The Desktop slideshow or desktop background slideshow is a handy feature available in Windows 10 to automatically shuffle desktop background picture at given intervals.
The desktop slideshow feature can be enabled and configured by navigating to the personalization section of the Settings app.
At times, the desktop slideshow feature might stop working on Windows 10. In other words, Windows 10 might not automatically change desktop wallpaper at given intervals, even when the desktop slideshow is enabled.
If Windows 10 is not automatically changing desktop slideshow, you can try out the following solutions to fix the desktop slideshow feature issue.
Method 1 of 7
Check if Desktop slideshow is turned off
Well, the desktop slideshow feature will not work if it’s turned off. So it’s important to make sure that the feature is enabled under Settings.
To check the status of desktop slideshow feature:
Step 1: Right-click on the empty area of the desktop, click Personalize and then click Background.
Step 2: Under the Background section, make sure that the Slideshow option is selected.
If the slideshow is selected, but if the feature is not working, please refer to the solutions 2, 3, 4, and 5 mentioned below.
Refer to our how to enable desktop slideshow feature in Windows 10 guide for detailed instructions for enabling and configuring the slideshow feature.
Method 2 of 7
Allow slideshow when on battery
With default settings, Windows 10 doesn’t automatically change the desktop background picture when your PC is running on battery power to improve the backup time. In short, the desktop slideshow doesn’t work when the PC is using battery power.
However, you can configure Windows 10 to allow slideshow feature when on the battery by following the given below steps.
Step 1: Right-click on desktop, click Personalize and then click Background.
Step 2: Turn on the option labeled Allow slideshow when on battery feature to force Windows 10 to automatically change the desktop background even if the PC is running on battery power.
There is another way to allow slideshow when on battery
Step 1: Type Edit power plan in Start menu or taskbar search box, and then press Enter key to open Edit plan settings window.
Step 2: Click Change advanced power settings link to open Power Options dialog.
Step 3: Expand Desktop Background Settings tree, expand Slideshow, and then select Available for On Battery. Click the Apply button and then click OK.
Note that when you allow slideshow on the battery using the above method, Windows 10 will allow the slideshow for the selected power plan only. If you want to allow slideshow when on battery for all plans, select another plan from the drop-down list in the Power Options dialog (refer to the picture above) and make the change.
Method 3 of 7
Check the number of wallpapers in the selected folder
As you likely know, while enabling the desktop slideshow feature, Windows 10 asks you to select a folder containing pictures that you want to use for the slideshow feature.
If the slideshow is not working, make sure that the folder you selected has at least two pictures as Windows 10 can’t automatically change the desktop background if there is only one picture inside the selected folder.
Method 4 of 7
Make sure that wallpapers are not in sub-folder(s)
While checking the desktop slideshow settings, make sure that the wallpapers are present in the root of the selected folder or not in sub-folders.
Method 5 of 7
Install a different desktop themepack
If the desktop slideshow feature is not working for a specific desktop theme (desktop themepack), install a different theme, and then check if the slideshow is working. Refer to our how to install and delete a theme in Windows 10 guide.
Method 6 of 7
Uninstall recently installed desktop customization software
If none of those mentioned above solutions fixing the slideshow issue, then it could be because of a recently installed or configured third-party desktop background customization software.
If you recently installed or configured a desktop customization software, please uninstall the same and check if the slideshow works after removing the third-party customization software.
Method 7 of 7
Restore Windows 10 to an earlier date
If the slideshow feature was working without any issues till recently, you could try restoring Windows 10 to a previous date. While restoring, select a restore point created on a specific date when the slideshow was working.
Good luck!
