How to set a wallpaper on a Samsung Galaxy

Set a downloaded wallpaper from Gallery or the Home screen on any Galaxy phone running One UI.

Samsung Galaxy phones make this easy. A downloaded wallpaper shows up in the Gallery app by itself, and Gallery can set it on the Lock screen, the Home screen or both. These steps were checked on One UI 8. Older versions use the same names, though some menus are in slightly different places.

1. Download the wallpaper

  1. Open the wallpaper and tap Download HD, or Download 4K if it has one.
  2. Wait for the countdown and tap Download now.
  3. Samsung Internet or Chrome saves it to your phone's Download folder. A notification appears when it is done.

2. Set it from Gallery

  1. Open Gallery and tap Albums at the bottom.
  2. Open the Download album. The newest file is first.
  3. Tap the wallpaper to open it full screen.
  4. Tap the three dots (⋮) in the bottom-right corner.
  5. Tap Set as wallpaper.
  6. Choose Lock screen, Home screen, or Lock and Home screens. (Some phones also offer Call background, which shows it during calls.)
  7. Pinch and drag to position it, then tap Done.

Or start from the Home screen

If you are already on the Home screen, this route ends in the same place:

  1. Touch and hold an empty part of the Home screen.
  2. Tap Wallpaper and style.
  3. Tap Change wallpapers, then Gallery.
  4. Pick the wallpaper, choose where it goes, and tap Done.

To change only the Lock screen, you can also touch and hold the Lock screen itself, tap Wallpapers in the top-left corner, then Gallery.

Make the Lock screen look right

When you set a Lock screen wallpaper, One UI opens its editor. A few settings there are worth knowing:

  • Clock. Tap it to change the style, size and colour. On a busy wallpaper, a bold clock in a plain colour stays readable.
  • Adaptive clock. On recent versions the clock can shrink or move so it does not cover the subject of the picture.
  • Filters. Tap Filter at the bottom to tint or soften the picture. It only changes how it looks on the phone, not the file.

If something goes wrong

  • There is no Download album. Open the My Files app, tap Downloads, and open the image from there. It opens in Gallery, where the same three dots menu has Set as wallpaper.
  • The Lock screen keeps changing by itself. A wallpaper service such as Dynamic Lock Screen or Glance is switched on. Turn it off under Settings → Lock screen and AOD or Settings → Wallpaper and style, then set your wallpaper again.
  • It looks blurry or cropped. Most Galaxy phones are taller than a standard 16:9 picture, so the phone zooms in a little to fill the screen. See how to make a wallpaper fit and stay sharp.

Other guides

Looking for something to put on your phone? Browse the wallpapers.