Solve: Raspberry Pi Desktop Bug—Can’t Change the Wallpaper? Here’s How to Fix It
Something strange has crept into recent versions of Raspberry Pi
OS. For some users, trying to change the desktop background just… doesn’t
work. You pick a new image from the Appearance Settings, click "Set
Wallpaper," and nothing happens. No error. No change. No clue.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and it’s not your fault. This issue may be tied to subtle changes in how Raspberry Pi OS handles desktop sessions, especially with the transition to Wayland and updates to the PIXEL/LXDE environment. Fortunately, there are workarounds that work in most cases. Below are two main approaches you can try.
Step 1: Try Setting the Wallpaper with pcmanfm
Open a terminal and run the following command, replacing the path with the image you want to use:
This bypasses the standard wallpaper setting GUI and goes directly
to the file manager that controls desktop rendering. If the command succeeds,
you should see the wallpaper change instantly.
If it doesn’t change—or resets after reboot—continue to step two.
Step 2: Manually Edit the Config File
Sometimes the problem is in a config file that tells the desktop what image to load. You can edit this file directly:
Inside this file, look for a line that starts with:
Set that line to the full path of your image. For example:
Save and exit (Ctrl + O, Enter, then Ctrl + X), then reboot your
Pi:
After rebooting, your new wallpaper should appear. If it still doesn’t stick, double-check that the image path is valid and readable by your user.
Why Is This Happening?
The Raspberry Pi Foundation hasn’t issued a formal explanation yet, but it seems related to session manager transitions—possibly LXDE running under Wayland instead of X11. These environments don’t always honor the same commands or config files, and certain GUI tools may silently fail if they're not fully compatible.
Until things stabilize, users may need to apply a manual fix like this one whenever the desktop behavior changes after an update.
What to Try Next
If neither fix works, try logging out and back in—or even temporarily switching to another session type (if available) on the login screen. Some users have reported success after reselecting the default desktop environment.
And remember: this isn’t you doing something wrong. This is just one of those quirks that pop up as systems evolve. Thankfully, the Raspberry Pi community tends to find a way.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and it’s not your fault. This issue may be tied to subtle changes in how Raspberry Pi OS handles desktop sessions, especially with the transition to Wayland and updates to the PIXEL/LXDE environment. Fortunately, there are workarounds that work in most cases. Below are two main approaches you can try.
Step 1: Try Setting the Wallpaper with pcmanfm
Open a terminal and run the following command, replacing the path with the image you want to use:
If it doesn’t change—or resets after reboot—continue to step two.
Step 2: Manually Edit the Config File
Sometimes the problem is in a config file that tells the desktop what image to load. You can edit this file directly:
After rebooting, your new wallpaper should appear. If it still doesn’t stick, double-check that the image path is valid and readable by your user.
Why Is This Happening?
The Raspberry Pi Foundation hasn’t issued a formal explanation yet, but it seems related to session manager transitions—possibly LXDE running under Wayland instead of X11. These environments don’t always honor the same commands or config files, and certain GUI tools may silently fail if they're not fully compatible.
Until things stabilize, users may need to apply a manual fix like this one whenever the desktop behavior changes after an update.
What to Try Next
If neither fix works, try logging out and back in—or even temporarily switching to another session type (if available) on the login screen. Some users have reported success after reselecting the default desktop environment.
And remember: this isn’t you doing something wrong. This is just one of those quirks that pop up as systems evolve. Thankfully, the Raspberry Pi community tends to find a way.
Need Raspberry Pi Expertise?
We'd love to help you with your Raspberry Pi projects. Feel free to reach out to us at info@pacificw.com.
Written by Aaron Rose, software engineer and technology writer at Tech-Reader.blog.
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