In addition to showing you how to set a Home Screen or Lock Screen “wallpaper”, this tutorial will show you how to transfer images to your iPhone from your computer, or download them from your iPhone to your iPhone – and use those images as Wallpapers.
If you already have the photo/image you want to set as your iPhone’s Wallpaper on your iPhone, in one of your Photo Albums, click here to jump down to step #6.
Let’s cover the two most common ways to copy an image to your iPhone. If the image you want to use is on your laptop/desktop, follow the steps outlined in the Email Wallpapers to Your iPhone section.
If you’re reading this on your iPhone right now, and you want to copy a picture from a web page to use as your Wallpaper, follow the steps outlined in the Download Wallpapers Directly From Your iPhone section.
Email Wallpapers to Your iPhone
- There are a lot of ways to copy an image from your laptop or desktop to your iPhone. We’re going to go with the method that almost everyone will have in common and be able to use – emailing them to yourself. Whatever email program it is you use on your computer (even if it’s web-based like Gmail or Yahoo) – go to it and compose an email to yourself, with the Wallpaper image/file as an attachment. There’s no reason you can’t include more than one Wallpaper either.
- Now grab your iPhone. Check your Mail. Tap on the message you just sent yourself.
- Give the image(s) a minute to load.
- When the image has completed downloading and is visible, tap on it and hold your finger down.
- The Export window will pop up. Select Save Image from the bottom menu bar. Repeat the previous step for each Wallpaper (if your email included more than one image).
- Head back to your iPhone’s Home Screen, and tap the Settings button.
- Scroll down to the Wallpaper section and select it.
- In the PHOTOS section (towards the bottom of the screen) – select your Camera Roll
- The very last photo in your Camera Roll will be the wallpaper(s) you just downloaded from your email. Tap the one you want to set as your Lock Screen and/or Home Screen Wallpaper.
- Use your finger to move the image around your screen, and your thumb and finger to “pinch” in and out to zoom the image in/out.
- When the Wallpaper is positioned the way you want it, tap the Set button.
- You’ll be prompted to set this image as your Lock Screen, your Home Screen, or both. Tap whichever option suits your preference.
- It’ll take a brief moment for your iPhone to make the change.
- That’s it, you’re done! Now you’ll have a new Wallpaper and/or Lock Screen.
Download Wallpapers Directly From Your iPhone
- Using the browser on your iPhone, locate the image you want to set as your Wallpaper. Make sure you’re viewing the full size version of the image though, and not a “thumbnail”. For example, you can click (or tap) here to load the iPhone Wallpaper we’ve been using in this tutorial in your iPhone browser (in a new window).
Tap the ‘Export’ button in the bottom menu of your browser (see screenshot below).
- The Export window will pop up. Select Save Image from the bottom menu bar. Repeat the previous step for each Wallpaper (if your email included more than one image).
- Head back to your iPhone’s Home Screen, and tap the Settings button.
- Scroll down to the Wallpaper section and select it.
- In the PHOTOS section (towards the bottom of the screen) – select your Camera Roll
- The very last photo in your Camera Roll will be the wallpaper(s) you just downloaded from your email. Tap the one you want to set as your Lock Screen and/or Home Screen Wallpaper.
- Use your finger to move the image around your screen, and your thumb and finger to “pinch” in and out to zoom the image in/out.
- When the Wallpaper is positioned the way you want it, tap the Set button.
- You’ll be prompted to set this image as your Lock Screen, your Home Screen, or both. Tap whichever option suits your preference.
- It’ll take a brief moment for your iPhone to make the change.
- That’s it, you’re done! Now you’ll have a new Wallpaper and/or Lock Screen.
Note: If you’d like to check out some other Wallpapers, head over to this collection of iPhone Wallpaper sites or Download Now: The iOS9 Wallpapers.
