How to Clear Background (Wallpaper) History in Windows 10

When you change the desktop wallpaper, Windows remembers the file name and path of the last four wallpapers. The Personalize page (“Choose your picture”) displays the thumbnail image of five wallpapers; first thumbnail image is usually the current background, followed by thumbnails of previous four background images. This post tells you how to clear the wallpaper history using Registry Editor.

clear desktop wallpaper history

Clear Desktop Background History

To reset the history, all you need to do is change the wallpaper image five more times, selecting the built-in wallpapers from the folder C:\windows\web\wallpaper\theme1 and C:\Windows\Web\Wallpaper\Windows. But, if you wish to clear the desktop background history using the Registry Editor, use these steps or apply the REG file available below:

  • Start the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
  • Go to the following branch:
  • HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers

    clear desktop wallpaper history using registry editor

  • Delete the following values in the right-pane:
    • BackgroundHistoryPath0
    • BackgroundHistoryPath1
    • BackgroundHistoryPath2
    • BackgroundHistoryPath3
    • BackgroundHistoryPath4
  • Exit the Registry Editor.

Automate the above steps using REG file. Download clear-wallpaper-history-w10.zip.



This clears your desktop wallpaper history in the Personalize Settings page, and the slots are replaced by the Windows 10 “Hero” wallpaper & other stock images from folder c:\windows\web\wallpaper\theme1.

clear wallpaper history in windows 10


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Ramesh Srinivasan is passionate about Microsoft technologies and he has been a consecutive ten-time recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award in the Windows Shell/Desktop Experience category, from 2003 to 2012. He loves to troubleshoot and write about Windows. Ramesh founded Winhelponline.com in 2005.

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