The quickest way on any Android phone
On almost every Android phone, the fastest route starts on the Home screen:
- Touch and hold an empty area of the Home screen.
- Tap Wallpaper, Wallpaper & style, or Wallpaper and style.
- Pick an image from the built-in collections, your photos, or an installed wallpaper app.
- Adjust the crop, then tap Set wallpaper (or Done).
- Choose Home screen, Lock screen, or both.
The exact wording depends on your phone’s brand, so here are the steps for the most popular ones.
Change wallpaper on a Samsung Galaxy
- Open Settings and tap Wallpaper and style (or touch and hold the Home screen and tap Wallpaper and style).
- Tap Change wallpapers.
- Choose a source: Gallery, Wallpaper services, or one of Samsung’s collections such as Graphical or Colors.
- Select an image and choose where to use it: Lock screen, Home screen, or Lock and home screens.
- Adjust the preview and tap Done.
For more ways to style the Galaxy Lock screen — clock, widgets, shortcuts — see the Samsung Lock screen guide.
Change wallpaper on a Google Pixel
- Touch and hold an empty spot on the Home screen and tap Wallpaper & style.
- Tap More wallpapers (or Change wallpaper).
- Choose My photos, one of Google’s collections, Live wallpapers, or an app that provides wallpapers.
- Pick an image, adjust it, and tap Set wallpaper.
- Choose Home screen, Lock screen, or Home and lock screens.
Pixel phones also use your wallpaper to color the whole system. Learn how to control it in the Material You wallpaper guide.
Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola, and other phones
- Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO (HyperOS): Settings → Wallpaper (or Wallpaper & personalization), then choose an image and apply it.
- OnePlus and OPPO: Settings → Wallpapers & style (or Personalizations) → Wallpapers.
- Motorola: touch and hold the Home screen → Wallpaper & style, much like a Pixel.
If your phone uses different menu names, open Settings and search for “wallpaper”.
Set a wallpaper from Google Photos or Gallery
If the image is already on your phone, you can set it directly from the photo viewer:
- Open the photo in Google Photos or your phone’s Gallery app.
- Tap the ⋮ menu and choose Use as or Set as wallpaper.
- Pick the wallpaper app if asked, adjust the crop, and choose which screen to apply it to.
Set a wallpaper from a wallpaper app
Wallpaper apps save you from hunting for images that fit your screen. ON Lock Screen for Android has thousands of 4K and 8K wallpapers, so they stay crisp even on high-resolution Samsung Ultra and Pixel Pro displays.
- Install ON Lock Screen from Google Play.
- Browse categories or search for a style you like.
- Open a wallpaper, download it, and set it as your Home or Lock screen wallpaper.
Want to compare options first? See the best wallpaper apps for Android.
Tips for a sharp wallpaper
- Use high-resolution images. Many Android phones have displays more than 3,000 pixels tall, so small images look soft.
- Pick a tall image. Phones are roughly 9:20, so landscape photos get cropped heavily. Our wallpaper cropping guide explains how to fix it.
- Keep the top clear. The clock and notifications sit at the top of the Lock screen, so images with a subject in the lower half read best.
- Try dark wallpapers. On AMOLED phones, black areas use less power. Browse dark wallpapers or read the AMOLED wallpaper guide.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the menu names different on my phone?
Every manufacturer customizes Android. Samsung calls the menu Wallpaper and style, Pixel calls it Wallpaper & style, and other brands may call it Wallpapers or Personalization. If you can’t find it, open Settings and search for “wallpaper”.
Can I use a different wallpaper on the Lock screen and Home screen?
Yes. When you set a wallpaper, Android asks where to apply it. Choose Lock screen or Home screen instead of both, then repeat with a second image for the other screen.
Why does my wallpaper look blurry?
The image is smaller than your screen, so Android stretches it. Use an image that is at least as tall as your display in pixels — 4K or 8K wallpapers stay sharp on every current Android phone.
Does changing the wallpaper change my theme colors?
On Android 12 and newer, many phones pick system colors from your wallpaper. On Pixel this is Material You; on Samsung it’s Color palette. You can turn it off or choose fixed colors in the same wallpaper menu.