desktop picture reverts to default after a restart, every single time

Question

Level 1

11 points

desktop picture reverts to default after a restart, every single time

I have a strange problem on catalina. prior on mojave it was not an issue but after updating to catalina I've noticed my desktop background image reverts to the default one.

I open desktop preferences and set Pictures as the folder to get images from. This folder is the default one hence on the same volume that catalina boots from. I set it to change picture every day once only.

But once I shutdown and turn it back on, the desktop background image reverts to the default one.

why does it do this? the change picture it set to "everyday" and should display new image from folder "pictures" yet it does not do this.

how do I fix this odd behavior? I have tried placing my pictures into another folder, then adding that folder to the preferences which finds and display the images but once I restart, it reverts back again to default.

Any ideas how to fix this?

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Oct 15, 2020 9:01 AM

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Answer 1

Old Toad

Level 10

217,598 points

Oct 27, 2020 2:53 PM in response to johnny1nut

Boot into Safe Mode (How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support) by booting with the Shift key held down, reset the Desktop picture. Reboot normally and if the problem persists.

NOTE: Safe Mode boot can take up to 10 minutes as it's doing the following;

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

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Answer 2

johnny1nut Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 27, 2020 2:51 PM in response to MoonJ.

i have done all this already

created a new folder, yet it reverts to system default

i tried doing the pram thing but makes no difference

every time i restart the mac, it looses the settings, no matter how many times i set it to specific folder

on mojave this was not an issue, something happened when i upgraded to Catalina. ever since the upgrade, the desktop wallpaper settings simply won't stick.

the last ditch effort i could try is, to boot to usbm and install fresh (format) catalina, and see if that fixes it

but it would be hours of work to do this, reinstalling my apps, reloading files from backup etc,....not worth it trying this as it may not fix the issue. so i'm not in the mood to spend hours trying to fix it.

at this point, ive done research and i see not fix for this,

so i'mn giving up and will just live with the lame apple wallpapers as default

maybe when big sur comes out, it will fix it.

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Answer 3

BZ-LA

Level 1

9 points

Dec 12, 2020 1:28 AM in response to johnny1nut

This worked for me. Put your preferred wallpaper file on the desktop. In finder menu under preferences, check mark under locations your MAC name. Close that window. Open any folder on your desktop. On the side bar left, select your Mac. Then select your hard drive. Then Library. You should now find the folder Desktop Pictures. Open it. Drag your preferred picture onto the folder. Close the window. Open system preferences and Desktop and Screen Saver. Open Desktop Pictures under Apple. Select your picture. It should now appear as default even if you reboot. Hope this works for you.

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Answer 4

jcfhunt

Level 1

4 points

Dec 30, 2020 5:30 PM in response to BZ-LA

I was having the same problem and this fixed it. Thank you Johnny1nut for posting and BZ-LA for the solution that worked for me.

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Answer 5

MoonJ.

Community Specialist

Oct 20, 2020 7:02 AM in response to johnny1nut

Hey,

Do you notice this after making a recent to change to the source destination? We can test with a new folder to see if the same thing happens. Let's go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Desktop and set to Dynamic and then to Still.

After this go ahead and try setting the desktop the way it was previously. Test if the same issue continues.

Last we'll want to check if a Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac makes a difference. The page we links shares how to factory reset settings that include sound volume, display resolution, startup-disk selection, time zone, and recent kernel panic information. The settings stored in NVRAM depend on your Mac and the devices that you're using with your Mac.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

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desktop picture reverts to default after a restart, every single time

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