The Windows 10 lock screen may fail to change for different reasons, but the Windows 10 lock screen won’t change issue can usually be fixed with the right troubleshooting steps.
If your Windows 10 lock screen won’t change, it usually points to a configuration issue, a corrupted setting, or a system restriction. Here are the most common reasons why the lock screen background won’t update:
1. Windows spotlight issues: If you’re using Windows Spotlight, it sometimes fails to refresh new images due to cache corruption or connectivity problems.
2. Group policy or registry restrictions: On some PCs (especially work or school devices), administrators may disable lock screen changes through Group Policy Editor or the Windows Registry.
3. Corrupted system files: If certain Windows system files are damaged, personalization settings—including the lock screen—may stop working properly.
4. Sync settings conflict: If you use the same Microsoft account across multiple devices, sync settings might overwrite your lock screen preference.
5. Pending updates or glitches: Sometimes, Windows updates or temporary bugs can prevent changes from being applied. A restart or update installation may fix it.
6. Wrong location for custom images: If you’re trying to use a custom picture stored on an external drive or a location that’s unavailable, Windows won’t apply it.
Windows 10 lock screen stuck and refusing to change? Here are five effective fixes to help you resolve the issue.
Step 1. Open Settings from the Start menu by right-clicking the Windows icon and selecting Settings.
Step 2. In the Settings window, click Personalization.
Step 3. Select Lock screen from the left-hand menu.
Step 4. On the right side, choose either Picture or Slideshow from the drop-down menu.
Step 5. Close the Settings window and restart your computer.
Step 6. After restarting, go back to the Lock screen settings and this time select Windows Spotlight.
If the lock screen settings were modified through the Local Group Policy Editor, Windows 10 may prevent you from changing the lock screen. To fix this, you need to adjust the policy settings.
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
Step 2. In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to:
Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization
On the right side, locate Prevent changing lock screen and login image.
Step 3. Right-click on it and select Edit.
Step 4. In the window that opens, choose Not Configured, then click Apply and OK.
This adjustment will allow you to change your lock screen and login image again.
Some users have found that re-registering Windows Spotlight with PowerShell can help fix the issue of the Windows 10 lock screen not changing. Before running PowerShell, make sure Windows Spotlight is enabled:
Step 1. Open Settings from the Start menu or Run window.
Step 2. Go to Personalization > Lock screen.
Step 3. Select Windows Spotlight from the drop-down menu.
Once enabled, follow these steps to register Windows Spotlight through PowerShell:
Step 1. Type powershell in the search box.
Step 2. Right-click Windows PowerShell and choose Run as administrator.
Step 3. In the PowerShell window, paste the following command and press Enter:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }
Step 4. Restart your computer and check if the lock screen is now updating correctly.
If your Windows 10 lock screen isn’t updating, one possible fix is to delete the existing Spotlight assets. This forces Windows to refresh the images and reload Spotlight content. Follow the steps below:
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
Step 2. Copy and paste the path below into the box, then click OK:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
Step 3. In the Assets folder, press Ctrl + A to select all files.
Step 4. Right-click the selection and choose Delete to remove them.
Step 5. If Windows Spotlight is disabled, enable it again through Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Then restart your PC.
After completing these steps, Spotlight will reload fresh assets, which can resolve the lock screen not changing issue.
If the previous solutions didn’t resolve the issue, resetting Windows Spotlight manually may help fix the lock screen not changing. This method has proven effective, but please note that it carries some risks, so it’s highly recommended to back up your system and important data before proceeding.
Step 1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
Step 2. Paste the following path in the Run window and hit Enter:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings
Step 3. In the Settings folder, you’ll see two files: roaming.lock and settings.dat. Press F2 to rename these files to roaming.lock.bak and settings.dat.bak respectively.
Step 4. Close the folder and restart your computer.
After rebooting, check to see if you can now change your lock screen image.
If your Windows 10 lock screen won’t change and you’re worried about potential system glitches or even data loss, a reliable recovery tool can make a big difference. AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery is an all-in-one disk management and recovery solution designed to handle such issues.
With this tool, you can easily retrieve files that may become inaccessible due to system errors, lock screen malfunctions, or misconfigured settings. It allows you to:
✅ Recover lost or deleted data from partitions or drives without overwriting existing files.
✅ Access your files safely, even when the operating system runs into problems like the lock screen not responding or changing.
✅ Preview recoverable files before restoring them to ensure you get back exactly what you need.
✅ Work on various storage devices, including HDDs, SSDs, external hard drives, and USB flash drives.
By using AOMEI Partition Assistant for recovery, you don’t need to worry about losing your important documents, photos, or other files when dealing with the lock screen issue. It offers a safe, user-friendly, and efficient way to secure your data while you troubleshoot and fix the Windows 10 lock screen problem.
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant for Recovery. Choose the exact partition or disk where your data is lost and click Scan.
Step 2. Then, the recovery tool starts to scan and search. It will execute the “Quickly Scan" first for finding your deleted data fast, and then execute the “Deep Scan" for searching other lost data.
Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all deleted files, recycle bins and other missing files will be displayed. Please select the file you would like to recover and then click "Recover".
Step 4. Then, select a folder path to save your recovered files.
Step 5. Wait patiently for this process of recovery to end.
If your Windows 10 lock screen won’t change, the issue may stem from Spotlight errors, group policy restrictions, corrupted files, or update glitches. Fixes include restarting Spotlight, adjusting Group Policy, re-registering Spotlight via PowerShell, clearing Spotlight assets, or resetting its settings. For added protection, AOMEI Partition Assistant helps recover data safely during system errors.