What is Windows Spotlight?

Windows Spotlight is a unique feature on Windows 10 PCs. This feature displays high-quality images from Bing on the Windows lock screen. This feature was first introduced in the Windows 10 operating system and has become an important part of the Windows 10 experience. The images displayed on the lock screen are stored in the system library. The user can make changes and disable or enable Spotlight at their discretion. In this guide, we'll take a look at what Windows Spotlight is and how it works on your computer. We'll also help you figure out how to enable Spotlight for Windows lock screen issues. So keep reading to learn all about Windows Spotlight.

What is Windows Spotlight?

Windows Spotlight is an important feature of Microsoft Windows experience, let's now discuss how Window Spotlight works. It downloads pictures from Bing and displays them on the computer's lock screen; later we will also discuss where Windows Spotlight photos are stored on your computer. Sometimes Spotlight may also download ads along with images to display on your lock screen. Windows Spotlight keeps downloading new images every time you open Windows 10. This feature was first launched in Windows 10 and is now in Windows 11. Often, Spotlight may ask the user if they want to continue seeing different or similar images on their devices. lock screen. Windows Spotlight consists of the following components.

• background image. The background image is the image you see on the lock screen. The background image always includes recognizable, well-known cultural and famous places and geographic locations. These paintings rarely depict people. The initial background image on your computer is included during installation, and other images are added later.
• Feature suggestions, interesting facts and tips. Windows Spotlight makes the Windows 10 lock screen more interactive by providing suggestions to improve the lock screen. You can also get various fun facts about lock screen image and image location.

What images are displayed by Spotlight?

Now that we know what Windows Spotlight is, let's discuss what images it displays. Typically, Spotlight depicts images of famous landmarks from around the world and rarely depicts people. You can also come across various famous natural attractions and paintings of flora and fauna. The location of the landmark is often indicated on the lock screen, but the authors of the image are not shown. Keep reading to learn how to enable Spotlight on the Windows lock screen.

How a window spotlight works

Windows Spotlight relies on Bing to work, as this is where Spotlight gets its bright, high-quality images. Spotlight first downloads these images from Bing, whose image files are stored on your computer. Keep reading to find out where Windows Spotlight photos are stored on your computer and how to find them. Spotlight then displays these images on your lock screen so you can see them whenever you log in to your desktop or go to sleep.

Can I add a custom lock screen to Windows 10?

If you don't like the images Spotlight displays on your lock screen and don't understand how Windows Spotlight works, you can change your lock screen settings on your computer to add your own lock screen background. Windows 10 allows users to change and personalize their lock screen and home screen in any way they want. However, whenever you are trying to change the lock screen on your Windows 10 PC, make sure you select an image with the correct resolution. The Windows 10 lock screen requires an image with a certain resolution to load properly, resolution requirements for the Windows 10 lock screen are discussed below. Keep reading to learn how to enable Spotlight on the Windows lock screen.

• The resolution you choose for your own lock screen image depends on the aspect ratio of your device's screen. If you're using a device with a 16:9 aspect ratio, a 1280x720 or 1920x1080 image would be perfect for your lock screen. Similarly, if you use a device with a different aspect ratio, the image resolution will only match that aspect ratio.
• The lock screen will remain in the center of the desktop screen.
• When you change the aspect ratio of an image, the generated lock screen images may unpredictably scale and center on your device.
• If your custom lock screen image contains important text, it is recommended that you use a 16:9 aspect ratio for the image and a 4:3 area for displaying text in order to properly display the image.

Keep reading to find out where Windows Spotlight photos are stored on your Windows 10 computer.

How to disable Windows Spotlight in Windows 10

Now that you know the requirements for a custom Windows 10 lock screen image, let us know how to disable Windows Spotlight in Windows 10 in order to set a custom image. It is enabled by default on your Windows 10 PC. However, if you want to disable Windows Spotlight, you can disable it by changing your Group Policy and Mobile Device Management (MDM) settings. You can find these policies in the following locations.

Note. The Local Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Education, and Windows 10 Pro editions. Apart from these operating systems, you wouldn't have this on your system. But don't worry, you can easily install it on Windows 10 Home edition using our guide on how to install Local Group Policy Editor on Windows 10.

• For the Group Policy Management Console, locate the policies in the following path.

User Configuration PoliciesAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsCloud Content

• For the Local Group Policy Editor, find the policies in the following path.

User Configuration Administrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsCloud Content

On Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, you can change the Group Policy settings and replace Windows Spotlight with the image of your choice. You can take the following steps to make these changes to disable it.

1. Press the Windows + R keys at the same time to open the Run dialog box.

2. Then type gepedit and press the Enter key to launch the Local Open Group Policy Editor.

2. Expand the Computer Configuration folder.

3. Then go to "Administrative Templates" > "Control Panel" > "Personalization" > "Set a specific default lock screen image".

4. Here, select the "Disabled" option and click "Apply" > "OK" to save the changes.

Now, if you want to know how to enable Spotlight on the Windows lock screen, you can simply follow the steps given here: Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen > Background and select "Windows Spotlight".

Where to find Windows Spotlight images in Windows 10?

If you want to know where Windows Spotlight photos are stored on your computer, you don't need to look for them anywhere else but in your system library. All images displayed by Windows Spotlight on the lock screen are stored on your computer. You can find these image files on your computer by navigating to the location of the files on your computer. Typically, lock screen images are saved as follows.

1. You can find the current lock screen image by navigating to the following location on your computer.

Note. Some devices may require special administrative permissions to access the System Data folder.

C:ProgramDataMicrosoftWindowsSystemDataReadOnlyLockScreen_O

2. Previous and other lock screen images are also stored on your computer and can be found by going to the following location on your computer.

%localappdata%PackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalStateAssets

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. Can I find Spotlight images?

Answer Yes, you can find the current and previous images displayed on the Windows 10 lock screen in the system library.

Q2. Is it possible to turn off Windows Spotlight?

Answer Yes, you can turn off Windows Spotlight by changing the personalization settings on your computer.

Q3. Is Windows Spotlight enabled by default?

Answer Yes, Windows Spotlight is enabled by default on Windows 10 PCs. Later, you can turn it off in Settings.

Q4. Can I use my own lock screen image on my Windows 10 PC?

Answer Yes, Windows 10 allows users to use their own image as their home screen and lock screen.

Q5. Where do Spotlight images come from?

Answer Spotlight images are downloaded from Bing.

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We hope you found this guide useful and that you were able to understand what Windows Spotlight is and how it works. Let us know what your experience with Windows Spotlight is. If you have any suggestions or questions, please let us know in the comments section.