Windows spotlight is a new feature introduced with Windows 10. The spotlight feature, when turned on, displays the latest Bing homepage picture as your Windows 10 lock screen background. The spotlight feature can also be configured to display pictures from a specific category by clicking I want more or Not a fan option on the lock screen.

The Windows Spotlight feature can be turned on or off under the personalization section of the Settings app. In other words, to turn the spotlight feature, you need to right-click on the desktop, click Personalize, click Lock screen, and then select Windows spotlight from the drop-down menu.

At times, according to several Windows 10 users, the Windows spotlight feature goes missing from the personalization section of Settings for no specific reason. If you’re unable to see the Windows spotlight option under the lock screen section of the Settings app, you can try out the following methods to restore the missing Windows spotlight feature.

Method 1 of 5

Make sure that you’re running the newest build of Windows 10

It’s important to make sure that you’re running Windows 10 with the latest updates because the Windows spotlight feature was not present in builds released before Windows 10 November or Threshold 2 update. Please refer to our how to check if you have installed November or Threshold 2 update and proceed further only if you’re sure that November update is installed. Make sure that the OS build number is 10586 or above.

Method 2 of 5

Remove apps from the lock screen

Step 1: Right-click on the desktop, click Personalize to open the Personalization section of Settings.

Step 2: Click Lock screen. Under Choose apps to show quick status section, click on the first app and select None to remove it from the lock screen. Like this, you need to click on every app in the list and select None to remove all those apps from the lock screen.

Step 3: Next, click on the app under Choose an app to show detailed status section and then select None to remove the same from the lock screen.

Step 4: Close all running apps, sign out, and sign in. Navigate to Lock screen settings in the Settings app. The Windows Spotlight feature must be available now.

You may now add apps to the lock screen by clicking the plus icon and then selecting the app that you want to show quick status on the lock screen. Likewise, you can also add one app to show detailed status on the lock screen.

Method 3 of 5

Disable “Show Windows background picture on the sign-in screen” option

IMPORTANT: We recommend you turn off the “Show Windows background picture on the sign-in screen” option only after you removed all apps from the lock screen by following the directions in Method 1.

Step 1: Once again, right-click on the desktop, click Personalize to open Settings, and then click Lock screen to open lock screen settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to see Show Windows background picture on the sign-in screen. Turn off the option.

Sign out and sign in. The Windows Spotlight feature should be available now.

Once the Windows spotlight is available, you can turn on the “Show Windows background picture on the sign-in screen” option again.

Method 4 of 5

Turn off PIN lock

For some users, turning off the PIN lock enabled the Windows spotlight feature. Of course, you can skip this method if you haven’t turned on the PIN lock feature.

Please refer to our how to use a PIN sign in to Windows 10 guide for detailed instructions.

Method 5 of 5

Remove Cortana from the Lock screen

In Windows 10 Anniversary update builds, there is an option to add and use Cortana right from the lock screen. If the above solutions didn’t help you, remove Cortana from the Lock screen to check if the Windows spotlight works. Here is how to that:

Step 1: Right-click on desktop, click Personalize and then click Lock screen to see its settings.

Step 2: Click the link labeled Cortana lock screen settings.

Step 3: Turn off the option labeled Use Cortana even when my device is locked to remove Cortana from the lock screen.

Check if the Windows spotlight appears and works in the absence of Cortana. You can add Cortana back to the lock screen later by following the steps mentioned above.

You might also like to read our how to download the Windows spotlight pictures guide.