I want to return to my previous lock-screen display on Windows 10

Windows 10 selects a different lock-screen for me every 24 hours. By informing Microsoft each time I like a screen, it has taken to using scenery from various parts of the world. Yesterday I was in (Goatzgutx something), Spain, but I cannot find the location on Google Maps because I can't spell it. Is there a way simply to go back to the previous lock-screen?

helene4 years agoWindows 10 x64, Google Chrome

2 replies

• Hello Helene,

  There's no way to go back to the previous Lock Screen, but there is a way to find the previously used backgrounds because they're stored in a folder on your computer.

  One caveat: only the image itself is stored, not the corresponding place name. However, using Google Images you may be able to do a reverse image search.

  If you open the File Explorer in Windows 10, click the address bar at the top, paste the following file path into it and then press enter:

  %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

  You should land in a folder that contains a bunch of files with long alphanumeric names. Your most recent Lock Screen backgrounds are among these. Most if not all of the files are images, but they don't have an extension (like .jpg or .png) for Windows to recognize them as such, and for you to be able to view them easily.

  Since the images you're looking for are high-resolution ones, I would suggest sorting the list by file size first of all. You can do so by clicking on the "Size" column header near the top of the window. If you don't see that column, you can also right-click in an empty area of the window and select Sort By > File size.

  All the images that now float to the top are probably Lock Screen images. One by one, rename each file by clicking on it once, waiting a second, and then clicking again, or by right-clicking the file and selecting "Rename".

  When renaming a file, all you have to do is add .jpg to the end of the file name. Then press Enter to save the file. This will allow Windows to recognize it as an image, and you can then double-click the file to view the actual image.

  You might also want to pay attention to the date of each file. Since the image you're looking for was on your Lock Screen yesterday, its date stamp might reflect that. This could make looking for the right image a little easier.

  If you end up finding the image you were looking for, go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, then upload the image you found. (You might copy the image to a different folder where it's easier for you to find later on.)

  Quite a bit of hassle, but hopefully this will let you find the image and the place name!

  Let me know if you need any further assistance.

  Rob (Screensavers Planet)4 years ago

• Having said that, could it perhaps have been Gata de Gorgos?

  Rob (Screensavers Planet)4 years ago

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