In 2015, Microsoft tasked a team of designers to create a hero wallpaper for its then-upcoming Windows 10 operating system. Unlike Windows 11"s "Bloom" wallpaper, Windows 10"s default background is not CGI—it was made using real lasers, smoke, glass, and other materials.
Making the legendary wallpaper took a while, and in the process, the team created a lot of alternatives with different colors and lights. And if you are after some fresh backgrounds, you can get those pictures to spice up your desktop and celebrate the legacy of Windows 10, which will soon reach its end of support.
Bradley Munkowitz (GMUNK) shared more details about making the now-iconic Windows 10 wallpaper following the operating system"s release. The team wanted to portray the operating system"s logo as "a portal into the world behind it" and direct it to "speak to the timelessness of Windows and its ability to take us anywhere we want to go."
To achieve the goal, the team put together a real Windows logo, grabbed a 9k Phase One Camera system and took multiple pictures with different exposures and color varieties, resulting in a "whole library of images that can be used throughout multiple Windows applications."
The Windows logo is a true icon. Using the best techniques available, we wanted to re-envision this classic image, defining what makes Windows 10 so forward thinking and accessible. We think our live action images will stand the test of time, placing this logo in a class of its own within the physical world.
Overall, Munkowitz and his fellow designers made over 3,000 pictures. Even though only one turned into the official Windows 10 background, there were quite a lot of other beautiful takes. A few years after Windows 10"s initial release, Microsoft shipped a brighter version of the original wallpaper.
Later on, another version leaked, revealing the third iteration, which, sadly, never made it to the public release (but you can still download it). If you are a fan of Windows 10"s default wallpaper, you can have a few absolutely stunning alternatives.
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
You can read more about creating the original Windows 10 background on the official GMUNK website.
In other wallpaper-related news, Microsoft recently announced a new generation of Copilot+ PCs, and they all share the same new colorful wallpaper, which is now available for download.