Use Photos As Screen Saver On Windows: Step By Step Guide

You can turn your favorite pictures into a slideshow that appears when your PC stays idle. Windows includes a built-in Photos screensaver option that loads custom folders and transitions, and this guide will show you how to do that.

How To Use Photos As a Screen Saver?

1. Prepare your photo folder

Put all the pictures you want into one folder. This helps Windows load them without delays.

1. Create a new folder anywhere on your PC.
2. Copy the images you want to use.
3. Make sure the pictures have common formats like JPG or PNG.

Users who want to create their own animated screensaver files can learn more in this guide that explains how to create a screensaver SCR file.

2. Open the Screen Saver settings

You can reach the screen saver panel through the classic Control Panel interface. This view lets you switch between different screen saver types quickly.

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Type control desk.cpl,,1 and press Enter.
   
3. Wait for the Screen Saver Settings window to open.

3. Select the Photos screen saver

Choose Photos from the list to enable the slideshow mode. This option tells Windows to load pictures from your chosen folder.

1. Open the Screen saver dropdown.
2. Select Photos.
     
3. Click Settings to adjust slideshow behavior.
   

4. Configure slideshow settings

You can decide what folder Windows uses and how fast pictures change. These options help you control how often new photos appear.

1. Click Browse and pick your photo folder.
   
2. Choose a slide speed like Slow or Medium.
   
3. Turn shuffle on or off to randomize pictures.
4. Confirm with Save.

5. Apply the new screen saver

Finish the setup and preview your slideshow.

1. Click Preview to test the slideshow.
2. Select Apply.
3. Click OK to save everything.

If you use Windows 11, issues with the slideshow sometimes happen, so you can check this guide about Windows 11 screensaver not working for fixes.

Why this works

The Photos screen saver runs a simple slideshow engine built into Windows. It reduces resource usage and shows your pictures without extra apps.

If the slideshow fails to start, you can troubleshoot the issue using this guide on the Windows 10 screensaver not working problem before you continue.

FAQs

You can set up a custom Photos screen saver in minutes and personalize your PC with your best memories. Adjust the speed, use a dedicated folder, and preview the slideshow until it matches what you want.