{"id":1054,"date":"2006-03-20T13:59:41","date_gmt":"2006-03-20T08:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T15:25:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T09:55:48","slug":"wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Wikipedia Wallpapers: Download Featured Pictures for Your Desktop (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for <strong>free Wikipedia wallpapers<\/strong> for your desktop? Back in 2006 Wikipedia kept a special list of &#8220;featured desktop backgrounds&#8221;: featured pictures that were large enough and the right 4:3 or 5:4 shape for the monitors of the day. Screens are now widescreen and much sharper, but Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons are still one of the best sources of stunning, freely licensed photos you can use as wallpaper. Here&#8217;s how to find and use them in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-59511\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wikipedia-featured-pictures-1024x531.jpg\" alt=\"Free Wikipedia wallpapers from the featured pictures collection\" width=\"760\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wikipedia-featured-pictures-1024x531.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wikipedia-featured-pictures-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wikipedia-featured-pictures-150x78.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wikipedia-featured-pictures-768x399.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/wikipedia-featured-pictures.jpg 1480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Browse Wikipedia&#8217;s Featured pictures or the Wikimedia Commons featured pictures, open an image you like, click through to its file page and download the original (largest) resolution. Then set it as your background in Settings &gt; Personalization &gt; Background on Windows 11 or System Settings &gt; Wallpaper on a Mac. Most images are free to use under Creative Commons or public domain terms; check the license on the file page.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aea486209ee3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aea486209ee3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#What_are_Wikipedia_featured_pictures\" >What are Wikipedia featured pictures?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#How_to_download_a_Wikipedia_wallpaper\" >How to download a Wikipedia wallpaper<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#Choosing_the_right_size_and_shape\" >Choosing the right size and shape<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#How_to_set_it_as_your_desktop_background\" >How to set it as your desktop background<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#Licensing_can_you_use_them_for_free\" >Licensing: can you use them for free?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#Contribute_your_own_pictures\" >Contribute your own pictures<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#Are_Wikipedia_images_free_to_use_as_wallpaper\" >Are Wikipedia images free to use as wallpaper?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#Where_can_I_find_high-resolution_Wikipedia_pictures\" >Where can I find high-resolution Wikipedia pictures?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#What_resolution_should_a_desktop_wallpaper_be\" >What resolution should a desktop wallpaper be?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/03\/wikipedia-featured-desktop-backgrounds-wallpapers\/#Does_Wikipedia_still_have_a_featured_desktop_backgrounds_list\" >Does Wikipedia still have a featured desktop backgrounds list?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_Wikipedia_featured_pictures\"><\/span>What are Wikipedia featured pictures?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Featured pictures are images the Wikipedia community considers among the most beautiful, impressive or informative on the site, the visual equivalent of featured articles. <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wikipedia:Featured_pictures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Wikipedia&#8217;s Featured pictures<\/strong><\/a> page lists thousands of them, organized by topic such as animals, landscapes, space, architecture, art and history. Wikimedia Commons, the media library behind Wikipedia, runs its own <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Commons:Featured_pictures\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Commons featured pictures<\/strong><\/a> collection too.<\/p>\n<p>Because candidates are reviewed for technical quality, many are high-resolution photos that look great on large monitors.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_download_a_Wikipedia_wallpaper\"><\/span>How to download a Wikipedia wallpaper<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Open the featured pictures page and pick a topic.<\/li>\n<li>Click an image to open it, then open its file page (the &#8220;More details&#8221; link on Wikipedia, or the file&#8217;s page on Commons).<\/li>\n<li>Choose the original file or the largest size that matches or exceeds your screen resolution.<\/li>\n<li>Save the image to your Pictures folder.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Choosing_the_right_size_and_shape\"><\/span>Choosing the right size and shape<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The 2006 list only accepted 4:3 or 5:4 images because most monitors were that shape. Today most laptops and monitors are 16:9 or 16:10, and phones are tall and narrow. Pick images at least as large as your display (for example, 1920&#215;1080 for a Full HD screen, larger for 1440p, 4K or Retina displays). Landscape photos with a clear subject and some empty space work best behind desktop icons.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_set_it_as_your_desktop_background\"><\/span>How to set it as your desktop background<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Windows 11:<\/strong> right-click the image and choose Set as desktop background, or go to Settings &gt; Personalization &gt; Background and browse to it. Choose Fill or Fit if the shape doesn&#8217;t match your screen.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac:<\/strong> open System Settings &gt; Wallpaper and add the photo or folder.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Phones:<\/strong> open the image in your gallery app and choose to set it as wallpaper.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Want a new picture every day? See how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2021\/01\/change-desktop-background-daily-with-full-hd-wallpapers\/\">change your desktop background daily automatically<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/12\/download-most-popular-bing-wallpapers-2013\/\">download Bing wallpapers daily<\/a>. To change the whole look of your PC, here&#8217;s how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2010\/05\/download-install-windows-7-themes-wallpapers-on-windows-vista\/\">install Windows themes and wallpapers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Licensing_can_you_use_them_for_free\"><\/span>Licensing: can you use them for free?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Most images on Wikipedia and Commons are public domain or released under free licenses such as Creative Commons. Using one as your own wallpaper is generally fine. If you publish or share an image (on a website, in a presentation or on social media), follow its license: usually that means crediting the author and naming the license, as shown on the file page. Our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/06\/add-creative-commons-licenses-to-microsoft-office-documents\/\">Creative Commons licenses<\/a> explains the common terms.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Contribute_your_own_pictures\"><\/span>Contribute your own pictures<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The original post encouraged readers to create wallpapers and release them under a free license. That still works: anyone can upload their own photos to Wikimedia Commons under a free license, and the best may be nominated as featured pictures.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Wikipedia_images_free_to_use_as_wallpaper\"><\/span>Are Wikipedia images free to use as wallpaper?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Most are freely licensed or public domain, so personal use as a wallpaper is fine. Check each file&#8217;s license before republishing it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_can_I_find_high-resolution_Wikipedia_pictures\"><\/span>Where can I find high-resolution Wikipedia pictures?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Wikipedia&#8217;s Featured pictures page and the Commons featured pictures collection list high-quality images; download the original file from each image&#8217;s file page.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_resolution_should_a_desktop_wallpaper_be\"><\/span>What resolution should a desktop wallpaper be?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>At least your screen&#8217;s resolution, such as 1920&#215;1080 for Full HD or 3840&#215;2160 for 4K, so it stays sharp.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_Wikipedia_still_have_a_featured_desktop_backgrounds_list\"><\/span>Does Wikipedia still have a featured desktop backgrounds list?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The old 4:3 desktop backgrounds list dates from 2006. Today it&#8217;s easier to browse the featured pictures collections directly and pick images that suit your widescreen display.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for free Wikipedia wallpapers for your desktop? Back in 2006 Wikipedia kept a special list of &#8220;featured desktop backgrounds&#8221;:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":59511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1054"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67864,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1054\/revisions\/67864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}