Long-time Windows users will know how simple it was to access Screen Saver Settings dialog in Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. We just had to right-click on the desktop, click Personalize option to open the Personalization window, and then click the Screen Saver link to open Screen Saver Settings.
In Windows 10, when you right-click on the desktop and click Personalize option, we get the Personalization section of the Settings app instead of the classic Personalization window. However, there are no options under the Settings app to change Screen Saver settings. Has Microsoft dropped Screen Saver Settings from Windows 10? No, but it’s just that accessing Screen Saver Settings dialog is not easy as before.
As we all know, the Screen Saver Settings dialog includes options to switch between installed screen savers and allows us to personalize installed screen savers by tweaking their default settings.
If you want to open Screen Saver Settings in Windows 10, follow the directions mentioned in one of the given below methods.
Also read: How to enable screen saver in Windows 11.
Method 1 of 5
Launch Screen Saver Settings dialog in Windows 10
Step 1: Open the Settings app. To open it, open Start and then click Settings (the gear icon). The Settings app can also be launched with the help of Windows + I keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: Click on the Personalization category to navigate to the same.
Tip: You can quickly navigate to the Personalization section of the Settings app by right-clicking on the desktop and then clicking the Personalize option.
Step 3: Click Lock screen to see Lock screen related settings.
Step 4: Scroll down the page to see the Screen Saver Settings link. Click on Screen Saver Settings link to open the classic Screen Saver Settings dialog.
Method 2 of 5
Open Screen Saver Settings from the Run command
Step 1: Open Run command box by simultaneously pressing Windows and R keys (Windows + R).
Step 2: In the Run command box, type the following command and then press Enter key to open Screen Saver Settings dialog in Windows 10.
control desk.cpl,,@screensaver
That’s it!
Method 3 of 5
Open Screen Saver Settings from Start
Step 1: Open Start menu or screen.
Step 2: In the search box, type Change Screen Saver and then press Enter key to open Screen Saver Settings.
Method 4 of 5
Create Screen Saver Settings shortcut
If you often need to access Screen Saver Settings, use this method to create a shortcut of Screen Saver Settings right on your desktop or Start menu.
Step 1: Right-click on desktop, click New and then click Shortcut.
Step 2: Once New Shortcut wizard is launched, type or paste the following text in the box labeled Type the location of the item.
control desk.cpl,,@screensaver
Click the Next button.
Step 3: Enter Screen Saver Settings as the shortcut name, and then click the Finish button to create the shortcut on the Windows 10 desktop. Double-clicking on the shortcut should open Screen Saver Settings dialog.
If you prefer to have the shortcut on the Start, please right-click on the shortcut and then click Pin to Start option.
Method 5 of 5
Open Screen Saver Settings from Command Prompt
Step 1: Open Command Prompt. To do so, type CMD in the Start search box and then press Enter key.
Step 2: In the Command Prompt window, copy and paste the following text (yes, the Command Prompt in Windows 10 supports copy and paste):
control desk.cpl,screensaver,@screensaver
And finally, hit Enter key to open Screen Saver Settings dialog. Good luck!
Do you use a screen saver on Windows 10?
rico says
win 11, in the search box type: screensaver settings
press enter
Samuel Benne says
Thanks for the shortcut! Yours was the best and easiest I found out there…! I will bookmark this site for the future!!!
Kate from PA says
Are you effing kidding me?!?!? All this to access screen saver? I HATE WINDOWS 10!!!!! I can’t see the text, can’t find anything, the steps are impossible to follow for an old tech challenged lady who only worked with XP. I sit with a $200 Chromebook on my lap while this $1000 desk top collects dust as it is too complicated to use and the text can’t be made darker-I’ve tried. All I want to do is to be able to read text and adjust the screen saver. This will turn into an all day affair with me wanting to toss this ting in the trash!
Rooty says
Thanks for the info!
Jacob says
THIS DOES NOT DO ANYTHING! I get a black screen and no screensaver.
Ray says
How can I show my new SMA Solar System production output as a screen saver?
I can log in to my SMA account and view my output as it is produced. I can “Copy image address”, but where to from there?
Any help is appreciated.
LISA says
THANKS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
al says
How can I keep wallpaper from turning black once bubbles screen saver starts in Win 10?
Geek says
Never had issues with the Aquarium screen saver with Windows 10 on any computer until the very latest update from Microsoft. I can get sound of the bubbles, but the screen is just blank as if the Blank screen saver were selected. Can’t seem to figure out what is causing the issue all of a sudden … other than whatever side effects the recent update had. Anyone else come across a solution? May be time to just move on as the Aquarium screen saver doesn’t support dual monitors, but I’ve always just liked that screen saver a lot.
Paul Velandra says
absolutely a big waste of time.
D. G. Neree says
Thanks very much for helping people (me) out with this.
Navi Charlotte says
control desk.cpl,,@screensaver
Freaking awesome! thank you! It sucks monkey balls to have to click 20 times just to change the timer for the screen saver every freaking time. THANK YOU \(^o^)/
Fr says
Thank you so much! You have no idea how frustrating this has been. I always turn my screen saver on before bedtime, and Windows 10 made a relatively simple process a freaking nightmare.
I don’t know who gets paid to do what at Microsoft, but efficiency obviously isn’t on the roster.
Chris says
Wow… thanks. I just upgraded to Windows 10 this week and was searching for a way of creating a Screen Saver Settings shortcut onto the Start Menu. This worked out perfectly. After I created the desktop shortcut I simply pinned it to Start and it works.
DvS says
E X C E L L E N T … F E N O M E N A L ….
THANK You kindly for this shortcut !!!
Jose Vazquez says
None of the suggestions above works.