spotlight images download How to Save Lockscreen Images on Windows 10. I’m not exactly a fan of Windows even though I use it every day more than any other OS. I play games on my machine and therefore I cannot completely switch to something else. I do use Linux every now and then and I love the experience more than I enjoy using Windows. But, there are some things that Windows does get right. In general, it has fewer features in comparison. Yet, there are some features it has that Linux just doesn’t. The Windows 10 Spotlight feature is a perfect example of that. It’s a superficial feature, I know, but it’s also cool. Not to mention the wallpapers it brings are also pretty awesome. Unfortunately, it does not allow users to save the Spotlight lockscreen images anywhere. For the uninitiated, the Windows 10 Spotlight is a feature that displays different background images crawled from the web on the lock screen. It also offers information related to the image shown on the lock screen. While Windows does not originally let users save these images/wallpapers, there certainly are ways around that. Today, we’ll show you a hack with which you can save Spotlight lockscreen wallpapers on your Windows 10 machine locally. Enable Spotlight. Before we do that though make sure you have the Spotlight feature enabled. It’s usually enabled by default even on PCs that aren’t activated. In the odd chance that you don’t see new lock screen wallpapers every day on your lock screen, you can enable Spotlight manually. Launch the Windows 10 app from the . Navigate to Personalization and then click on Lockscreen in the left column. You can also access the Personalization settings directly by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting Personalize from the context menu. Click on the drop-down menu under Background and select Spotlight . After a few minutes, you should start seeing spotlight images on your lock screen. Save Spotlight Lockscreen Images on Windows 10. Search for the Run using the Windows 10 search or press Win + R on your keyboard to launch the Run program. Enter the following command in the Run dialog. This will open the folder where the Spotlight images are cached. Enter the command in a command prompt window and it will rename all the files with a .jpg extension. Spotlight images windows 10 download. This program can retrieve Windows Spotlight images by requesting the Spotlight API. SpotlightDL can also define images as wallpaper and system-wide lockscreen image. It is useful in the following use cases: Download the whole Spotlight library with maximum image resolution and metadata Define Spotlight images as wallpaper, not only on Windows 10 but also on previous versions Define Spotlight images as global lock screen on Win7/8/10, removing the ads on Windows 10 Chain SpotlightDL with your own scripts and apps by taking advantage of the url mode. Simply call SpotlightDownloader.exe from the Windows command prompt and see usage. The download/url modes should also work on Mac/Linux using the Mono framework. A few Batch files are offered for ease of use for common tasks: spotlight-download-archive : Download many images to a SpotlightArchive folder update-archive-and-wallpaper : Feed the Archive and use one image as wallpaper update-archive-and-lockscreen : Feed the Archive and use one image as lockscreen update-wallpaper : Randomize desktop wallpaper (using a fixed-size cache) update-lockscreen : Randomize system-wide lockscreen (using a fixed-size cache) restore-lockscreen : Restore default system-wide lockscreen generate-manual : Generate a text file with command-line usage. If you wish to periodically update your wallpaper or lockscreen, you can schedule one of the provided script by following these instructions. The Spotlight API is located on the following endpoint: Where the expected arguments are: pid : Public subscription ID for Windows lockscreens. Do not change this value fmt : Output format, e.g. json rafb : Purpose currently unknown, optional ua : Client user agent string cdm : Purpose currently unknown, cdm=1 disphorzres : Screen width in pixels dispvertres : Screen height in pixels lo : Purpose currently unknown, optional pl : Locale, e.g. en-US lc : Language, e.g. en-US ctry : Country, e.g. us time : Time, e.g. 2017-12- 31T23:59:59Z. The JSON response contains details for one or more image(s) including image url, title, sha256, ads, etc. Spotlight API URL was originally found in this file and up to date API URL in this file, thanks to the authors for their findings! Global lock screen. The global lock screen images for Windows 8 and 10 are stored as C:\Windows\Web\Screen\imgXXX.jpg . SpotlightDL backups each image as imgXXX.jpg.bak if it does not already exists, then overwrite this file. The lock screen image cache, located at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\SystemData\S-1-5-18\ReadOnly\LockScreen_* , must be cleared for the change to take effect. SpotlightDL gets around NTFS permissions on these folders being locked down to TrustedInstaller by setting the local Administrators group as new owner of the relevant files and folders, and granting full control to this group. Then, programs running as administrator can overwrite the lockscreen image and clear the cache. This way of replacing the lockscreen is basically a C# implementation of this script, avoiding the use of the takeown and iacls commands which are not reliable due to a localization issue. Windows 7 support is also implemented through the OEMBackground feature: Then the image has to be placed in