Lock screen

Hi Frankie,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community. I appreciate you sharing the details regarding your Surface Pro 7, it’s understandably frustrating when your lock screen keeps on reverting back to the Microsoft default. I’ll be more than happy to assist you.

What are the possible causes:

Possible Causes

1. Windows Spotlight or Slideshow is enabled These settings can override your custom image and revert to defaults.
2. Corrupted user profile or settings cache Sometimes; Windows fails to retain personalization settings due to profile corruption.
3. Group Policy or Registry settings If you're using a work or school account, policies may enforce default lock screen behavior.
4. Missing permissions or system file issues Deleting system images manually can sometimes cause fallback behavior.

Solutions to Try

1. Set Lock Screen to a Static Picture

Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen

• Under Background, choose Picture
• Select your desired image
• Make sure “Show lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen” is toggled On

Disable Windows Spotlight

• In the same Lock screen settings, change Background from Windows Spotlight to Picture
• This prevents Windows from rotating or reverting images

Disable Windows Spotlight

• In the same Lock screen settings, change Background from Windows Spotlight to Picture
• This prevents Windows from rotating or reverting images

Check Group Policy Settings (if applicable)

If you're on Windows Pro or Enterprise:

Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter

Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization

Double-click Force a specific default lock screen image

Set it to Not Configured (For Windows 11/10 Home users, you can add Local Group Policy Editor and then carry out the instructions as provided above.)

Create a New User Profile

If the issue persists, try creating a new local user account:

• Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users
• Add a new user and test if the lock screen image sticks

Hope this helps! Please inform us if you still require assistance, or if you have any other questions, feel free to respond. 

Warm regards,

Edward Schlobohm