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Slideshow not working

Reilly 5 Reputation points
2025-07-25T01:51:53.2+00:00

Hello,

I have encountered a glitch. I went to lock my screen but accidentatly clicked shut down, after clicking cancel. My screen loaded back up but the first moniter background was black and the second was a slideshow background. I went to change it back and the settings app froze after clicking background, eventually it loaded. However evertime I clicked on slideshow it would autmatically switch back to picture immediantly. I have tried restarting, shuting down and updating yet the issue persists.

Thank you.

Windows for home | Other | Desktop, Start, and personalization

2 answers

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  1. S.Sengupta 27,136 Reputation points MVP
    2025-07-25T02:34:33.24+00:00

    Open Run menu and copy-paste the following and hit the Enter key:

    %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Themes

    Delete these two files if present:

    TranscodedWallpaper

    slideshow.ini

    Restart.

    Open Command Prompt as administrator and run:

    net stop "Themes"

    net start "Themes"

    Reboot

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  2. AceRobertT 14,315 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-07-25T02:38:18.33+00:00

    Hello Reilly. To make slideshow work again, first go to Settings > Personalization > Background and change the background to Slideshow. Then, click Browse, and then choose a permanent folder (e.g., C:\Wallpapers) that contains only image files do not use Downloads, or any folders on external drives. Next, save your current theme with Settings > Personalization > Themes > Save theme, and call it something like “SlideshowFix”. To stop Windows from changing your settings back, go to Settings > Accounts > Windows backup > Remember my preferences, and turn off Other Windows settings. Finally, you need to open Run (Win + R) and type %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Themes. Then Remove any slide show.ini or corrupted theme files left behind. This will clear old slideshow triggers and keep your background setting consistent.

    Here's the reference: Win 11 changes slideshow setting to picture

    Note: I am providing this information as a convenience to you. The sites are not controlled by Microsoft. Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any suggestions from the above link.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

    Best regards,

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