Windows Spotlight Not Working in Windows? 8 Ways to Fix

There is a light at the end of the tunnel

Windows Spotlight displays images of different sceneries and animals on your computer’s lock screen every 24 hours. You’ll also find educational information about lock screen images and options to like or dislike images. Windows Spotlight is easy to activate but sometimes fails to work.

Some users report that their lock screen background image remains the same and doesn’t change after enabling Windows Spotlight. There are also instances whenWindows Spotlight fails to display information about imageson the lock screen.

A buggy Windows Update may cause your PC to stop displaying Spotlight images. Corrupt system files can also trigger the problem. We’ll explain why these errors happen and how to fix the problem.

1. Check Your Internet Connection

When you activate Windows Spotlight, it displays pre-downloaded background images included in Windows installation for the first few days. Afterward, Windows fetches additional images from Microsoft (Bing)—this requires an internet connection.

If you’ve never connected your computer to the internet after enabling Windows Spotlight, Windows won’t display new images when it’s done rotating the pre-downloaded images. Connect your computer to a Wi-Fi or Ethernet network and monitor your lock screen for some days.

Metering your internet connection can also prevent Windows from downloading Windows Spotlight images in the background. So, verify that your computer’s internet connection isn’t metered.

In Windows 11, go toSettings>Network & internet> selectWi-FiorEthernet>[Network name] Properties> and turn offMetered connection.

In Windows 10, head toSettings>Network & Internet>Status>Change connection properties, and toggle offSet as metered connection.

2. Restart Windows Spotlight

Stopping and re-enabling the Windows Spotlight feature can also get your PC back to changing lock screen images.

In Windows 10, go toSettings>Personalization>Lock screenand set the “Background” to theWindows spotlightoption.

Reboot your computer and re-enable Windows Spotlight in the personalization settings menu. Close all active apps before restarting your computer, so you don’t lose unsaved data.

3. Reset Windows Spotlight Settings

Re-register the system files powering the Windows Spotlight functionality. You’ll find these files in the Windows Content Delivery Manager folder. Follow the steps below to re-register Windows Spotlight files in Windows 10 and 11.

C:Users%username%AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewySettings

You can also access the folder through the Windows Run box. PressWindows key+R, paste%USERPROFILE%/AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewySettingsin the dialog box, and selectOK.

You’ll find two files (roaming.lockandsettings.dat) in the Windows Content Delivery Manager Settings folder.

Windows will warn that changing the file extension will render the file unusable. SelectYesto proceed.

Windows will create fresh copies of both files in the folder when you restart your computer. That should get Windows Spotlight working correctly again.

4. Re-register Windows Spotlight

Re-register Windows Spotlight if the problem persists or if Windows doesn’t replace the Windows Spotlight files after resetting the feature. Before you proceed, ensure your PC’s background personalization is set to Windows Spotlight. Otherwise, you may encounter an error re-registering Windows Spotlight.

In Windows 11, head toSettings>Personalization>Backgroundand set the “Personalize your background” option toWindows spotlight.

On Windows 10 devices, head toSettings>Personalization>Lock screenand set “Background” toWindows spotlight.

Get-AppxPackage -allusers ContentDeliveryManager | foreach {Add-AppxPackage “$($_.InstallLocation)appxmanifest.xml” -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }

Reboot your computer and check if your Windows automatically changes the background image on your lock screen every 1-2 days.

5. Run the System File Checker

Corrupt system files can cause Windows Spotlight and other system processes to malfunction. Use the WindowsSystem File Checkerto find and repair corrupt system files on your computer.

DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth

The command prompts theDeployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) toolto download files needed to replace corrupt system files. Proceed to the next step when the restore operation is complete.

SFC will display a “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.” message if it finds and replaces any corrupt file.

Run SFC in Safe Mode if you keep getting a“Windows Resource Protection could not perform the requested operation.” error. Try the next troubleshooting fix if the SFC doesn’t find any corrupt file or if Windows Spotlight still doesn’t work.

6. Delete Windows Spotlight Assets

Windows may fail to change your lock screen if corrupt files are in the folder housing Windows Spotlight pictures. Clearing out Windows Spotlight files can fix the problem.

%USERPROFILE%/AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalStateAssets

Restart your computer and check if deleting that resolves the issue. Enable Windows Spotlight and ensure your computer has an internet connection.

7. Update Your Computer

If you haven’t updated your computer in a long time, installing an update might restore Windows Spotlight to normalcy.

In Windows 11, open theSettingsapp, selectWindows Updateon the sidebar, and selectCheck for updatesorDownload & install all.

In Windows 10, go toSettings>Update & Security>Windows Updateand selectCheck for updates.

8. Uninstall Windows Updates

A bug-ridden or unstable Windows update can break Windows Spotlight and other system features. If Windows Spotlight stopped working correctly after installing a Windows Update, uninstall the problematic update. You can also roll back your computer to a previous/stable state using System Restore.

If your PC runs Windows 10, go toSettings>Update & Security>Windows Update, and selectView update history.

Check if Windows Spotlight works correctly after Windows successfully uninstalls the updates and restarts your computer.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Contact Microsoft Supportif these solutions don’t fix the problem. Performing aclean reinstall of Windowsmay also fix the problem. However, ensure you back up your files to an external drive or cloud storage service.

Sodiq has written thousands of tutorials, guides, and explainers over the past 4 years to help people solve problems with Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows devices. He also enjoys reviewing consumer tech products (smartphones, smart home devices, accessories, etc.) and binge-watching comedy series in his spare time.Read Sodiq’s Full Bio

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