Screen Saver - Change

How to Change the Screen Saver in Windows 7 and Windows 8​

   Information

A screen Saver is a moving picture or pattern that appears on a computer screen when the mouse or keyboard has not been used for a specified period of time.

This tutorial will show you how to change the screen saver in Windows 7 and Windows 8 to another screen saver of your choice.

   Note

The default Screen Savers in Windows 7 and Windows 8 are located at:
NOTE: The Aurora, Windows Logo, and Windows Energy screen savers are no longer available, but can be added back.

Screen Saver | Location Bubbles.scr | C:\Windows\System32\Bubbles.scr
Mystify.scr | C:\Windows\System32\Mystify.scr
PhotoScreensaver.scr (Photos) | C:\Windows\System32\PhotoScreensaver.scr
Ribbons.scr | C:\Windows\System32\Ribbons.scr
scrnsave.scr (Blank) | C:\Windows\System32\scrnsave.scr
ssText3d.scr (3D Text) | C:\Windows\System32\ssText3d.scr

   Warning

If you cannot get the screen saver to work, then check these items:

• Screen saver settings.
• For the Photos (pictures) screensaver, remove any videos from the selected folder to keep it from freezing.
• You may have downloaded a bad screen saver. Check by trying one that came with Vista above.
• The .SCR file (screensaver) was not installed in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. They may sometimes get installed into the C:\Windows\SYSWOW32 or C:\Windows\SYSWOW64 folders by mistake instead.

   Tip

For free screen savers to install in Windows 7 and Windows 8 to add to the list below, see: WinCustomize: Screen Savers Gallery

OPTION ONE

To Change the Screen Saver in Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic

1. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click on the Display icon.

2. In the left blue pane, click on the Change screen saver link. (see screenshot below)
3. Close the Display window. (see screenshot above)

4. Go to step 4 in OPTION TWO below.

OPTION TWO

To Change the Screen Saver in "Personalization" Settings for Windows 8 and Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise

1. Right click or press an hold on an empty space on the desktop, and click/tap on Personalize. (see screenshot below)
2. Click/tap on the Screen Saver link at the bottom of the window. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Under Screen Saver is the name of the screen saver in gray used in your current theme.
3. Close the Personalization window. (see screenshot above)

4. Under Screen saver, click/tap on the drop down menu and select a listed screen saver that you would like to use in your current theme, and click/tap on the Apply button. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: To create your own screen saver, select Photo and click/tap on the Settings button to browse to the image you want to use as the screen saver.


5. To Change the Screen Saver Settings
NOTE: Not all screen savers will have settings available for them. A) Click/tap on the Settings button and make the adjustments to the setting to what you like. (see screenshot below step 4)

B) If available, change the screen saver settings to how you want. (see right screenshot below)

C) Click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below)


6. To Preview a Screen Saver A) Click/tap on the Preview button to start the selected screen saver from step 4. (see screenshots below step 4)
NOTE: Just press a keyboard key or move the mouse to stop the screen saver preview.
7. Set your screen saver timeout period for how many minutes you want for how much idle time must elapse before the screen saver is launched.

8. Decide if you wanted to turn the screen saver password protection on or off (option one at link).

9. When finished, click/tap on OK. (see screenshots below step 4)

OPTION THREE

To Manually Change Screen Saver in Registry Editor for Windows 7 and Windows 8

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and press Enter.

2. If prompted by UAC, then click/tap on Yes.

3. In regedit, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below) HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop


4. In the right pane of the Desktop key in regedit, double click/tap on the SCRNSAVE.EXE string value to modify it. (see screenshot above)
NOTE: If the SCRNSAVE.EXE string value is not there, then right click on a empty space in the right pane of the Desktop key, click/tap on New and String Value, type SCRNSAVE.EXE, and press Enter.

5. Type in the full path of the .scr screen saver file that you want as your screen saver, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: Be sure that the name of the .scr screen saver file does not contain any spaces in it. If it does, rename the .scr screen saver file first so that it doesn't.
6. In the right pane of the Desktop key in regedit, double click/tap on the ScreenSaveTimeOut string value to modify it. (see screenshot above)
NOTE: If the ScreenSaveTimeOut string value is not there, then right click on a empty space in the right pane of the Desktop key, click/tap on New and String Value, type ScreenSaveTimeOut, and press Enter.

7. Type in how many seconds (ex: 300 for 5 minutes) in minute increments (60 seconds = 1 minute) that you want for how much idle time must elapse before the screen saver is launched, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 3)
NOTE: Be sure that the name of the .scr screen saver file does not contain any spaces in it. If it does, rename the .scr screen saver file first so that it doesn't.
8. Close regedit.

