free update for all users with Windows 8. You can download it from the Windows Store.