C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds\backgroundDefault.jpg Windows 7 enforces a limit of 250 KiB so SpotlightDL will recompress the image to the highest quality fitting in that limit. SpotlightDL is provided under CDDL-1.0 (Why?). Basically, you can use it or its source for any project, free or commercial, but if you improve it or fix issues, the license requires you to contribute back by submitting a pull request with your improved version of the code. Also, credit must be given to the original project, and license notices may not be removed from the code. About. Download Spotlight images and define them as wallpaper and lockscreen image. Configure Windows Spotlight on the lock screen. Windows Spotlight is an option for the lock screen background that displays different background images and occasionally offers suggestions on the lock screen. Windows Spotlight is available in all desktop editions of Windows 10. For managed devices running Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education, enterprise administrators can configure a mobile device management (MDM) or setting to prevent users from using the Windows Spotlight background. For managed devices running Windows 10 Pro, version 1607, administrators can disable suggestions for third party apps. In Windows 10, version 1607, the lock screen background does not display if you disable the Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing setting in This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings > Performance settings > Visual Effects , or if you enable the Group Policy setting Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Desktop Windows Manager > Do not allow windows animations . In Windows 10, version 1703, you can use the Personalization CSP settings to set lock screen and desktop background images. What does Windows Spotlight include? Background image. The Windows Spotlight displays a new image on the lock screen each day. The initial background image is included during installation. Additional images are downloaded on ongoing basis. Feature suggestions, fun facts, tips. The lock screen background will occasionally make recommendations on how to enhance your productivity and enjoyment of Microsoft products including suggesting other relevant Microsoft products and services. How do you turn off Windows Spotlight locally? To turn off Windows Spotlight locally, go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Background > Windows spotlight > select a different lock screen background. How do you disable Windows Spotlight for managed devices? Windows Spotlight is enabled by default. Windows 10 provides Group Policy and mobile device management (MDM) settings to help you manage Windows Spotlight on enterprise computers. These policies are in the User Configuration \Policies\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Cloud Content path in the Group Policy Management Console, and in the User Configuration \Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Cloud Content path in the Local Group Policy Editor. Group Policy MDM Description Applies to Do not suggest third-party content in Windows spotlight Experience/Allow ThirdParty Suggestions In Windows Spotlight Enables enterprises to restrict suggestions to Microsoft apps and services Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, version 1607 and later Turn off all Windows Spotlight features Experience/Allow Windows Spotlight Enables enterprises to completely disable all Windows Spotlight features in a single setting Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, version 1607 and later Configure Spotlight on lock screen Experience/Configure Windows Spotlight On Lock Screen Specifically controls the use of the dynamic Windows Spotlight image on the lock screen, and can be enabled or disabled Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, version 1607 and later Turn off the Windows Spotlight on Experience/Allow Windows Spotlight On Action Center Turn off Suggestions from Microsoft that show after each clean install, upgrade, or on an on-going basis to introduce users to what is new or changed Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, version 1703 Do not use diagnostic data for tailored experiences Experience/Allow Tailored Experiences With Diagnostic Data Prevent Windows from using diagnostic data to provide tailored experiences to the user Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education, version 1703 Turn off the Windows Welcome Experience Experience/Allow Windows Spotlight Windows Welcome Experience Turn off the Windows Spotlight Windows Welcome experience which helps introduce users to Windows, such as launching with a web page highlighting new features Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, version 1703 Turn off the Windows Spotlight on Settings Experience/Allow Windows Spotlight on Settings Turn off the Windows Spotlight in the Settings app. Windows 10 Enterprise and Education, version 1803. In addition to the specific policy settings for Windows Spotlight, administrators can replace Windows Spotlight with a selected image using the Group Policy setting Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > > Personalization > Force a specific default lock screen image (Windows 10 Enterprise and Education). If you want to use a custom lock screen image that contains text, see Resolution for custom lock screen image. Pay attention to the checkbox in Options . In addition to providing the path to the lock screen image, administrators can choose to allow or Turn off fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on