Windows Spotlight lock screen picture won't change

Anonymous
2018-02-09T16:26:33+00:00

Hello,

I have an HP laptop running Windows 10, and usually when my laptop is locked, the picture changes every now and then on my lock screen and I really enjoyed that. But recently for the past month or two, it's been stuck on the same picture and it stopped changing to new pictures. I checked my settings and I still have "Windows Spotlight" set as my lock screen but still nothing happens. It just stopped working and changing pictures for some reason.

If anyone can help, please do!

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

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Anonymous
2018-05-22T00:04:55+00:00

Just follow these steps of Windows Central:

How to fix Windows Spotlight Lock screen errors Is Windows Spotlight broken or stuck on the same image? If so, this guide details the steps to fix the issue.

Windows Spotlight is a feature included with Windows 10 that uses Bing to automatically download and set new background images on the Lock screen, to keep your experience fresh every time you sign in.

The only caveat with Windows Spotlight is that sometimes it will stop working, or you'll notice that it gets stuck on the same image. Unfortunately, Windows 10 doesn't include an option to reset this feature. However, it's possible to fix the Windows Spotlight settings with this simple workaround.

In this Windows 10 guide, we show you the steps to fix Windows Spotlight on your computer and keep getting fresh images from Bing on your Lock screen.

How to reset Windows Spotlight

If the Windows Spotlight feature is stuck on the same image, or it's not working at all, you can use the following steps to fix the issue:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click on Lock screen.
  4. Under "Background," make sure Windows Spotlight is NOT selected and change the option to Picture or Slideshow.
  5. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command.
  6. Type the following path and click OK. %USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
  7. Select all the files (Ctrl + A) and hit the Delete key to clear all old images (if applicable).
  8. Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command again.
  9. Type the following path to where the Windows Spotlight settings are stored and click OK. %USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings
  10. Right-click settings.dat and roaming.lock individually, then click Rename and name them settings.dat.bak and roaming.lock.bak.
  11. Restart your computer.
  12. Open Settings.
  13. Click on Personalization.
  14. Click on Lock screen.
  15. Under "Background," make sure to enable Windows Spotlight.

Once you complete these steps, you can lock your PC (Windows key + L), and the Lock screen should show new Bing images.

If everything worked as expected, remember to go back to the Settings folders where Windows Spotlight stores the settings and delete the settings.dat.bak and roaming.lock.bak files.

Alternative method to fix Windows Spotlight

If the steps mentioned above didn't fix Windows Spotlight, you can try to reset the settings using the following steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click on Lock screen.
  4. Under "Background," make sure to enable Windows Spotlight. (If you don't enable the feature, you're likely to get an error while running the PowerShell command.)
  5. Open Start.
  6. Search for Windows PowerShell, right-click the result, and select Run as administrator.
  7. Enter the following command and press Enter to reset the Windows Spotlight: Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }
  8. Restart your computer.

After completing these steps, you should be able to lock your PC (Windows key + L), and the Lock screen should show new Bing images.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-fix-windows-spotlight-stuck-same-image-windows-10?passport=1526946645

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-08-09T08:09:09+00:00

    ... which does beg the Question: at what point does a Restore Point have, ... well ... a point?!  (I use this feature pretty much after every major update, symbolic of my intrinsic lack of confidence that beta/inner ring testing has been less thorough than one would hope).  Meanwhile, as reported earlier, my sync'd machines show Spotlight stability and an endearing absence of 'Gloomy Scottish Loch With Hikers'.  Fingers have not yet been uncrossed, all the same.  There remains that mild  frisson of anticipated resurgence.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-08-23T12:41:11+00:00

    I went through the second tier repair above, which resulted in blue screen rather than the expected Windows Spotlight pics. Oh well... I'll select a few pics for now!

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-08-24T15:55:24+00:00

    Thank you for this, i can confirm that it works on Windows version 1903 (build 18362.10015).

    For me it took very little time before the first Spotlight image appeared.

    EDIT:

    The part about removing other users in the registry is important.

    Also important is that Microsoft Edge must be allowed as background app in Settings.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-08-26T14:36:54+00:00

    Hi, I have tried all solutions I found on internet but never success to restore w10 spotlight functionnality.

    but today I have tried some new actions, and eureka , everything is working. Below steps I did :

    1. Open screenlock config panel and select "picture" as screenlock
    2. Delete ALL content of dir : (ALL content, not only localstate or whatever) 

    Code:

    %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy

    (Don't be afraid, one could stay (roamingState) with a non existent error if you click on it) Doesn't matter

    1. open powershell with admin rights, and paste :

    Code:

    Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }
    1. open regedit with admin rights, and remove or rename all content of 

    Code:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Creative

    Keep "S-1-0-0" with RotatingLockScreenEnabled = 1 inside

    1. Restart computer
    2. go back to screenlocker control panel, select spotlight, and everything should be ok.

    You should see that all the package dir has been recreated, and also one new entry in registry under "creative" for your connected user.

    The main difference with all other solutions I found on internet was the delete of the package directory and the remove of register keys.

    Hope this helps some of you.

    Be carefull with registry, don't remove anything else, it could stuck your windows install.

    WARNING FOR COMPLETE DESTRUCTION OF WINDOWS AND ALL YOUR DATA BY DELETING AND DOING OTHER ACTIONS IN THE REGISTRY!!!

    My Win specs:

    Edition: Windows 10 Pro

    Version: 1903

    Installed on: 2019-08-19

    OS build: 18362.295

    Architecture: x64

    I followed this guide but I did this between step 1) and step 3) (I don't remember exactly when but I think after step 1) and before step 3) should work):

    In the registry, delete the folder with the highest number under "Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Creative" probably with the name "S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxxx". The folder I deleted had a registry named (Default) type REG_SZ, a registry named LockImageFlags, type REG_DWORD and a a registry named RotatingLockScreenEnabeld, type REG_DWORD. At least for me the other "S-1-..." folders which you should keep only have a registry named (Default), type REG_SZ and a registry named RotatingLockScreenEnabeld, type REG_DWORD.

    Now the lock screen on Windows Spotlight has changed automatically. Thank Jesus!!!

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