When is a lock screen more than just a lock screen? When it's got a really cool picture on it! At least, that's the intention of the Spotlight feature on Windows 10's lock screen. It shows you some absolutely gorgeous photos, which creates a little extra anticipation when you unlock the computer -- what cool photo will you see this time?
However, have you ever wondered where in the world those pretty pictures were taken? We will show you 3 ways how you can find out.
1. Click “Like What You See?”
If you have the most version of Windows 10 (version 1607 or newer), then you can check where the photo is from extremely easily.
When you're on the lock screen, you'll see Like what you see? in the top-right corner. Just hover your cursor over that, and it'll tell you where it was taken. Simple.
If you don't see this when you mouse over the text, then make sure to run Windows Update and get the latest update.
If you missed the chance to find out where the photos were taken when you were on the lock screen, you can use one of the next 2 methods.
2. Check Hidden Files on Your Computer
The lock screen images are stored in your system but Microsoft hides them pretty well so you will have to do some digging. To show the hidden folder on your device, open File Explorer, then click the View tab. There, select Option to open the Folder Options menu. Click the View tab and select Show hidden files folders, and drives.
Now, we need to find the folder containing the lock screen photos. For this, navigate to This PC > (C:) > Users > UserName > AppData > Local > Packages > Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy > LocalState > Assets. You should see files without any extensions.
Copy one of the files to another folder and add .jpg to its name so you can open it with an image viewer.
To get more info about it, you can do a reverse image search.
3. Use the Spotlight Wallpapers App
Spotlight Wallpapers is a free Windows app you can use to find and download lock screen photos.
If you want to find out where a Spotlight photo was taken, you will have to download and reverse search it. If you select Bing, click the Info button to get more info. You can use the app to manage wallpapers both for Bing and Spotlight. You can set one of the photos as a lock screen or wallpaper using the button from the bottom-right corner.
Download: Spotlight Wallpapers (Free)
Find Where the Photos Were Taken Within a Few Clicks
Now you can find out where the lock screen photos were taken in Windows 10. As discussed, you can click Like what you see? at the lock screen, search for spotlight files, or use a Microsoft app.