lock screen . If the checkbox is not selected, users will see the lock screen image that is defined in the policy setting, and will also see occasional messages. Resolution for custom lock screen image. A concern with custom lock screen images is how they will appear on different screen sizes and resolutions. A custom lock screen image created in 16:9 aspect ratio (1600x900) will scale properly on devices using a 16:9 resolution, such as 1280x720 or 1920x1080. On devices using other aspect ratios, such as 4:3 (1024x768) or 16:10 (1280x800), height scales correctly and width is cropped to a size equal to the aspect ratio. The image will remain centered on the screen. Lock screen images created at other aspect ratios may scale and center unpredictably on your device when changing aspect ratios. The recommendation for custom lock screen images that include text (such as a legal statement) is to create the lock screen image in 16:9 resolution with text contained in the 4:3 region, allowing the text to remain visible at any aspect ratio. How To Download Windows 10 Spotlight Lock Screen Pictures. Sometime back, we discussed the new spotlight feature introduced with Windows 10, and how to save those gorgeous spotlight lock screen images without the help of third-party utilities. The manual method of saving spotlight lock screen images is relatively easy but requires navigating to Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Packages\ Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\ LocalState\Assets folder, and then manually changing file extensions to JPEG. The problem with this manual method is that you need to do rename file extensions to JPEG format to view them, and more importantly, you might not be able to get all spotlight images. SpotBright app for Windows 10. SpotBright by T.Partl is a free app to easily download Windows 10 spotlight lock screen images with a few mouse clicks. The SpotBright app makes it easier to collect those awesome spotlight images. More importantly, unlike the manual method, this app will help you download almost all spotlight images from Microsoft servers in a few minutes in high-resolution. Download spotlight lock screen pictures with SpotBright. Here is how to use the SpotBright app to download spotlight images on a Windows 10 PC. Step 1: Visit this link of Store and install the SpotBright app. Step 2: Once installed, open the app. Upon opening the app, you will see the following screen with Fast search and In-depth search options. Click the Fast search if you want to quickly find all spotlights images. Go for the in-depth search option if you don’t mind waiting for a minute or two, but this might find more spotlight pictures. Click on either Fast search or In-depth option to start the search. In a few seconds to minutes, the app will show how many images are available to download. Step 3: Click on the Download xxx new pictures button to begin downloading pictures. With default settings, SpotBright saves downloaded pictures in C:\Users\YourUserAccountName\Pictures\SpotBrightfolder, and you can change the default download location by click Settings button and then selecting a new location. The app downloads two resolutions of every picture. One resolution is 1920×1080, and the other is 1080×1920. Overall, I am impressed with this app as the app allows you to download almost all spotlight lock screen images with ease. An option to view images without having to download them would have been a great addition to this fantastic app, but it’s an excellent piece of software. SpotBright is a free app. Spotlight for Windows Desktop. Add the Windows 10 Spotlight feature to Windows 7/8/8.1, and get beautiful images that can be set as your wallpaper or lock screen background. The Windows 10 Spotlight feature has become quite popular among users, as it provides you with an extensive collection of images that can be set as your lock screen background. However, it is not available for older versions of the OS, at least not without third-party software. Spotlight for Windows Desktop is a tiny application that allows you to access this image gallery from Windows 7, as well as Win 8 and Win 8.1. It is very simple to install and configure. Set pictures as your wallpaper or lock screen background. This program downloads images from the Spotlight API, so it uses the same photos that a Windows 10 PC normally receives. The pictures are taken in various locations from around the world, and all are approved by Microsoft to ensure only the best are included. These photos can be used as either your wallpaper or lock screen background, and they are selected randomly and changed every few hours. Quick and easy installation. After going through the setup process, you may need to reboot your PC. Once that is done, your wallpaper should now feature a new image downloaded by the application. To configure the program, simply access the settings panel from the Start menu. The service can be enabled or disabled at any time, and you can even change the current wallpaper manually if you are not happy with it. If you like, you can also enable the feature on any new accounts that are created. Great Spotlight alternative for users who don’t want to update to Windows 10. A lot of users are perfectly happy with Windows 7 or 8.1 and see no reason to upgrade, but would still like to take advantage of some features offered by the latest edition of the OS. If you want to use the images provided by Microsoft through the Win 10 Spotlight service, Spotlight for Windows Desktop is just what you need.