5 Ways to Fix Black Desktop Background on My Windows PC

Check out what experts recommend as a fix

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Key notes

  • Many users have reported that the desktop background keeps going black in Windows. 
  • The problem is not new and has also been noticed in the previous iterations of the OS.
  • To fix things, you can reconfigure the display setting or update the graphics drivers, amongst other solutions here.
Black desktop background wallpaper goes black

Some users have discovered and reported a bug in Windows, not a crucial one, but still very annoying. After performing a specific number of operations, the desktop background keeps going black, and the wallpaper disappears.

This black background issue is annoying, especially for those who have set the desired aesthetic image or customized wallpaper. Also, a user asked, My desktop background is black, and I can’t change it.

Unfortunately, the newer versions of the Windows operating system are full of similar minor but annoying bugs, and Windows users are constantly complaining about them, but they’re right.

Luckily, you can quickly solve the desktop background that keeps going black in Windows 10 problem with just a few clicks, and we are presenting the steps in this article.

Why does my desktop background go black?

Here are a few reasons the desktop background is black in Windows:

  • Improper settings: In some cases, the Show desktop background image setting, when disabled, triggered the issue.
  • Outdated graphics driver: When the graphics driver is outdated, you are likely to face performance-related problems as well as some trivial errors like this.
  • Misconfigured power options: Many who wondered why my background is black how do I change it, were able to fix things by reverting the power options to default settings.

Why does my desktop background keep disappearing on Windows 10?

This can happen if Windows keeps refreshing for some reason, and in most cases, the cause for this is the background processes, so be sure to disable them.

A few users reported that desktop icons are flashing, so disabling them might be a decent workaround you could try.

In some instances, you might even see a flashing black box on Windows 10, and if this happens, it’s always a good idea to disable all startup applications.

How can I fix the black desktop background on Windows 10?

1. Disable Desktop icons

  1. Right-click on the desktop, hover the cursor over View and uncheck the Show desktop icons option.show desktop icon
  2. Again, right-click on the desktop, and select Personalize from the context menu.personalize
  3. If you are using a theme with a single wallpaper, select some themes with multiple wallpapers. For example, Microsoft’s Line and colors theme, and then switch back to the default theme.wallpaper
  4. Finally, you have to re-disable the Show desktop icons option.

Once done, verify if the desktop background turns black when highlighting in Windows 10 anymore. If yes, head to the following method.

2. Update drivers

  1. Type Device Manager in the Search bar and click on the relevant search result.Device manager
  2. Double-click the Display adapters entry to expand and view the devices under it.display adapters
  3. Right-click on the graphics adapter and select Update driver from the context menu.update driver to fix desktop background keeps going black
  4. Select Search automatically for drivers in the new window.search automatically for drivers
  5. Wait for the OS to locate and install the best available driver.

The Device Manager offers a relatively quick way to update the drivers. But it’s often not that effective since only the drivers available on the computer are looked through, while there may be an updated version available on the manufacturer’s website.

Of course, there is a way around this, known as an automatic driver update. This ensures you have the correct driver patch downloaded and installed without issue.

Outbyte Driver Updater is designed to fix many issues caused by driver update failures. In addition, it can fix almost all sound problems and network failures.

The driver has a great scanning speed, and if you want to save even more time, you can activate the driver’s auto-update and get the latest updates without effort.

Outbyte Driver Updater’s palette of ability to update drivers is impressive, and it goes up to 3,000,000 device drivers and game components for top PC performance.

All downloaded drivers come from the official manufacturers’ websites, and to ensure authority and security, they all have passed the Microsoft WHQL and IObit tests.

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3. Reconfigure the display settings

  1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings, and click on Ease of Access from the options here.ease of access
  2. Now, locate the Show desktop background image option on the right and make sure the toggle under it is enabled.show background images to fix desktop background keeps going black

Once done, restart the computer, and the problem should be resolved. If not, head to the final solution.

4. Try a different image or method

Often times, the problem may lie with the image itself, which you are trying to set as the desktop background. Try another image and see if that fixes things.

In case the error persists, try a different method altogether. If you are changing the desktop background from the image’s context menu, try doing it via Settings and vice-versa.

5. Disable high contrast settings

  1. Press Windows + I to open the Settings app and select Ease of Access.Ease of access to fix desktop background keeps going black
  2. Now, select High contrast from the tabs on the left, and disable the toggle for Turn on high contrast.Turn on high contrast to fix desktop background keeps going black

If the methods listed previously did not work, disabling the high contrast settings should prevent the desktop background from going black and getting things up and running.

How do I fix the desktop background that keeps going black on Windows 11?

First, update the graphics driver for those who see the desktop background keeps going black in Windows 11.

Also, taking a different route might work if you have been using the same method to change the desktop background. You can do it from the Settings app or manually set any picture as the background.

Besides, switching to the High-Performance power plan did the trick for many, and you may also try that. If nothing seems to work, there’s always the option to perform a System Restore.

How do I restore my desktop color?

It depends on what led to the change in desktop color. Reverting them should do the job if you inadvertently change the display or color settings. Or, if you remember the previous desktop color, you can always reset it.

Also, it could have to do with the configured theme on your PC. Windows offers Dark and Light modes for both apps and the OS itself. Check that as well. As is usually the case, you can always restore the PC to a previous point, or factory reset the Windows.

That’s all there’s to desktop background keeps going black in Windows and other related display issues. Of course, you would have the problem resolved by now, and the system is running like usual.

We often encounter questions like, My desktop background keeps changing to black in Windows 7. Remember, the solutions listed here would work on all recent iterations of Windows.

Also, find out the best wallpaper apps to customize your PC. For those interested, do check some trendy black wallpaper 4k for download.

If you have any other queries or know of a method not listed here, drop a comment below. We would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

More about the topics: Black screen issues, windows 10