Windows Spotlight

Windows Spotlight

Lock screen of a Windows 11 PC with Windows Spotlight shown on a black background
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Operating system	Windows 10, Windows 11 by Microsoft
Predecessor	Windows 8 metro style lock screen
Type	Lock screen slideshow service

Windows Spotlight is a feature included with Windows 10 and Windows 11 which downloads images and advertisements from Bing and displays them as background wallpapers on the lock screen. In 2017, Microsoft began adding location information for many of the photographs.

Technical details

Windows Spotlight images are provided by Windows' Content Delivery Manager. New ones are shown every 1–2 days. Once downloaded, spotlight images are stored on the computer. If the Content Delivery Manager has no new picture to display, a default image is used. This default fallback image can be changed.^[1]

Photo locations

Photo location information is made available to the computer user.^[2] The images typically depict identifiable, well-known locations such as famous historical or natural landmarks and rarely show any human beings. Location information is occasionally provided, while photo credits are typically not. The following subjects have been featured (alphabetical by continent):

Africa

• Abu Simbel, Egypt
• The White Desert (Sahara el Beyda) near Farafra, Egypt
• Nile River near Luxor, Egypt
• Sway bridge at The Palace of the Lost City, Sun City, South Africa
• Grand Anse Beach, La Digue Island, Seychelles
• Isalo National Park, Madagascar
• Sahara Desert dunes near Ouargla, Algeria
• Waterfalls near Chamarel, Mauritius

Antarctica

• Lemaire Channel

Asia

• Angkor Wat, Cambodia
• Longsheng Rice Terrace, China
• Chateau Laffitte Hotel, Beijing, China
• Canola fields in Luoping County, China
• Dushanzi Grand Canyon, Dushanzi District, Karamay, China
• Huangshang Mountains, China
• Yangshuo County, China
• Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China
• Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, China
• Hong Kong skyline, Hong Kong
• Jal Mahal, Jaipur, India
• Taj Mahal, Agra, India
• Kelimutu, Indonesia
• Lampung, Indonesia
• Azadi Tower, Tehran, Iran
• Vakil Mosque, Shiraz, Iran
• Hokkaido Island, Japan
• Petra, Jordan
• Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
• Jeti-Ögüz Rocks, Kyrgyzstan
• A lagoon in Semporna, Malaysia, Borneo
• El Nido, Philippines
• Quiapo, Philippines
• Lake Baikal, Siberia, Russia
• Rub' al Khali, Saudi Arabia
• Supertree Grove, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore
• Bukhansan National Park, South Korea
• Hehuanshan Mountain, Taiwan
• Ko Tapu off Khao Phing Kan, Phang Nga Bay, Thailand
• Ko Phayam, Andaman Sea, Thailand
• Sam Pan Bok, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand
• Ao Ta Lo Woo pier in Ko Tarutao, Tarutao National Park, Thailand
• Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Europe

• Garni Gorge, Armenia
• Hallstatt, Austria
• Lake Gosau, Austria
• Central Train Station, Antwerp, Belgium
• Bruges, Belgium
• Devetashka Cave, Lovech Province, Bulgaria
• Rab Island coastline, Croatia
• Land's End, Cornwall, England
• Palace of Westminster London, England
• Port Isaac, England
• Stonehenge, England
• Wastwater Lake, Lake District, England
• Yorkshire, England
• Lac du Pontet, Villar-d'Arêne, France
• Luberon, Gordes, France
• Arles, France (ISS Photo)
• Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France
• Réunion, France
• Nuuk, Greenland
• Tasermiut Fjord, Greenland
• Arch bridge Rakotzbrucke or Devil's bridge in Kromlau, Germany
• The Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
• Eibsee Lake in Bavaria, Germany
• Überseequartier station in Hamburg, Germany
• Hohenzollern Castle, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
• Lüneburg Heath, Germany
• Diving bell at Zingst Pier, Zinnowitz, Germany
• Saxon Switzerland National Park, Germany
• Andros, Greece
• Mykonos, Greece
• Navagio, Greece
• Oia, Greece
• Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary
• Lake Balaton, Hungary
• Seljalandsfoss, Iceland
• Jökulsárlón, Iceland
• Lakagígar, Iceland
• Burano, Italy
• Colza fields in Tuscany, Italy
• Civita di Bagnoregio in the Province of Viterbo, Italy
• Antorno Lake w/Lavaredo Peaks in the Dolomites, Italy
• Leaning Tower of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
• Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy
• Seiser Alm meadow in the Dolomites, Italy
• Sunrise in Tuscany, Italy
• Selva di Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Italy
• Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
• Lofoten Islands, Norway
• Grøtfjord, Troms County, Norway
• Hotel Durmitor, Durmitor National Park, Montenegro
• Lake Biograd, Biogradska Gora National park, Montenegro
• Doesburg, Netherlands
• Morskie Oko lake, Tatra National Park, Poland
• The Algarve coast, Portugal
• Elektrozavodskaya station, Moscow, Russia
• Neist Point, Isle of Skye, Scotland
• Trotternish, Isle of Skye, Scotland
• Victoria Street and West Bow, Edinburgh, Scotland
• Petticowick, St Abbs, Scotland
• Lake Bled, Slovenia
• Delika Canyon waterfall, Nervion River, Spain
• Ronda, Spain
• Nervión River Falls, Basque Country, Spain
• San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Bermeo, Spain
• Archipelago of Gothenburg, Sweden
• Newcastle Upon Tyne, England

