I created an image for a desktop wallpaper and set the image directly in Windows (not from a browser). However, the image file I made is no longer on my computer, but the wallpaper is still there. How can I retrieve this wallpaper? It has to load from somewhere.
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Possible duplicate of Where does Windows store its wallpapers?, How can I find the file that is currently used as a wallpaper in Windows 7?, Custom Windows 7 wallpapers location, How could I find out the path to the current desktop image, for Windows 8 ...– KaranJul 18, 2013 at 1:05
2 Answers
Windows XP (Reference):
You can find the actual path in the registry key named Wallpaper at [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop]
Usually it's something like:
C:\Documents and Settings\ [YOURUSERNAME] \Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Wallpaper1.bmp
Windows 7 (Reference):
C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper (default themes)
C:\Users\ [YOURUSERNAME] \AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Themes ( any new themes that you might have installed )
C:\Users\ [YOURUSERNAME] \AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes ( any other pictures that you might have made as an wallpaper.
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10Under Win7, it's exact location is
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\TranscodedWallpaper.jpg
– brycMar 7, 2015 at 21:57 -
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12@ForwardEd The current wallpaper on Windows 10 is saved as C:\Users[YOURUSERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\TranscodedWallpaper Jun 21, 2016 at 13:54
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1@SnoringFrog nice - I just had to add .jpg as the extension and she opened right up. Mar 5, 2017 at 19:44
The specifics would depend on your Windows version, but going by Windows 7 (which should be reasonably useful in the absence of a specified version, and which I have easy access to):
- right-click on the desktop and pick Personalize
- click Desktop Background
- right-click on the selected image and either:
- pick Properties and look under General, Location
- or, pick something under Open With
This should provide you access to the file so that you can copy or save it elsewhere. I would guess that it is stored in a temporary files folder somewhere currently.
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Great! This is the easiest way on how to know the image's file path.– rhavendcMay 25, 2016 at 5:17