Force a specific Start background
- Policy ID
- CPL_Personalization_StartBackground
- Scope
- Computer Configuration
- Supported on
- At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1
- Source
- Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
- Category
- Control Panel › Personalization
Description
Forces the Start screen to use one of the available backgrounds, 1 through 20, and prevents the user from changing it.
If this setting is set to zero or not configured, then Start uses the default background, and users can change it.
If this setting is set to a nonzero value, then Start uses the specified background, and users cannot change it. If the specified background is not supported, the default background is used.
Options
Registry
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
- ForceStartBackgroundREG_DWORD