Tech Reference

How to change the wallpaper on your Android device in 2 ways

Written by Steven John
galaxy s10 custom wallpaper
It's easy to change your wallpaper on an Android phone or tablet. Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
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Your phone's wallpaper is one of the best ways to show off your personality, and make your device really your own.

However, if you've just bought a new Android device, it might not be obvious how to change the default wallpaper.

Here's how to change your wallpaper on an Android device, even if you don't have a wallpaper you want to use yet.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Samsung Galaxy s10 (From $859.99 at Walmart)

How to change the wallpaper on an Android device

The first approach lets you turn any picture in your phone's Gallery into a wallpaper. This is great if you have a photo that you know you want to use.

1. Open up your phone's Gallery app.

2. Find the photo you want to use and open it.

3. Tap the three dots in the top-right and select "Set as wallpaper."

change wallpaper on Android 2
Make sure not to use a wallpaper so cluttered that it makes apps hard to find.  Steven John/Business Insider

4. You'll be given the choice between using this photo as wallpaper for your home screen, lock screen, or both.

If you don't have a photo in your Gallery that you want to use, you can browse for a new one. Your phone's wallpaper store has many professionally created wallpapers, some of which are even animated. However, most require you to pay for them.

1. Tap and hold your finger on any blank space on your Android's home screen, then tap on the word "Wallpapers."

2. This will open a page where you can browse for a wallpaper you want to buy (or download, if you find a free one).

change wallpaper on Android option 1
There are hundreds of different themes available.  Steven John/Business Insider

3. You can also tap the three bars in the top-left and then select "My Stuff" for a list of all the wallpapers already downloaded onto your phone. 

 

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Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.