What Is Spotlight?
Windows 10 Spotlight images are those exquisite images that appear on the screen when you lock your Windows. Instead of the original dull black colour which you see when the PC is turned off, Windows 10 users have options of setting up a custom picture, a screen saver or enable Windows Spotlight images. These appealing images are a result of the Windows 10 Spotlight image app which is designed by Microsoft and inculcates breath-taking images around the globe from Bing and displays them in every Windows 10 PC.
Microsoft ensures that all the Windows 10 Spotlight images are changed daily, and this makes it very interesting for the users to view high definition photographs of exotic locations around the globe. Windows 10 Spotlight app also offers a fun quiz feature which asks you about some facts of the picture on display. Just click on the question you wish to find the answer and then sign in. This will automatically open Microsoft Edge with Bing search Engine displaying all the details about the picture.
Can I Get Those Spotlight Images?
Of course, you can!
There are many ways to acquire these splendid Windows 10 spotlight images and set them up as Windows Spotlight wallpaper on your desktop. You won’t be able to take a screenshot after you lock your Windows 10, but there are other methods that can be used to obtain the Windows 10 spotlight images.
Method 1. Find the folder that stores them
It is without a doubt that there must be a folder in your PC where these images are stored. However, this folder has been kept out of common man’s reach as the radiant Windows 10 Spotlight images, and the folder in which they are stored is a part of system files. To collect them, follow all the steps listed below:
Step 1: Open the File Explorer. To do that, click on the Start button, and click on the fourth icon above the start button that looks like a document with one top corner, folded.
Step 2. Once the File Explorer is opened, type the following path in the address bar on the top.
%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
This will take you deep down into Windows 10 system folders. You can copy and paste the path as it is difficult to reach the exact folder by accessing each folder manually. The files you see contain some of the fascinating Windows 10 Spotlight images stored on your computer. However, you won’t be able to access them yet as they are not in the right format.
Step 3. Select all the files in this folder and then copy them. Navigate to your desktop and create a new folder on your desktop. Paste all the files in the new folder and rename the folder as “pics”. These images do not have an extension which prevents Windows 10 from reading them and picking out the graceful Windows 10 Spotlight Images. Renaming every file in the folder with an extension “.jpg” would require a lot of time and effort. Instead, we can try to do a batch renaming in command prompt.
Step 4. Command Prompt or MS-DOS prompt is the black and white operating system that requires a command to carry out the tasks required by the user. Click on the Start button and start typing “CMD” on your keyboard and the first result to appear in the list would say “Command Prompt”. Click on it and a black and white window will open.
Step 5. Assuming that you have followed Step 3 and created a new folder with the name of “pics” then you will have to navigate to that folder in the Command Prompt. To do so, copy and paste the following navigational path at the command prompt where you would find the cursor blinking.
CD %userprofile%\Desktop\pics
The above command will take to inside the new folder (pics) created that contains all the files.
Step 6. To rename all the files that is to add an extension “.jpg’, type the following command:
Ren *.* *.jpg
This will add the “.jpg” extension to all the files in the folder.
Step 7. Exit the command prompt and open the “pics” folder on your desktop. You will be able to double click and view the files which contain the divine Windows 10 Spotlight images.
Note: If the files are displayed as a list, it would be difficult to identify which ones are images. To simplify this, change the view settings from the ribbon on top and change it to ‘extra-large icon’ and this will display large thumbnails making it easier to identify the images. You can select the ones you need and delete the rest.
Method 2. Use SpotBright App
If you find the above method a bit difficult to follow, then there is an app which can do all the hard work for you, and even help you to set the Windows 10 Spotlight Image as your Windows desktop background. This app is free to use and can be download from the Microsoft Store. It also features a FAST SEARCH that enables the SpotBright app to collect all the images that can be downloaded in one batch.
If you cannot access SpotBright in your country then there is another simple software, Windows Spotlight Wallpaper, designed to do the same. It is available free to download and use on a third-party website. I have personally downloaded Windows Spotlight Wallpaper from this website and used it and faced no issues while doing so.
