Setting Common Desktop Background Wallpapers using GPO
In large organizations, a common desktop background wallpaper is often deployed on all the computers. These are also known as corporate wallpapers and are used for various purposes. It helps achieve a professional look across the organization. When standard desktop wallpaper such as the organization’s logo is deployed on all computers, there is a sense of consistency and uniformity. In addition to this, it also ensures that the employees do not use inappropriate images as their desktop backgrounds. Some of the other purposes include promoting organizational initiatives and providing updates to the employees. This helps to promote the values of the organization through these standard wallpapers. Specific wallpapers can also be used to remind employees about upcoming activities or events.
However, it is a tedious process for the administrators to change the desktop wallpaper on each and every computer in the organization. Besides this, they should also ensure that the employees do not change the standard wallpapers. This can be done by means of Group Policy Objects (GPO). This allows the administrators to deploy the common desktop wallpaper on all the computers within an organizational unit (OU) and to prevent the employees from changing it.
A JPG (.jpg) or a Bitmap (.bmp) image file can be used as the desktop background wallpaper. The resolution of the image is generally chosen to match the smallest monitor resolution. The selected image can be shared on any domain controller using the SYSVOL folder. The contents of this folder are replicated automatically and hence the WAN traffic is reduced when the image file is accessed by the users. Copy the image file to the SYSVOL folder and obtain the UNC path to the file. Ensure that the read permissions for the image file are granted to the domain users.
Another method is to copy the image into a subfolder within the NETLOGON share on the domain. This ensures that the image file is replicated throughout the domain. A shared folder can also be created to store the image file. This folder is created on the C: drive and shared to all the users with Read-only permission. The image to be set as the wallpaper is then copied to this shared folder.
How to Deploy the Desktop Background Wallpaper using Group Policy
Once the image to be used as the wallpaper has been shared to all the required computers, Group Policy can be used to set it as the desktop background. This can be done by following the steps given below.
- Open the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC).
- From the left pane of the console, locate the desired domain and right-click on it. Select the Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here option.
- Enter an appropriate name for the group policy (for example, Set Wallpaper) and click OK.
- Right-click on the newly created GPO and select the Edit option. This opens the Group Policy Management Editor.
- In the Group Policy Management Editor, navigate to User Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > Desktop > Desktop > Desktop Wallpaper.
- Double click on Desktop Wallpaper. In the corresponding window, select the Enabled option. In the Wallpaper Name field, enter the local path or the UNC path of the image. Select the Fill option for Wallpaper Style. This ensures that the wallpaper matches almost all the screen resolutions.
- After configuring the required settings, click on Apply and then OK.
- Close the Group Policy Management Console and run the gpupdate /force command in the command prompt to update the group policy settings across all the computers.
How to Prevent Users from Changing the Wallpaper using Group Policy
Besides deploying a common desktop wallpaper for all users in a domain, the group policy settings can also be used to prevent the employees from changing the wallpaper. This can be done by following the steps given below.
- Open the Group Policy Management Editor and navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization.
- Select the Prevent changing desktop background policy.
- In the corresponding window, select the Enabled option.
- Click on Apply and then OK to complete the process.
Thus this GPO prevents users from changing the desktop background which was set as default using the Desktop Wallpaper policy.
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