How to Change the Background on iPhone

To change the background on your iPhone, open Settings, tap Wallpaper, then tap Add New Wallpaper. Pick one of your photos or a built-in wallpaper, tap Add, and choose Set as Wallpaper Pair to use it on both the Lock Screen and the Home Screen. You can also touch and hold the Lock Screen and tap the plus (+) button to add a new background from there.

Applies to: iPhone with iOS 16 or later, including iOS 26 and iOS 27. Last reviewed October 7, 2026.

Lock Screen vs. Home Screen backgrounds

Your iPhone has two backgrounds. The Lock Screen is what you see when you wake the phone, with the time and any widgets. The Home Screen sits behind your apps. Since iOS 16, each wallpaper you add is a “pair”: a Lock Screen design plus a matching Home Screen. You can use the same picture for both or give the Home Screen its own photo, color or blur.

Change your background in Settings

1. Open the Settings app and tap Wallpaper.
2. Tap Add New Wallpaper.
3. Choose what you want to use:
   • Photos to pick a single picture from your library.
   • Photo Shuffle to rotate through several photos.
   • Emoji, Color, Weather or Astronomy for Apple’s designs, or one of the featured collections further down.
4. Adjust the photo. Pinch to zoom, drag to reposition, and swipe left or right to try filters such as Black & White or Duotone.
5. Tap Add in the upper-right corner.
6. Tap Set as Wallpaper Pair to use it on both screens, or Customize Home Screen to choose something different for the Home Screen.

Change your background from the Lock Screen

1. Wake your iPhone and unlock it with Face ID or Touch ID, but stay on the Lock Screen.
2. Touch and hold an empty part of the Lock Screen until the wallpaper gallery opens. If it asks, enter your passcode.
3. Swipe left or right to switch to a background you’ve already made, then tap it.
4. To make a new one, tap the plus (+) button in the lower-right corner, choose a photo or design, and tap Add.

Use a photo from the Photos app

1. Open Photos and tap the picture you want.
2. Tap the Share button.
3. Scroll down and tap Use as Wallpaper.
4. Adjust the photo, tap Add, and then choose Set as Wallpaper Pair or Customize Home Screen.

Give the Home Screen a different background

1. Go to Settings > Wallpaper.
2. Under the current wallpaper pair, tap the Home Screen preview on the right, or tap Customize under it.
3. Choose one of the options at the bottom: the matching Lock Screen picture, a Color, a Gradient, or Photos for a different picture.
4. Turn on Blur if you want the background softened so your app icons are easier to see.
5. Tap Done.

Make the background change automatically

Photo Shuffle rotates through a set of photos. When you set it up, choose the people, pets, nature or cities you want, or pick photos manually. Then tap the More button (three dots) and set Shuffle Frequency to On Tap, On Lock, Hourly or Daily.

You can also link a wallpaper to a Focus, such as Work or Sleep. In the Lock Screen gallery, tap Focus below a wallpaper and pick one. When that Focus turns on, your background switches to match.

Add a depth or 3D effect

• Depth Effect: with a photo that has a clear subject, such as a person or pet, the subject can appear in front of the clock. While editing the wallpaper, tap the More button (three dots) and make sure Depth Effect is on. It works only when the subject doesn’t cover too much of the time.
• Spatial Scene: on iPhone 12 or later with iOS 26 or later, you can turn some photos into a 3D wallpaper that shifts as you move the phone. In the wallpaper gallery, tap Photos, then the Spatial Scene tab, and choose a photo.

Delete backgrounds you don’t use

1. Touch and hold the Lock Screen to open the wallpaper gallery.
2. Swipe to the wallpaper you want to remove.
3. Swipe up on it and tap the trash icon, then Delete This Wallpaper.

Tips for a background that looks right

• Use a tall photo. iPhone screens are tall and narrow, so portrait photos fill the screen better than landscape ones.
• Use a high-resolution image. A small image downloaded from the web will look blurry when it’s stretched to fill the screen.
• Keep the top clear. On the Lock Screen, busy detail behind the clock makes the time hard to read.
• Blur the Home Screen if your photo makes app names hard to read.

Troubleshooting

Nothing happens when I touch and hold the Lock Screen

Your iPhone needs to be unlocked first. Look at the phone with Face ID or rest your finger on Touch ID until the lock icon at the top opens, then touch and hold again. If you use a passcode only, the gallery asks for it.

The photo is zoomed in too far

The photo may be too wide for the screen. Pinch to zoom out while editing. If it still crops too much, use a photo taken in portrait orientation, or crop it to a tall shape in the Photos app first.

Depth Effect is grayed out

The photo doesn’t have a subject iOS can separate from the background, or you’ve added widgets that cover the area under the clock. Try a different photo, or remove the widgets under the time.

My background keeps changing

You’re using Photo Shuffle or a wallpaper linked to a Focus. Edit the wallpaper and change the shuffle frequency, or unlink the Focus in the Lock Screen gallery.

The wallpaper looks darker than the photo

Dark Mode can dim some wallpapers. Go to Settings > Wallpaper and check whether the appearance option dims the wallpaper in Dark Mode, or switch to Light Mode in Settings > Display & Brightness.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a video or Live Photo as my background?

Not a regular video. Some Live Photos can play as a Lock Screen wallpaper on supported models when you choose them in the wallpaper gallery. Apple also includes animated wallpapers, such as Weather and Astronomy, that move on their own.

How do I change the background on an iPhone with iOS 15 or earlier?

Go to Settings > Wallpaper > Choose a New Wallpaper, pick an image, tap Set, and then choose Set Lock Screen, Set Home Screen or Set Both.

Does changing the wallpaper use more battery?

A still photo has no real effect on battery life. Animated wallpapers and Photo Shuffle set to change very often use slightly more.

Where can I find more help?

Apple’s guide to changing your iPhone wallpaper covers the same steps with Apple’s own screenshots.