Changing the startup screen in Ventura

you can only make it match your user account's wallpaper. you cannot set it as a separate image.

if you are the sole user (not even a guest account) AND file vault is turned off you can go to System Settings, in the Lock Screen tab,  and set "Login window shows" to "List of users". then your login screen matches your desktop background.

if you are using file vault or have multiple users, the above will not work.  if that's your situation, you will need to wait for apple to address this. it may be worth your time to send feedback directly to apple. Feedback - macOS - Apple

as already explained, yes, it can only be made to mach your user account's wallpaper if file vault is off. if you need FileVault, you can give up on trying to change it. there is absolutely no way to change it with FileVault active.

and, if I had a need for file vault, I wouldn't even consider turning it off to achieve a different login window wallpaper. how much time do you spend looking at the login window anyways?

erikbock wrote:

Can I turn encryption back on after?

sorry, no. if FileVault is on, it doesn't work. even if you have it turned off when you set it up, as soon as you turn FileVault back on, you will get the horrid default orange wallpaper at boot up.

Just spent an hour on the phone with a senior consultant who were working with the software engineers on another issue that I have had and and she said there is zero work around per the engineers but that the tú saltwater they need people to send in complaints so they achieve enough and warrant fixing it on a future update… so that was from the top I am officially done trying to find a work around, I’ll just wait to see if they add the feature I put in my complaint today

You could try using Deeper app - https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/deeper.html (Will not work if FileVault is enabled)

Or use something like Addigy ,JAMF or Kandji for a Corporate style of managament.

erikbock wrote:

Not looking for this on the Lock Screen post login in I already have that. This is for initial boot and first login after booting up the machine. Thing from Shutdown and turning it back on.

yes, I do get what you are asking for.

the Lock Screen settings are where you need to go. even though it's in the lock scorn settings, it is also how you set it to have the login window to match the wallpaper of your user account. if you have that option already set AND your login window does not match, then you either have multiple users and / or FileVault is turned on. sorry, but that is how it works.

if you cannot find that folder already on your Mac...

copy your UUID value.

go to /Library/Caches/Desktop Pictures

if it doesn't exist, create a Desktop Pictures folder yourself in /Library/Caches.

inside Desktop Pictures create a folder with UUID value as it's name

grant permission to Read & Write to user, admin, everyone.

make sure File Vault and Guest User are turned off.

change desktop wallpaper

restart computer.

good luck. :)

Changing the login screen for a single user is easy it is just in the settings for multiple users you have to put the .png file in the appropriate user screen file which isn’t that hard. The thing that you can not do is change the initial boot screen where you have to select the user that is the generic meaningless and I don’t have to say vomit causing low def Ventura picture but once you select the user from there you can see that users Lock Screen background. This feature of being able to change every screen background was a feature I missed after my last Mac died while I was in Colombia and had to buy a PC. I just bought a 16” MacBook Pro 64gb ram/1TB ssd I played with it a few days then decided to split it so I had a business log in and a personal to easily seperate it and so that my business was a bit more protected but found when I went to change my boot up screen it was infuriating after searching 6 days contacting a known apple advanced customer service rep and she told me no there is no walk around. She informed me to put in a complaint using the link in the apple discussions board so I did. I suggest looking midway through this thread and putting in the complaint/suggestion. It is apparently from what I was told easier and quicker to code it this way…. Time=€£$ sooo they saved money and upset many long time users. Literally apple since apple IIe, iPhone 1 iPod 1 iPad 1 and now sporting Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad mini 6, Apple Pencil, MacBook, multiple Apple TV 64gb, earbuds. Of all the products the only complaint I here over and over is Ventura IOS and the boot screen for multiple users obviously there are others such as the virtual windows so you had the ability to run windows software. Ie, windows only specialty chemistry calculators for mixing. but boot screen with zero option to change it from the Ventura default is the one I see the most in Reddit and other forums including this one. The customization and unlimited access to the system is what made them great. I have held off on buying a new iMac as you can not upgrade the memory when you wanted as you could the older version 27” and the small screen size. I was disappointed when they let the light up apple logo on the MacBook. It seems as though they have forgotten power users and are marketing to a less knowledgeable target market that couldn’t program in line, c, or even run simple dos commands. Having run all versions of windows and most iOS and Commodore 64 & 128; I suspect the target is new users that don’t even know about 8” floppys and the problems caused in the back of the bus by senior class bullies bending and destroying them, how great it was to have 3.5” floppys, they have never heard of Betamax or laser disk. I digress… but I have even thought of maybe running Linux again to see if I could bypass it there but I suspect there is zero access as it is in a protected, unlockable and un writable folder, I have visually accessed that base directory with zero result. It seems that they placed that one file into their “proprietary” software locked files. My friend in customer service told me that even she can not access it as only the engineers could. I hope that soon they will hear us and help us. APPLE IF YOURE ACTUALLY WATCHING THIS THREAD PLEASE HEAR OUR CRY OF YOUR OLDEST AND LOYAL APPLE USERS!!!

as I already mentioned, if you are the sole user (not even a guest account) AND file vault is turned off, only them can you get the login window to mach your chosen desktop picture. this is true regardless of the method you are using to try and change it.

so sorry, if you do not meet that requirement, you cannot change the login page background.

erikbock wrote:

Just ticks me off that Apple took that away from us a couple of versions ago.

and if I used FileVault, I would totally agree. the only thing that we as end users can do about this is to provide feedback to apple. if we don't provide feedback, how can they know that we want change?

here's the link again incase anyone misses it in my earlier reply: Feedback - macOS - Apple

Not for multiple users or those using for vault. I have found the ugly orange graphic in “HardDiskName”/library/system/library/desktop/Ventura Graphic.heic

I have tried unlocking the folder as well as unlocking the .heic file to change the file name so I could copy it, rename it and then overwrite with the .heic file I wanted but I get the operation can’t be completed because you don’t have the necessary permission error. Does anyone know of an apple administrative log in to override this to be able to switch permissions change out the one file and reset the security?

The problem is that those of use with multiple users ans firevault want to lose this screen we want the ability to have our desktop. Or initial boot

and our individual user screens

to each be different, or at the very least, the initial boot and individual user log in screen to be the same and lose the horrible orange Ventura graphic

to see your hidden directories use “ command + space + . ” at the hard drive level of finder and it will un hide all hidden directories and files. To re-hide the directories and files use the same short cut of “ command + Space bar + . “ at the hard drive level of finder.

macOS cannot determine the user's desired wallpaper with file vault or multiple users. it's kind of like arriving at a fork in the road and trying to figure out which way you need to go when there are no street signs and you have no directions.