9. log off and log on to apply.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Turn Screen Saver On or Off in Windows 7
• How to Make your own Windows 7 Theme Pack
• How to Change or Save a Windows 7 Theme
• How to Create a Theme in Windows 8
• How to Change the "Aurora Screen Saver" Settings in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change the "Bubbles Screen Saver" Settings in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change the "Mystify Screen Saver" Settings in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Change the "Ribbons Screen Saver" Settings in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Add and Restore the "Windows Energy Screen Saver" Back in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Add and Restore the "Aurora Screen Saver" Back in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Add and Restore the "Windows Logo Screen Saver" Back in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Create a "Personalization" Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable the Windows 7 Log On Screen Saver
• How to Create a "Screen Saver Settings" Shortcut in Windows
• How to Enable or Disable Screen Saver Password Protection in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Allow or Prevent Changing Screen Saver in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Set or Change the Screen Saver Timeout Period in Windows 7
• How to Specify a Default Screen Saver for All Users in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Screen Savers in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Create a Shortcut to Start the Windows Media Center Screen Saver
• How to Add "Enable/Disable Screen Saver" to Desktop Context Menu
• How to Add or Remove "Personalize" from Desktop Context Menu in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Create a Screen Saver Shortcut in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Add or Remove "Turn Off Display" Desktop Context Menu in Windows 7 and Windows 8

 

[CaelanAegana]

3PlaneSoft screensavers in particular...

I got here originally through a google search for the terms "3planesoft screensaver" "Windows 7" "help". I saw you had a note suggesting this company's screensavers and so I assume you have some experience with them.

I have been trying to get these screensavers to run on my Windows 7 machine for a while now. They worked great on my old XP machine, but something seems to be screwing them up in 7. I moved the files to the System32 folder as you suggested, but that didn't seem to solve the problem.

The 3Planesoft screensaver manager will now recognize and allow me to preview the included-with-Windows screensavers also in the System32 folder, but won't allow me to change settings or preview (or view in any form) the 3Planesoft screensavers available for download. Do you have any ideas about why it might be that they won't initialize?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Brink]

Hello CaelanAegana, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Some 3rd party screen savers may only work properly if installed and used using their method (ex: 3Planesoft screensaver manager), and not all will offer settings that can be changed for them.

 

[Brink]

Tutorial has been updated to add OPTION THREE for how to manually change the scree saver in registry editor for only your user accountin all editions of Windows 7.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hiyya Shawn - have a little problem with the laptop (one of many) the screen saver will not work and as per the tut pics has - none listed.

Am running Pro 64bit on a Toshiba L550 - i5 430m @2.27GHz and 4GB and it is quite maddening that it will not give me a saver and stays in the desktop screen at all times when not browsing of course . Any fixes please?

 

[Brink]

Hello John,

Are you able to select a screen saver?

Is the option to select a screen saver grayed out?

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hello John,

Are you able to select a screen saver?

Is the option to select a screen saver grayed out?

Yes mate just it will not start after I set the screen saver I want and the time before the saver starts up. Even the machine will not go to sleep when set in the power settings to do that.

It has a mind of it's own it seems as I said it has been a problem child since day one.

I have had to do at least three factory defaults on it for other stuff and this problem is the last of a long line of same.

I am wondering if there is something amiss in the registry? I did a chkdsk last night as a hunch but it has not sorted the problem

 

[Brink]

John,

Ok, so you do have screen savers listed and selected without "none listed".

Since this involves both sleep and screen saver, it sounds like something is running (ex: in the background) or connected that may be preventing your computer from actually being idle for it to go to sleep or run the screen saver. As a test, disconnect everthing that you are able to from the computer. Also test by temporarily disabling your AV program, security program(s), and anything else that may be running to see if any of them may be preventing your computer from being idle. Since your computer has become idle, the index may have started to run in the background to update itself and be preventing sleep and screen saver until it's finished and the appropriate idle time passes before they happen.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Shawn will give them a go the AV may be doing it although it doesn't do it on my other two machines.

 

[sepultado]

Thanks

Shawn, you're awesome. Many thanks

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Sepultado, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[MCDebug]

What if I don't see the Screen Saver option?

 

[Brink]

Hello McDebug,

Do you mean that you do not have a "Screen Saver" icon at step 2 in OPTION TWO?

If not, then please post a screenshot showing this.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/9733-screenshots-files-upload-post-seven-forums.html

 

[judyhb]

I do not have any problems with the screen saver except that I am using the photos on my computer which works except that it keeps going through the same folder and never changes to any other one although it is set to the folder which includes the one it is going through and many others.

Fixed see:http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/28346-desktop-slideshow-shuffle-images-multiple-folders.html