Tip 5: Removing the Desktop Wallpaper

Created: March 1, 1995

Abstract

Within your own application, you can change various Windows® settings that are usually modified by using the Control Panel. One of these settings allows you to change the Desktop wallpaper. The SystemParametersInfo function can be used to select a new wallpaper for the Desktop from within your application.

The SystemParametersInfo function can also be used to remove the Desktop wallpaper so that no wallpaper will be used at all.

How to Remove the Desktop Wallpaper

The following code shows how to remove the Desktop wallpaper and set the default to None.

1. Create a new Visual Basic project. Form1 is created by default. Add a command button to the form (Command1) and set its Caption property to "Remove Wallpaper".
   
   
2. Add the following code to the general declarations section of Form1:

   Const SPIF_UPDATEINIFILE = &H1
   Const SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER = 20
   Const SPIF_SENDWININICHANGE = &H2
   

3. Next, add the following Declare statement to the General Declarations section (type this statement as one single line of text):

   Declare Function SystemParametersInfo Lib "User" (ByVal uAction As Integer, ByVal uparam As Integer, ByVal lpvParam As String, ByVal fuWinIni As Integer) As Integer
   

4. Add the following code to the Command1_Click event:

   Sub Command1_Click()
       filenm$ = "(none)"
       x% = SystemParametersInfo(SPI_SETDESKWALLPAPER, 0&, filenm$, SPIF_UPDATEINIFILE Or SPIF_SENDWININICHANGE)
   End Sub
   

After executing this program, the current wallpaper should be removed from the Desktop.

Additional References

Knowledge Base Q97142. "How to Use SystemParametersInfo API for Control Panel Settings." (MSDN Library, Knowledge Base)