Locating Your Desktop Wallpaper File in Windows

The pictures used as desktop wallpapers are stored as windows caches and the original picture file is stored in the default location. All the desktop wallpaper files are located in a common file path, which makes it easy to locate the files. When you need to retrieve the most prized landscape desktop wallpaper that was accidentally deleted or simply lost the original picture file on your computer, you can still have hopes to salvage the wallpaper from its default location.

Windows converts the desktop wallpaper image into a.bmp format and stores it in the file path, C_Documents and Settings_ _Local Settings_Application Data_Microsoft. By following some simple steps you will be able to retrieve the wallpaper image from its default location. You will be able to locate the original location and the file that is displayed on the desktop. As a first step, when you log in change the user name and replace it with your account name. Once you are logged in, copy the file path mentioned above after replacing the underscores with backslash. Enter this file path in the windows explorer window location bar and hit enter. The file can be found in the Wallpaper1.bmp folder.

Another alternative way to locate the desktop wallpaper image file is to browse through the folders in order to locate the file, but to do this the settings have to be changed. All the sub-folders and the local settings are stored as hidden by default and so the settings need to be changed to view the files and folders. In order to unhide the system files, you have to open the windows explorer. After selecting the tools options you can browse to the folder options and view where you have to select the tick box to show the hidden files and folders. This can help you locate the desktop wallpaper file easily.

In cases where the files of the operating system are stored on a different hard drive or a different partition, you will have to follow a different approach to locate the desktop wallpaper file. The system files that are stored in the partition or the hard disk will have to be browsed through separately. In the same file path as C_Documents and Settings_ _Local Settings_Application Data_Microsoft, the 'C' will have to be replaced with the location name of the partition or the hard disk.