Mac Wallpaper Keeps Changing? 2 Easy Fixes

Quick Tips

• macOS can change the desktop’s wallpaper on its own if the custom image previously used as the wallpaper is no longer found on the system.
• Alternatively, you might have the shuffle wallpaper feature enabled.
• If all your settings are in place, it’s likely a bug, which can be fixed with a software update.

Basic Fixes

• Restart Device: Your Mac’s wallpaper changing constantly might be just a simple software glitch. This can easily be resolved with a proper restart.
• Update macOS: The glitch might be a bug, in which case, you should ensure you’re running the latest macOS version. To do that, head over to System Settings > General > Software Update. You can check and download the latest macOS version from here.
• Make Sure Image Isn’t Deleted: A lot of users set a custom image as their wallpaper and then delete that image. It’s important to keep the file on the system as long as you want it to be your wallpaper. So make sure to not delete any image you set as your wallpaper.

Fix 1: Set New Wallpaper

If you used a photo from the internet or something you took yourself, you might find that your Mac desktop wallpaper resets after deleting it. In this case, your computer likely chose to reset to the default because the file is missing.

What’s interesting is that you might not realize this since closing the lid and putting the MacBook to sleep is a pretty common practice. It is only when you restart, you find the wallpaper different from the one you had set. Here’s how to fix it.

Step 1: Download the wallpaper image of your choice to your system. Once done, open its location in Finder.

Step 2: While holding down Ctrl, click on the image with your trackpad. From the options, select Set Desktop Picture.

After doing each of the above, your background image should change straight away. As long as you don’t delete the picture again, you shouldn’t have any further issues in this respect.

Fix 2: Disable “Change Picture” Option

In some cases, your computer’s desktop picture will continuously change because you’ve allowed it to do so. Within your Mac’s settings, you’ll find an option to pick a specific time that you want your wallpaper to last. In many cases, though, you won’t want to tick that.

If you’re worried that this box is ticked, the steps below will help you to fix this.

Step 1: Click on the Apple logo and click on System Settings. Then, select Wallpaper from the left sidebar.

Step 2: Now, if your Mac’s wallpaper keeps changing, it’s likely that you have the Shuffle wallpaper setting enabled, as shown.

Step 3: To disable it, simply select a single image, and set that as your Mac’s desktop wallpaper.

And that’s it. Your Mac’s wallpaper should now be a static image, and won’t change on its own.