Windows 10 lockscreen spotlight not working

The Windows Spotlight is a feature in Windows 10, that automatically changes the background image on the Lock Screen. However, sometimes Windows Spotlight is not working or does not change the lock screen image. In this tutorial, you ‘ll find several methods to fix the following Spotlight problems in Windows 10:

• Windows Spotlight not working.
• Windows Spotlight stuck on an image.
• Can’t change lock screen wallpaper in Windows 10.
• Lock screen wallpaper not changing in Windows 10

How to FIX Windows Spotlight Problems.

Method 1. Allow Required Apps & Spotlight to Run in the Background.

Method 2. Reset Windows Spotlight Settings.

Method 3. Reset and Re-Register Windows Spotlight.

Method 4. Repair Windows 10 with DISM & SFC tools.

Method 1. Allow Required Apps & Spotlight to Run in the Background.

1. Click Start > Settings and select Privacy.

2. Now select Background Apps on the left and at the right:

1. 1. Toggle the Let apps run in the background switch to ON.
   2. Under the Choose which apps can run in the Background, make sure that the following apps are allowed to run in Background:

• Settings

• Microsoft Edge

• Microsoft Store

• Spotlight (If exists)

3. Press the Win + L keys, to lock the screen and see if the Spotlight is working

Method 2. Reset Spotlight Settings.

If Windows Spotlight does not work, proceed to reset it to its default settings:

1. Click Start > Settings and select Personalization.

2. Select Lock Screen on the left and make these changes:

1. 1. Toggle the Show lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen switch to OFF.
   2. Change Background to Picture.

3. Now open Windows Explorer, copy/paste the following address in the address bar and hit Enter:

• %LocalAppData%PackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewySettings

4. Delete, or rename (by adding the extension .OLD)* the following two (2) files:

• • roaming.lock
  • settings.dat

* Note: For precautionary reasons just rename the mentioned files to roaming.lock.old & settings.dat.old

5. Restart your PC.
6. After restart, go to Start > Settings > Personalization.

7. At Lock Screen options:

1. 1. Change Background to Windows Spotlight.
   2. Toggle the Show lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen switch to ON.

8. Press the Win + L keys, to lock the screen and see if the Spotlight is working.

Method 3. Reset and Re-Register Windows Spotlight.

1. Click Start > Settings and select Personalization.

2. Select Lock Screen on the left and change the Background to Picture.

3. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. to do that:

1. 1. In the Search box type: cmd or command prompt
   2. Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

4. Now give the below command to delete all Spotlight Images.

• DEL /F /S /Q /A «%USERPROFILE%/AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalStateAssets»

5. Then give the following command to delete the Spotlight settings.

• DEL /F /S /Q /A «%USERPROFILE%/AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewySettings»

6. Close Command Prompt.

7. Open PowerShell As Administrator. To do that:

1. 1. In the Search box type: powershell
   2. Right-click on Windows PowerShell and select Run as Administrator.

8. In PowerShell window copy and paste the following command and press Enter to re-register Windows Spotlight:

• Get-AppxPackage -allusers *ContentDeliveryManager* | foreach {Add-AppxPackage «$($_.InstallLocation)appxmanifest.xml» -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }

9. Close the PowerShell window and restart your computer.

10. After restart, go to Start > Settings > Personalization.

11. At Lock Screen options, change Background to Windows Spotlight.

Method 4. Repair Windows 10 with DISM & SFC tools.

1. Open command prompt as administrator.

2. At the command prompt window, type the following command & press Enter:

• Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /Restorehealth

3. Be patient until DISM repairs the component store. When the operation is completed, (you should be informed that the component store corruption was repaired), give this command and press Enter:

• SFC /SCANNOW

4. When SFC scan is completed, restart your computer.
5. Check if Spotlight is working in login screen.

That’s it! Which method worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.

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Windows 10 Spotlight feature is something that is loved by all Windows users. Windows spotlight feature basically downloads pictures and advertisements from Bing and then displays them on the lock screen. This no doubt is the great feature but some Windows users have issues that bother them. The Windows Spotlight Not Working error has become common.

The error is also shown as Windows spotlight stuck on the same picture.

Even after enabling the Windows spotlight feature it is sometimes observed that Windows Spotlight not working error occurs or sometimes the Windows spotlight stuck on the same picture is seen. If you have ever come across this error, then this article is for you.

Here I have mentioned some best ways to Fix Windows Spotlight Not Working Error in Windows 10. After following these methods your lock screen images will not be stuck anymore. 

Let’s get started.

What is Windows Spotlight Feature?

Windows 10 presents a stylish feature called Windows Spotlight. This feature allows downloading of images and advertisements from Bing. Then these pictures and ads are displayed or shared on the lock screen. You can also select if you wish to get less or more images of the same kind. It gives you an option to give feedback whether you like the picture or not. You get information regarding the location. Windows Spotlight adds color to your lock screen. This prodigious feature is popular among all the Windows 10 users.