North America

• Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada
• Moraine Lake, Alberta, Canada
• Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
• Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
• Vancouver from Burnaby Mountain, BC, Canada
• Numa Falls, British Columbia, Canada
• Landing Lake in Manitoba, Canada
• Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada and New York, US
• Tobermory, Ontario, Canada
• Perce Rock Quebec, Canada
• Havana, Cuba
• Punta Gorda, Florida
• Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
• Lake Atitlan Guatemala
• Durango, Mexico
• Tamul and Tamasopo waterfalls, Aquismón, near the Cave of Swallows, Huasteca Potosina, Mexico
• Philipsburg, Sint Maarten
• Antelope Canyon, Arizona, US
• Cathedral Rock, Arizona, US
• The Wave, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona, US
• Badwater Basin, Death Valley, California, US
• Golden Gate Bridge, California, US
• Convict Lake, California, US
• Natural Bridges State Beach, Santa Cruz, California, US
• Yosemite National Park, California, US
• Zabriske Point, Death Valley, California, US
• Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur Coast, California, US
• Griffith Observatory and Los Angeles, California, US
• South Dakota Highway 87 Needle Eye natural granite tunnel, South Dakota, US
• Brasstown Bald, Georgia, US
• Kailua Pier, Hawaii, Hawaii, US
• Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, US
• Oahu, Hawaii, Hawaii, US
• Chicago Lakefront, Illinois, US
• Acadia National Park, Maine, US
• St Joseph Lighthouse, Michigan, US
• Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Missouri, US
• Grinnell Point on Swiftcurrent Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana, US
• Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico, US
• Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada, US
• Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, Central Park, New York City, New York, US
• Castilleja Indivisa wild flowers field, Oklahoma, US
• Vista House, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, US
• Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Utah, US
• Teton Range, Wyoming, US
• Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, US
• Pennybacker Bridge, Austin, Texas, US
• Bryce Canyon National park, Utah, US
• Silver Falls State Park, Oregon, US

Central America

• Tenorio Volcano National Park waterfall place, Costa Rica
• Tikal, Guatemala
• Big Rock Falls, Belize

South America

• El Chalten, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina
• Esquel, Argentina
• Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil
• Laguna de Los Tres and Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia, Argentina
• Rio de Janeiro from Sugarloaf Mountain, Brazil
• Copacabana and Ipanema beaches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
• Caño Cristales River, Colombia
• Bartolome Island Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
• Los Roques archipelago, Venezuela
• Mount Roraima (surrounding Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana)
• Tayrona National Natural Park, Colombia
• Laguna Garzón Bridge, Uruguay

Oceania

• The Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Australia
• Kiama Harbour, NSW, Australia
• Gordon Dam, Tasmania, Australia
• Uluru, Northern Territory, Australia
• Moorea, French Polynesia
• Milford Sound, New Zealand
• Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand
• Browns Island, New Zealand
• Lake Wānaka, New Zealand
• Aupouri Peninsula, New Zealand
• Lake Quill, New Zealand
• Taranaki volcano seen from the Mangamahoe lake, New Zealand

Other pictures

• Red deer in Richmond Park, London
• Fauna in Madagascar
• Catamaran on the beach in Madagascar
• Butterflies in Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
• Male black-naped monarch (bird)
• Blue-footed Booby, Galapagos Islands
• European hedgehog
• Greylag goose landing on lake
• Sea Otter Homer, Alaska
• Two egrets dancing in a lake, by Tahir Abbas from Pakistan
• Golden butterflyfish swimming with sea goldies near Red Sea, Egypt
• Rothschild's giraffe and pelicans, near Lake Nakuru, Kenya
• Witch's Broom Nebula, outerspace

Advertisements

• Advertisement of the music service Shazam
• Advertisement of Groove Music pass
• Advertisement of the Microsoft Edge web browser
• Advertisement of Microsoft Movies & TV
• Advertisement of Microsoft Outlook
• Advertisement of Microsoft Rewards
• Advertisement of Mixer (website)
• Advertisement of Starfield (in the form of in-game screenshots)

References

1. "Personalize your lock screen". Microsoft. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
2. Wallaker, Matthew (June 2, 2022). "Where Were the Windows 10 Lock Screen Photos Taken?". Make Use Of. Retrieved February 18, 2023.

External links