Windows Spotlight is a feature offered by Microsoft through Windows 10. Images are downloaded daily from Bing when Spotlight is enabled on computers running Windows 10 or Windows 11. Images are used as background image on PC lock screen.
While Windows Spotlight is a great feature for adding variety to your lock screen backgrounds, it’s not without its challenges. One such difficulty is that the feature stops working. So the images are no longer changing, which could be due to various reasons.
Ways to Fix Windows Spotlight Image Not Working
If your computer is running Windows 10 or Windows 11 and Spotlight is not enabled, it could be due to one of the following:
- Disabled background apps
- Broken snapshots in the Spotlight folder
- Incorrect regional language settings
- Incorrect internet connection.
Now that you have an idea of what’s causing Windows Spotlight images to stop working, here’s what you can do to fix it:
Enabling Background Apps
Windows Spotlight uses Bing images for the lock screen background image. Windows Spotlight may be affected if Microsoft Edge (the browser that runs Bing as the default search engine) is not running. Here’s how to fix this:
Stage 1: Click the start menu and select the gear icon that represents Settings.
Step 2: Click Privacy in the settings windows.
Stage 3: Scroll through the options under App Permissions and select Background Apps in the left pane.
Step 4: Scroll through the list of apps and make sure Settings and Microsoft Edge are open.
Cleaning Corrupted Spotlight Images
Cleaning the Spotlight image folder is an easy way to fix Windows Spotlight Image not working. To use this method, you can follow the steps below:
Stage 1: Click the start button and search for Run. Alternatively, you can simultaneously press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard.
Step 2: Enter the following command path in the box in the Run window:
%USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings
Stage 3: Press Enter on your keyboard or click OK; this should open the PC Settings folder.
Step 4: Right-click the settings.dat file and select Rename.
Step 5: Change the filename to settings.dat.bak.
Step 6: Right-click the roaming.lock file and select Rename.
Step 7: Change the filename to roaming.lock.bak.
Step 8: Restart the PC.
Step 9: After the computer restarts, click on the Start menu and select Settings.
Step 10: Click on Personalization option from Windows Settings.
Step 11: In the left pane of the window, select Lock Screen.
Step 1/2: Click the Background drop-down menu and then select Windows Spotlight.
After you complete these steps, you can run a quick test to make sure Windows Spotlight is enabled. Lock your computer by simultaneously pressing the Windows + L keys on your keyboard. You should see new images every time you try to sign in.
Resetting Windows Spotlight Using PowerShell
If the other methods above don’t work, you can try resetting Windows Spotlight using PowerShell. Here’s how it works:
Stage 1: Click on Personalization option from Windows Settings.
Step 2: In the left pane of the window, select Lock Screen.
Stage 3: Click the Background drop-down menu and then choose Picture or Slideshow.
Step 4: Click Start and then search for PowerShell.
Step 5: Go to the Windows PowerShell results and then select Run as Administrator.
Step 6: Copy and paste or type the following command:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register}
Step 7: Press Enter on PC.
Step 8: Restart the PC.
Step 9: Launch Windows Settings from the start menu.
Step 10: Click on Personalization option from Windows Settings.
Step 11: In the left pane of the window, select Lock Screen.
Step 1/2: Click the Background drop-down menu and then select Windows Spotlight.
Once you’re done with this process, Windows Spotlight should start working normally.
Saving Windows Spotlight Images
That’s it for how to fix Windows Spotlight images not working. You can also save Spotlight images as your computer’s background or other use when the Windows Spotlight feature starts working again.