How to Fix Windows Spotlight Not Working Error

There are plenty of reasons, why your Windows 10 machine is not fetching new wallpaper or pictures from Bing. One of the reason might be a proxy setting enabled or the spotlight folder being corrupted. Therefore here we are presenting you some best fixes on how to fix Windows spotlight not showing. But before you begin just make sure that you have a working Internet connection.

Method 1- Reset the Windows Spotlight

The first thing method that can be applied to fix spotlight image stuck problem is to re-register the spotlight application. But before applying this fix, make sure all of your work is saved and close all application.

Step 1- To begin with, launch the search bar by pressing Windows + S. Then type “Cortana” in the space box. Click to open “Cortana and search settings”.

Step 2- Go to the settings menu and uncheck all the options. This will switch off Cortana from your PC.

Step 3- Now launch the search bar again and type “lock screen”. Of all the option open the first result.

Step 4- In the lock screen settings, select “Picture” from the drop-down menu. Wait for the picture to till it gets reviewed properly.

Step 5- Close all the settings and open the search bar again. Type “Powershell” in the command window. Right click on the result and click on “Run as administrator”.

Step 6- Powershell will start executing the list of commands. Press Enter after each command. This process will take a few minutes to complete.

Step 7- Installation of Windows Spotlight will get refreshed.

Step 8- Open lock screen settings and Re-enable Windows Spotlight.

That’s it and you can now check whether the Spotlight not working error is fixed or not.

Method 2- Clean the Spotlight’s download folder

In addition, you can try to clean the content from the download folder where the Spotlight photos get stored. This method is worth a try and so to follow with this method the steps are mentioned here below-

Step 1- Right-click on the desktop. Click to open Personalize menu. Now open the Lock Screen tab.

Step 2- Under Background option, switch from Windows Spotlight to a Picture or the Slideshow.

Step 3- In next step navigate to the following path-

C:UsersUsernameAppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewyLocalStateAssets

Step 4- Now you need to enable Hidden Folders in order to access the files.

Step 5- Go to Assets folder and then press Ctrl + A to select all files. Now delete them.

Step 6- Now return to Desktop > Personalize > Lock Screen > Background.

Step 7- Finally enable the Spotlight again and log off.

Method 3- Disabling Proxy Settings

If you are using proxy settings then it is possible that this may lead to the issue. Proxy settings enable provides another way for the internet to work. They do not allow full internet access or monitor it. So to disable proxy servers follow the given steps-

Step 1- Press Windows + S to launch the search bar. Search for “proxy” in it.

Step 2- Press the option of “LAN settings” present at the end of the window.

Step 3- Uncheck the option “Use a proxy server for your LAN” and then press OK to save the changes.

Now finally check if your issue is solved or not.

Method 4- Disabling Calendar and Mail from the Lock screen

Another method to fix Windows 10 spotlight image stuck issue is by disabling a few items from your Windows 10 Lock Screen.

Windows usually syncs with your live account to fetch information about your calendar and email. These utilities are present on your lock screen. Their enabling is by default. However, synchronization process for your utilities is not being updated along with the Windows Spotlight hence possess an issue. This kind of updating error occurs as a spotlight refuses to load images.

So disabling mail and calendar from the settings may help you solve or fix Windows Spotlight Not Working error.

Step 1- Press Windows + S to open the search box. Type and search for “Weather” in the dialogue box. Open the first result from the list of results.

Step 2- The “Weather” will open so click on the settings icon.

Step 3- Go to the General tab. Scroll down to find a setting named “Launch Location”. Now, save it as “Default Location”. Exit the application after making desired changes.

Step 4- Again, open the search box and search for the lock screen. Open the first option available.

Step 5- Open the lock screen settings and click on the Mail icon. Then click on “Choose apps to show quick status”. Reach the top of the option and select “None”.

Do the same for “Calendar”.

Step 6- Now, uncheck the option “Show lock screen background on the sign-in screen”.

Step 7- After making desired changes, press Windows + L to check if the Spotlight started working again. Restart your computer.

You will no longer come across the same problem.

Well, these all were some of the methods that are worth a try to fix Windows Spotlight Not Working error or same Picture error. For any further doubt be free to ask.

Suddenly a few days ago I noticed that the Windows spotlight on my windows 10 laptop stopped working. I spent a lot of time to fix this issue. And in the end I found that it was a permission issue. This tutorial will help you to fix the errors associated with the Windows Spotlight. First of all lets know about the Windows Spotlight.

What is Windows Spotlight?

Windows spotlight is a Windows 10 feature to show the stunning / beautiful wallpapers on the login screen and lock screen.  It also displays the location information and facts of the image. Occasionally Microsoft may show the text advertisement with it.  Don’t worry, they are almost unnoticeable. This is an interesting feature that lets Windows show you unique wallpapers changing automatically on the login and lock screen.

How to Enable / Disable Windows Spotlight

Windows spotlight can be simply enabled or disabled from the Settings.

