Multiple folders for Windows Desktop Background?

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  1. Posts : 299
    Win 7 Professional 32-bit
       #1

    Multiple folders for Windows Desktop Background?


    Win 7 only allows you to set one folder at a time to search for wallpapers under Personalize>desktop background Is there a way to allow Win 7 to search folders within folders, or add multiple folders to the Picture Location so that you can use multiple folders for your desktop background?

    I suppose I could use Webshots or some other desktop background app, but I would like to be able to do this without installing additional software. Thanks.

    Update: Creating a new Library and manually adding each folder of wallpapers that I wanted to include, including manually adding subfolders allowed Win 7 to search all of the wallpapers that I wanted to use. Thank you Brink for the solution.
    Last edited by nabilalk; 15 Jan 2010 at 15:38. Reason: clarification
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  2. Posts : 6,857
    Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1 (desktop)
       #2

    nabilalk said:
    Win 7 only allows you to set one folder at a time to search for wallpapers under Personalize>desktop background Is there a way to allow Win 7 to search folders within folders, or add multiple folders to the Picture Location so that you can use multiple folders for your desktop background?

    I suppose I could use Webshots or some other desktop background app, but I would like to be able to do this without installing additional software. Thanks.
    That's an interesting question. I prefer to keep my wallpapers in two distinct folders....."the girls" and "basic walls".....hopefully someone has an answer for you.
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  3. Posts : 17,322
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #3

    nabilalk said:
    Win 7 only allows you to set one folder at a time to search for wallpapers under Personalize>desktop background Is there a way to allow Win 7 to search folders within folders, or add multiple folders to the Picture Location so that you can use multiple folders for your desktop background?

    I suppose I could use Webshots or some other desktop background app, but I would like to be able to do this without installing additional software. Thanks.
    Have you tried putting your multiple folders into a single folder, then just have it use that one folder.
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  4. Posts : 299
    Win 7 Professional 32-bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    derekimo said:
    nabilalk said:
    Win 7 only allows you to set one folder at a time to search for wallpapers under Personalize>desktop background Is there a way to allow Win 7 to search folders within folders, or add multiple folders to the Picture Location so that you can use multiple folders for your desktop background?

    I suppose I could use Webshots or some other desktop background app, but I would like to be able to do this without installing additional software. Thanks.
    Have you tried putting your multiple folders into a single folder, then just have it use that one folder.
    Yes I have. The main issue is that Win 7 won't search folders within folders. For example, if you set your wallpaper folder to My Pictures, Win 7 will only search for images in the root directory of My Pictures. It will not search subfolders.
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  5. Posts : 17,322
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #5

    nabilalk said:
    derekimo said:
    nabilalk said:
    Win 7 only allows you to set one folder at a time to search for wallpapers under Personalize>desktop background Is there a way to allow Win 7 to search folders within folders, or add multiple folders to the Picture Location so that you can use multiple folders for your desktop background?

    I suppose I could use Webshots or some other desktop background app, but I would like to be able to do this without installing additional software. Thanks.
    Have you tried putting your multiple folders into a single folder, then just have it use that one folder.
    Yes I have. The main issue is that Win 7 won't search folders within folders. For example, if you set your wallpaper folder to My Pictures, Win 7 will only search for images in the root directory of My Pictures. It will not search subfolders.
    O.K. how about creating a new folder with just the contents of the multiple folders copied to the new folder.
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  6. Posts : 299
    Win 7 Professional 32-bit
    Thread Starter
       #6

    derekimo said:
    nabilalk said:
    derekimo said:

    Have you tried putting your multiple folders into a single folder, then just have it use that one folder.
    Yes I have. The main issue is that Win 7 won't search folders within folders. For example, if you set your wallpaper folder to My Pictures, Win 7 will only search for images in the root directory of My Pictures. It will not search subfolders.
    O.K. how about creating a new folder with just the contents of the multiple folders copied to the new folder.
    I could do that yes. But then I would have duplicate copies of all of my wallpapers. I have about 6GB of wallpapers, and I would prefer not to have duplicates. Plus, I like to keep things organized, and throwing all of my wallpapers in one folder would not allow me to maintain my folder structure.
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  7. Posts : 71,959
    64-bit Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
       #7

    Hello Nabilalk,

    How about creating a new Library folder and including the folder locations that have the images you want to use in the library, then selecting the library in Desktop Background. This way they will be available from one library folder, but still only stored in there original locations.

    Hope this helps,
    Shawn
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  8. Posts : 299
    Win 7 Professional 32-bit
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Brink said:
    Hello Nabilalk,

    How about creating a new Library folder and including the folder locations that have the images you want to use in the library, then selecting the library in Desktop Background. This way they will be available from one library folder, but still only stored in there original locations.

    Hope this helps,
    Shawn
    That sounds like a plan Brink. I will give that a try and post back.
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  9. Posts : 17,322
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #9

    nabilalk said:
    derekimo said:
    nabilalk said:
    Yes I have. The main issue is that Win 7 won't search folders within folders. For example, if you set your wallpaper folder to My Pictures, Win 7 will only search for images in the root directory of My Pictures. It will not search subfolders.
    O.K. how about creating a new folder with just the contents of the multiple folders copied to the new folder.
    I could do that yes. But then I would have duplicate copies of all of my wallpapers. I have about 6GB of wallpapers, and I would prefer not to have duplicates. Plus, I like to keep things organized, and throwing all of my wallpapers in one folder would not allow me to maintain my folder structure.
    I know what you mean, I have alot of wallpapers too. And some of my folders do have duplicates from other folders. Mainly because there are so many to put in specific folders, laziness on my part.
    Those are about all I have to offer for suggestions, If you do find something that works out for you I'd be interested in how you do it.
    Sorry I couldn't be more help to you, good luck with that.:)
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  10. Posts : 17,322
    Win 10 Pro x64
       #10

    Brink said:
    Hello Nabilalk,

    How about creating a new Library folder and including the folder locations that have the images you want to use in the library, then selecting the library in Desktop Background. This way they will be available from one library folder, but still only stored in there original locations.

    Hope this helps,
    Shawn
    Thanks Shawn, That's a great idea. I'll Have to try that myself.
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