However, in this demonstration we want to expedite the process so we will force the policy update to run right away by opening CMD and use command gpupdate /force. Policy update is a process that happens periodically in the background so it doesn’t require any action from the user.

Once the client machine has received the policy update, the wallpaper will changed. Verify that Wallpaper Policy is now listed under the “MustBeGeek” OU Select the Wallpaper Policy and click OK. Once configured, click OK and close the editor window.īack to the Group Policy Management console window, right click on “MustBeGeek” OU and select “Link an Existing GPO” In this example we are specifying a local path because the image file for desktop wallpaper background is stored in the local drive of the Domain Controller server, and the wallpaper style that we used is “Fill”. On the right pane, double click on Desktop Wallpaper setting.Ĭhange the option to Enabled, and then specify the wallpaper location and the wallpaper style. On the left pane, go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop > Desktop. Right click on it and select “Edit”Īn editor window will show up. The newly created policy will be listed on the Group Policy object list. In this example, the policy name is “Wallpaper Policy” On the Group Policy Management console, expand the forest and domain, right click on Group Policy Objects and select “New”

Target username is “Arranda Saputra” resides within an OU named “MustBeGeek” with structure as shown below:įollow the step by step below to set wallpaper using Group Policy:.

Wallpaper image file is stored in the local drive of the Domain Controller server.

Policy will be applied at the user level.

Client machine has been joined to the domain.

Active Directory and Domain Name Service (DNS) has been configured already.

This demonstration is using a Windows Server 2012 R2 as the Domain Controller and a Windows 7 Ultimate as the client machine.

How to Change Windows Desktop Background Using Group Policy In this post, we are going to demonstrate the way to change Windows desktop background using Group Policy. One of the common practices in an organization or company is using Group Policy is to push a standardized desktop background for their employees, usually for branding purpose and to provide a professional look for their managed computers. Administrator can set up specific configuration and policy and enforced them on the targeted users or computers that are member of the domain structure. Group Policy is the center of administration for Microsoft Active Directory (AD) domain service.

Windows desktop background image size