There are many ways to customize the desktop background in Windows 11. One of the new ways is to set Windows Spotlight pictures as desktop background.
For unversed, Windows Spotlight is an option for the lock screen as well as the desktop background to set a new wallpaper as the background each day. You can set Windows Spotlight as the desktop background in Windows 11 by navigating to Settings > Personalization > Personalize your background and selecting Windows Spotlight from the drop-down menu.
Occasionally, you might come across a beautiful Windows Spotlight desktop background, and you might want to save it so that you can set it as desktop wallpaper again.
Windows 11 does not offer a straightforward way to save the Windows Spotlight desktop background. That is, you cannot right-click on it and save it. However, it’s possible to locate and save the current Spotlight image.
Here is how you can save the Windows Spotlight desktop background picture in Windows 11.
Method 1 of 2
Save Windows Spotlight desktop wallpaper in Windows 11
Step 1: Open the Run command dialog using Windows logo + R hotkey. You can use the Start/taskbar search to open the Run command.
Step 2: In the Run command dialog, copy and paste the following path:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\CachedFiles
Step 3: Press the Enter key. The resulting folder has your current Windows 11 desktop background. To save the picture, copy and paste it to a location of your choice. Simple as that!
The CachedFiles folder caches the current desktop background picture. So, it shows only the current desktop wallpaper. In addition to the Windows Spotlight picture, you can use this method to save the wallpaper set using any other way.
Note that you might get a ‘Windows cannot find’ error when you hit the Enter key. The error usually appears if the desktop background wallpaper is not cached yet. Wait for a few seconds, and then try to open the folder again. Also, the folder does not show previously set Windows Spotlight desktop backgrounds.
Method 2 of 2
Another way to save Windows Spotlight desktop background Windows 11
When you use Windows Spotlight image as the desktop background, a Learn about this picture icon appears on the desktop. Right-click on the Learn about this picture and then click the Open option to know more about the current Windows Spotlight desktop background. That is, you can know where the Spotlight picture was captured. The Bing search page also shows various images taken at the same place. So, you might or might not find the same picture.
If you are unable to find the Windows Spotlight picture using this method, refer to the directions in the first method.
Mr Reality says
As the others have said, %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\CachedFiles is completely useless, thanks for nothing, pay nothing, get nothing, I hope you aren’t employed in tech as you deserve to be fired if so, by DOGE and Musk
D. S. says
I did what step 2 said; to copy and paste %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\CachedFiles in the Run command dialogue; but when I did, the system said <Windows cannot find 'C:\Users\smith\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes\CachedFiles'.
I even tried to get to my Cached Files folder manually via my Windows folder, but there was no Themes folder to continue with as I scrolled down alphabetically.
So, where else can I find the file of the lock screen image I've got on?
Bodo says
Does not work. But wastes my time…great.