How to set up Start background on Windows Phone 8.1

Start background on Windows Phone 8.1

Windows Phone 8.1 update brings a lot of features and enhancements to your smartphone, one of these features is the new Start background, which is a new way to personalize the Start screen with a photo instead of a simple solid color. The Start background is available on all devices supporting the new Windows Phone 8.1 update and here is how you can configure it.

Instructions

1. From the new notification center tap ALL SETTINGS.

Windows Phone 8.1 notification center ALL SETTINGS

2. Then tap start + theme.

Start + theme setting

3. Locate the choose photo button.

4. Pick a picture from your albums on Facebook, camera or backgrounds folder, or OneDrive — you name it.

5. Crop image as necessary and tap the check icon to confirm your new settings.

Crop image for Start background Windows Phone 8.1

Voila! That’s all there is to it. As you head back to the Start screen the Live Tiles transform to show part of the photo you selected on each Tile.

Keep in mind that not all apps Live Tiles support the new Start background feature as this is something developers has to enable on each app — Hopefully apps will update to add the new feature.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.