• Click on the Start menu button → go to Settings → Personalization → Lock Screen. 
• Set the Background as Windows Spotlight.

You can also enable the slideshow of your photos available on the computer. Choose the slideshow option and add folders that contain photos.

Many people have found that the Spotlight feature is not working properly. Some people faced that it stopped working after the Windows update or due to other unspecified reasons. Here are some common errors and fixes for the Windows Spotlight. There can be two scenarios that can happen, please see both the scenarios and its solutions, please check it out.

Problem 1: Unable to select the Windows Spotlight option

Some users found that they are unable to select the Windows Spotlight option from the drop down list.  It will automatically go back to Slideshow or Picture mode. In my case this was the actual problem.

Solution: Check if the necessary background apps are enabled & run properly

If this is the case, then the first option is to check that the necessary permissions are enabled and essential background apps are running.  In my case, the settings app was disabled. Follow the steps below to fix it.

• Click on the Start menu button → go to Settings ⇾ Privacy →   Background Apps.
• Make sure Settings and Microsoft Edge are enabled in background apps. If not, then enable both of them. These two services are necessary to run in the background to run the Windows Spotlight feature smoothly.

  Note: If the settings app is not listed then you’ll have to list it by re-register the settings app. After resetting the settings app, it will start listed as given in the below screenshot:

  

• If this does not fix the issue, then go to method 2.

Problem 2: Windows Spotlight not working properly? Lock screen stuck on a single image

Windows spotlight is selected successfully from the drop-down (in the settings) but the lock screen image is stuck with a single image – spotlight image is not refreshing (updating) images. Images are not showing at all, slideshow not changing images, A loading icon keeps revolving continuously etc. then to get rid of all these issues reset and register Windows Spotlight feature.

Solution 1: Reset Windows Spotlight

To fix this issue, you need to reset / re-register the Windows Spotlight feature in Windows 10. Follow the steps below.

• First, check that the ‘Settings‘ and ‘Microsoft Edge‘ apps are running in the background. Refer to method 1 for details.
• Click on Start menu button → go to Settings ⇾ Personalization ⇾ Lock Screen. 
• Set the Background as Pictures or Slideshow option.
• Go to ‘Users/username‘ directory and then browse: AppDataLocalPackagesMicrosoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewySettings

  Note: Appdata folder is normally in a hidden state, unhide it.

  

• Rename the settings.dat file to settings.dat.bak
• Rename the roaming.lock file to roaming.lock.bak
  
• Go to one step back from the Settings folder and go to the folder LocalState → Assets  folder and then delete everything in Assets folder.
  
• Go two-steps back from the Assets folder, go to the folder Localcache folder, and then delete everything in the Localcache folder.
• Now, click on the Start menu button → Settings → Personalization → Lock Screen.
• Set the Background as Windows spotlight option. Once you click on that, the renamed files will regenerate itself automatically. The Windows spotlight has been reset successfully.
• Reboot the computer.

Solution 2: Reinstall Windows Spotlight completely

• Right-click on the Start Menu → Windows PowerShell (Admin) and run the below command in PowerShell:
  Make sure you are running Powershell in Admin Mode.

  Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager | foreach {Add-AppxPackage "$($_.InstallLocation)appxmanifest.xml" -DisableDevelopmentMode -register }

  

• Also run the following commands one by one:

  Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers |Where-Object {$_.InstallLocation -like "*SystemApps*"} | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest.xml"}

  dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

  sfc /scannow

• Reboot the computer.

Solution 3: Run System Maintenance Troubleshooter

If the above steps did not work for you, then we suggest you try Windows 10 system maintenance tool troubleshooter.

1. 1. Open Control Panel
      
      
   2. Search for Troubleshooting
      
      
   3. Click on View All
      
   4. Click on System Maintenance and follow its on-screen instructions to complete system maintenance troubleshooting.
      
   5. Click on Next
      
   6. Click on try to run this troubleshooter in administrator mode.
      
   7. After that, click on finish after detecting the issue.

Get more guidance on how to run Windows 10 system maintenance troubleshooters.

Check whether the error was resolved or not. You can press the Windows Key + L key to go immediately to the lock screen to see the preview.

Solution 3: Select the correct Regional Language in settings

Sometimes Microsoft servers cannot take your location from your regional language settings to give you personalized background images. You need to re-select the regional language to re-fetch your regional location. Let’s see how to do so:

1. Click on the Start menu and click on settings (gear icon).
   
2. Click on ‘Time & Language‘
   
3. Click on Region.
   
4. Select the regional language that you want. If you have already selected then select anything else first and then choose the right one (your language) to reset the language.
   
5. That’s it. Reboot your computer after you’re done. Hopefully, the issue should be fixed. If it is not fixed then let me know in the comment down below.

If the problem still persists then use DISM command and follow the above steps again.  Sure, that will fix the issue. If that doesn’t work, then please leave your comments below so that we can find an alternative fix.