Windows 11 Welcome Screen Customizer

A Windows 11 utility that lets you customize the initial login/welcome screen background - the screen you see when starting your PC. While some users can change this background through Windows Settings (Personalization > Lock screen), others find that these settings don't affect their welcome screen. This tool provides a reliable way to set the welcome screen background through registry modifications. The changes are applied system-wide and affect all user accounts on the PC.

Do You Need This Tool?

Before using this tool, try changing your lock screen background through Windows Settings:

1. Open Windows Settings
2. Go to Personalization > Lock screen
3. Change the background and check if it affects your welcome screen (the screen you see when starting your PC)

If the Windows Settings method works for you, you don't need this tool. However, if you find that changing the lock screen background only affects what you see when locking your PC (Win + L) but not the initial login screen, then this tool can help by directly modifying the necessary registry settings.

Features

• Select an image file through Windows Explorer
• Set the image as welcome screen background
• Prevents override by OS
• Undo changes with a single click
• Works even when Windows Settings doesn't affect the welcome screen

Requirements

• Windows 11

Usage

Run the application with administrative privileges: Right-click on WelcomeScreenCustomizer.exe and select "Run as administrator"

Manual Registry Modification Guide

If you prefer to make these changes manually without using the application, follow these steps:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter

2. When prompted by UAC, click "Yes" to run Registry Editor as administrator

3. To set the welcome screen background:

   • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\PersonalizationCSP
   • If the key doesn't exist, right-click on CurrentVersion, select New > Key, and name it PersonalizationCSP
   • Create three String Values (REG_SZ) in this key:
     • Name: LockScreenImagePath, Value: Full path to your image (e.g., C:\Images\background.jpg)
     • Name: LockScreenImageUrl, Value: Same as LockScreenImagePath
     • Name: LockScreenImageStatus, Value: 1

4. To prevent override by OS (required):

   • Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization
   • If the key doesn't exist, create it
   • Create a String Value (REG_SZ):
     • Name: LockScreenImage, Value: Full path to your image
   • Create a DWORD (32-bit) Value:
     • Name: NoChangingLockScreen, Value: 1

5. To revert changes:

   • Delete the values created in both registry locations
   • Or set NoChangingLockScreen to 0 to allow changes

Note: Always backup your registry before making manual modifications. Incorrect registry changes can cause system issues.

The idea for this came from this reddit post.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Disclaimer

This software modifies Windows registry settings. While it has been tested, use it at your own risk. Always ensure you have proper backups before modifying system settings. The authors are not responsible for any damages that might occur from using this software.