8 Easy Steps to Change Your Windows Computer Screen Saver

Get a custom screen saver on Windows

Co-authored by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: October 7, 2024 Fact Checked

A screen saver appears when your computer goes idle. While it was a screen-preserving feature in the past, it's mostly cosmetic now. You can easily customize your screen saver in your Lock Screen settings. You can even change the amount of time before your computer shows the screensaver. Here's how to change your computer screen saver on Windows 10 and 11.

Quick Steps

Open Settings.
Click Personalization.
Click Lock screen.
Click Screen saver settings or Screen saver.
Select a screen saver option.
Click Apply, then OK.

Steps

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1
Open the Settings. You can click the Start menu and select the cog icon. A new window will open.
- This method will work on Windows 10 and Windows 11.^{[1]
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- Screen saver refers to the image that appears on your monitor when your computer is idle. This is different from changing your desktop background or login screen.
On Windows 10, you'll find this in the list of settings. On Windows 11, you'll find this in the left sidebar.

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This is in the left panel on Windows 10. On Windows 11, this is in the right panel.
4
Scroll down and click Screen saver settings or Screen saver. This is in blue text underneath Screen timeout settings.
- A new window will open.
This is underneath the monitor preview.
6
Select a screensaver. You can select 3D Text, Blank, Bubbles, Mystify, Photos, or Ribbons.
- Some options allow you to customize further. In this case, click Settings next to the drop-down menu to adjust the option.
7
Set the wait time. Click the up or down arrow next to Wait to set how much time needs to pass before the screen saver appears. You can also manually enter the number.
- If desired, check the box for On resume, display log-on screen to sign in to your computer again when you return.
8
Click Apply, then OK. The screen saver will be set.
- When your computer is idle for the set amount of time, you'll see the screen saver. Moving your mouse or using the keyboard will exit the screen saver.
- If you're using a laptop, this feature may impact your battery. If your battery health is already poor, you may want to disable this feature.

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Question

I did it but I cant see screen saver on my desktop

Community Answer

You have to wait for however long you set your screen saver timer to. If you set your screen saver timer to two minutes (meaning it would come on after two minutes of inactivity on your computer), you have to wait two minutes.

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Question

How do I change the screen display?

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Community Answer

Visit settings and locate the section called "Personalization".

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Question

How do I create new icon on the desktop?

Community Answer

Create a new shortcut or file (right click, then click new, then click whatever type of file you want).

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Tips

You can install a third-party screen saver by double-clicking its installation file (EXE), though in some cases you must first extract the screen saver file before doing so. You may also need to right-click the file and click Run as administrator or right-click it and click Install; depending on the screen saver, you might have to click through some prompts after doing so.

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Screen savers were initially implemented to prevent images from being burned into a computer's display. This isn't a common problem on modern computers, making screen savers largely cosmetic at this point.

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Warnings

Your computer's screen saver may eventually turn on if you don't move your mouse or press a key while watching a movie. To prevent this, either set the "Wait" time to well over an hour or consider disabling the screen saver temporarily.

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Be careful if you download a screen saver online. Like any executable file, screen saver files can be used to install viruses.^{[2]
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