Group Policy: Desktop wallpaper slideshow from a folder with random order

Hello Sardor Suvonov,

In a Windows domain environment, Group Policy does not natively expose the same “Slideshow” option that you see in the local personalization settings. The built‑in Group Policy settings under User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop > Desktop and User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization only allow you to enforce a single wallpaper image or prevent changes. There is no direct policy to cycle through multiple images.

If you want to achieve slideshow behavior centrally, you have two supported approaches. The first is to use BGInfo or a similar utility deployed via Group Policy or Intune. BGInfo can be scripted to rotate through images in a folder by running at logon and applying a different background each time. This requires a scheduled task or logon script that copies or sets the wallpaper from your image set.

The second approach is to use a custom logon script or scheduled task that modifies the registry keys Windows uses for slideshow. The slideshow configuration is stored under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Wallpapers and HKCU\Control Panel\Desktop. The key SlideshowEnabled must be set to 1, and the folder path containing your images must be defined under SlideshowDirectory. You can push these registry values via Group Policy Preferences. However, note that Microsoft does not provide a direct GPO template for slideshow, so this is effectively a scripted workaround.

If you want a fully supported and centrally managed solution, the recommendation is to enforce a single wallpaper via Group Policy and use BGInfo or a custom management tool to rotate images. Native slideshow rotation is a user‑level personalization feature and not exposed in Group Policy for enterprise enforcement.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

Domic Vo.