Use one or more photos as your desktop picture

The background of your computer screen is called the desktop. iPhoto makes it easy to use one or several pictures in your photo library as your desktop image.

For best results, crop the photo to the correct size for your display.

To use one photo as your desktop picture:

  1. Select the photo you want to use.

  2. Choose Share > Set Desktop. (If you’re in full-screen view, move your pointer to the top of the screen to make the menu bar appear.)

    Your selected photo appears as your desktop picture.

    • To change photos, select a new photo, and then choose Share > Set Desktop.

    • To return to your previous desktop, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Desktop & Screen Saver. Click Desktop, and then choose one of the options.

To display multiple photos in sequence:

  1. Select an album, Event, or other group of photos.

  2. Choose Share > Set Desktop. (If you’re in full-screen view, move your pointer to the top of the screen to make the menu bar appear.)

    Your selected photos appear as your desktop pictures.

    • To change the photos, select a new set of photos, and then choose Share > Set Desktop.

    • To return to your previous desktop, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Desktop & Screen Saver. Click Desktop, and then choose one of the options.

For more information about your desktop, see the topics in Mac Help.