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Installed Big Sur and desktop background option is blank in System Preferences

After installing Big Sur I cannot select a new desktop background image using system preferences. The screen is blank with no folders and images to choose. It was working with Catalina. The screensaver option is functioning normally. The only way I can change the background image is to place an image file on the desktop, left click on it and choose set desktop picture from services.

iMac 21.5″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Nov 17, 2020 9:03 AM

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Posted on Nov 19, 2020 11:35 PM

Hi, I've just noticed the same issue but I've managed to fix it. I selected the Apple folder on the left of the Desktop windows in System Preferences and just scrolled through the desktop pictures until the change picture became available to select. I think I tried 3 or 4 before it worked.

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Nov 19, 2020 11:35 PM in response to VW TDI

Hi, I've just noticed the same issue but I've managed to fix it. I selected the Apple folder on the left of the Desktop windows in System Preferences and just scrolled through the desktop pictures until the change picture became available to select. I think I tried 3 or 4 before it worked.

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Nov 20, 2020 12:05 AM in response to David Beers

Hey there!


Can anyone confirm if the same happens in safe mode:

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/start-up-your-mac-in-safe-mode-mh21245/mac


Or, is the same happens in another user account?:

https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-up-other-users-on-your-mac-mtusr001/mac


Those tests may shed some light on a possible cause and/or solution. It’s not always the update Itself that stopped it from working correctly, but rather can be other software installed that needs to be updated as well that’s conflicting with the new OS, or some permissions or preference conflict In your User profile, or in this case, even a corrupted photos library, there’s a fix to most of these issues, especially when related to new software releases. I’m sure many previous stress and beta tests have been done before the release, but when millions start using the new OS, that’s a much different story.


That said, those would be the first two tests I’d try, if you’re up to it, let me know the results, happy to help if I can. Also, if this is happening to many others, it maybe a good idea to call Apple Support to let them know about it, and possibly collect some diagnostic logs, so they can actually work on a fix on their end, or work with third party developers to fix the problem. Best!

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Nov 21, 2020 2:15 AM in response to David Beers

Sorry, I noticed that also things aren’t right as well in a new user, (How about the main issue)? If the same, I’d say as well a reinstall of the OS from recovery mode may be a good idea, just make sure to backup as I always do before an update or reinstall, cheers.


Backup your Mac with Time Machine:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201250


Reinstall Mac OS:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904


Best of luck.



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Jan 12, 2021 12:03 PM in response to Canadian Chad

I have a (possibly?) related issue.

Brand new M1 Macbook pro with Big Sur.


When I hit the plus sign to try to add a certain picture as my desktop...nothing happens. Some pictures work, but not the one I want. It's a 2.3 MB jpeg. Is there a size restriction or other reason I can't choose it? Thanks.

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Nov 20, 2020 4:46 PM in response to rdailey

Apple Support gave up and told me to boot into Recovery mode and reinstall Big Sur. Upon doing this, I received error -5101F... support then asked me to boot into recovery using command+R, which gave me the option to reinstall Sierra! I kindly said thanks but all of that is not quite worth getting my Desktop Pref pane back...


I did try a new Admin User acct, but that did not work either...


Think this one has me stuck... that'll teach me to download new software...

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Nov 20, 2020 5:08 PM in response to rdailey

Well, after logging in to my "new" admin account and looking around I discovered that the Apple ID login screen in system preferences was grayed out like the desktop preferences for my original admin account. Also, Safari beach balls every time I try to open it in the "new" admin account I made. So it's pretty much a mess no matter which account I log in with. Big Sur has convinced me finally, to wait at least six months before trying the latest and greatest OS version.

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Nov 20, 2020 11:09 PM in response to David Beers

I gotcha thanks!


Well in rdailey’s case if the same happens under all those circumstances, I’d actually say a Reinstall of the OS was the right choice, as support suggested.


However your case is a bit more complicated being user-specific, the issue could be related to User permissions, a corrupted setting or preference, Even just a login item you have in System Preferences > Users and Groups. (If you have anything there, it maybe a good test to remove them/restart and test again in your main user account.


I was also wondering, when both Of you signed into a new user account, did you also sign into your Apple ID during the user set up? (Also wondering if it can be Apple ID sync-related).


I have seen similar behavior before, say you use iCloud to sync your photos, and in that situation the Desktop Preferences are blank, but those that don’t, it shows up normally.


In any case, unless you need it working right away, sometimes it’s a good idea to just let it be until an update occurs, of course Apple needs to know about it first though, in which case people may have to call them to report the problem. Cheers.

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Dec 10, 2020 12:18 PM in response to David Beers

I had this same problem, and after doing some fruitless online searching I discovered that in addition to the default Desktop Pictures folder in /System/Library/, I also had a folder labeled Desktop Pictures in /Library/. I think that the duplicate folder was placed there in a previous version when I was trying to add my own photos to the available system pictures. Anyway, when I removed the one in /Library, the System Preferences pane began working properly.


Now my problem is that I have not figured out how to get the system to recognize any photos that I add myself, but that's another question for another thread.

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Dec 10, 2020 1:21 PM in response to im4GMG

Yes! That worked im4GMG... I deleted the folder in the root Library as well and that worked... you are correct that there is another issue with adding folders for pictures to the preference pane now, but it does recognize anything I place in User>Pictures... so not perfect, the pane is now functioning for me.

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Dec 27, 2020 1:40 PM in response to mwepfer56

I have an M1 Macbook Pro. I could not see any screensaver options until I tried this and relaunched the settings window. Now all the screen saver options appear. It's a strange bug, but thanks for the easy fix. Now I just have to work out why drag and drop randomly stops working for a whole bunch M1 Mac users with Big Sur 11.1 (there are separate threads for that problem).

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Installed Big Sur and desktop background option is blank in System Preferences

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