To download Windows Spotlight Wallpaper, click here.
Method 3. Further Simplified Method
Another way of download a few specific Windows 10 Spotlight image is to download the image from an Imgur album with thanks to Reddit user Fuzsion.
Visit here to access Windows 10 Spotlight image album.
How to Enable/Disable Spotlight?
If you find no files in the above-mentioned system folder, then it is probably because of the fact that your Windows 10 Spotlight is turned off. To enable Windows 10 Spotlight Images, carry out the following steps:
Step 1. Press the Windows key and the letter “I” on your keyboard to open the Settings window.
Step 2. Click on Personalization. In the new window opened, select “Lock Screen” from the left-hand side menu.
Step 3. On the right-hand side, you will a drop-down under Background. Select “Windows Spotlight” from the list and exit the window.
Step 4. Press Windows key and the letter “L” on the keyboard to lock your screen and you will find a radiant Windows 10 Spotlight image on your monitor screen.
Disabling the Spotlight to display your favourite pic on your monitor’s screen instead of the prepossessing Windows 10 Spotlight images can be done with almost the same steps mentioned above. Click on the drop-down menu and select Picture or Slideshow. It will then give you the option to choose a single or a group of images.
How to Fix Windows Spotlight Not Working?
Now that you know how to enable/disable the Windows 10 Spotlight and retrieve those glorious Spotlight images, you might face issues with Windows Spotlight Not Working in your PC. Issues can include, Windows 10 Spotlight stuck at the same image for a long time or you might not find the images. To resolve any issues with Windows 10 Spotlight images, try out the following steps:
Method 1. Reset the Windows 10 Spotlight app manually
Step 1. Disable Windows 10 Spotlight. Go to the Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. Select Pictures from the drop-down and close the settings window.
Step 2. Navigate to the original folder, where Windows 10 Spotlight images are stored by pasting the below mentioned navigational path in the address bar on the top.
%localappdata%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets
Step 3. Select all the files in this folder and delete them.
Step 4. Navigate to the below-mentioned path to modify the already existing Windows 10 Spotlight system files. Rename the files individually by adding a “.bak” to each file.
%USERPROFILE%/AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\Settings
You would find two files – Settings.dat & Roaming.lock. Rename them to Settings.dat.bak & Roaming.lock.bat respectively.
Step 5. Close all open files, folder and windows and restart the computer.
Step 6. Once the computer restarts, enable Windows 10 Spotlight. Press the Windows and the ‘L’ to lock your PC and check if you see a new Windows 10 Spotlight image on your monitor’s screen.
Method 2. Reset the Windows 10 Spotlight app through Windows PowerShell
Step 1. Disable Windows 10 Spotlight. Go to the Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. Select Pictures from the drop-down and close the settings window.
Step 2. On the search bar on the bottom-left of the screen, type” PowerShell”. On the first result that states PowerShell, right-click and select “Run as Administrator” option.
Step 3. A blue and white window will open. The command mentioned below into the PowerShell window and hit the Enter key.
Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }
Step 4. Restart your computer.
Step 5. Once the computer restarts, enable Windows 10 Spotlight. Press the Windows and the ‘L’ to lock your PC and check if you see a new Windows 10 Spotlight image on your monitor’s screen.
The above steps will fix your Windows 10 Spotlight not working issue.
Windows 10 Spotlight Images: The Final Word
With Windows 10 Microsoft has truly taken the Windows Operating system to a new level. Having used Windows 95 as my first operating system, I can say that Windows 10 is a mammoth when you talk about its features. Apart from Windows 10 Spotlight images, Microsoft has also introduced. Power Toys, SandBox and other features in Windows 10. Each image available from Bing’s database of images is unrivalled and pleasant. Some are too absorbing, and it feels sad when they are replaced the next day. Now you can collect them and even transfer them to your mobile and view them on those Monstrous TV’s that cover the entire wall. Do let me know what your thoughts on Windows 10 Spotlight Images are and if you face any issues while enabling Spotlight, in the comments section below. Also, if you want to know about any other Windows 10 feature, just mention it and we will cover it up for you.