How to Fix Desktop Background turns Black when highlighting

This post will show you how to fix the problem where the desktop background becomes dark when you highlight something on a Windows 11 or 10 PC. Some users reported that their backgrounds become dark when dragging the mouse pointer across the desktop to select an area or highlight something. For some, it occurs when users choose or highlight desktop icons. That's annoying, even though we can just change the background to whatever picture we want. The fixes in this article have been pretty much practical and bound to work for any end user who finds themselves in this situation.

How To Fix Black Desktop Background When Highlighting in Windows 11 And 10

If you are using Windows 11 or 10 and experience the issue of the desktop background going dark on selecting something, try these fixes:

Disable File Explorer

Restore the desktop wallpaper to its default position.

Undo Previous Game Driver Update

Graphics Driver Update or Reinstall

This option allows you to disable background graphics; toggle off.

1. Launch File Explorer again.

It does, and quite logically. Any temporary errors must be minimized by restarting File Explorer. Open Task Manager, open the Processes tab inside it, find Windows Explorer, and choose the process to end it.

2. Go back to where you originally saved the desktop wallpaper.

For me, and a few other users, this is one of the best options. I only had to suffer from this problem for an instant before it worked itself out, but give the alternative a try. If at all you have moved your default position of background photo, such as Desktop, to another location such as E drive or another folder, you might have encountered such a problem whereby when you pick or highlight a portion on your desktop, the background goes black. You need to restore the desktop wallpaper to its default location where it was saved.

Open the Classic Desktop Background window or otherwise, if you do not know where your desktop background image is saved. This image would be the same currently serving as your desktop background picture. That would count as step number one toward resolving the issue. Step two would be to apply the same background image using Windows Settings. In the "Personalize your background" section, click "Personalization" > "Background." then click its expansion option. To select any wallpaper, click on Browse images option after selecting Picture mode.

If you happen to lose or delete your desktop wallpaper or image, you can change it with a different one. You can set an image as wallpaper if you use two or more displays and want the image to extend in each of them. While in the Personalize your backdrop section select Choose a fit for your desktop image option. In that section, select Span option.

3. Windows Graphics Driver Rollback

This patch has worked for certain users, so you might be one of them. If this is a problem with the upgrade of the graphics card driver not working properly, you can try to roll back the driver version. Open Device Manager and expand Display adapters. After that, right-click on the graphics driver and select Properties. Once you're in the Properties window, click the Driver tab, and then click the Roll Back button.

4. Update Graphics Driver Installation

An outdated graphics card driver can also be the reason for other issues such as stretched screen display and may turn your desktop background black while highlighting and more. If so, updating your graphics driver may fix this problem.

Download the driver for your graphics card from the manufacturer's website if the issue does not get solved. Once installed, restart your computer.

5. Deselect the check box that says Remove background images.

There's also a feature in Windows that turns off the desktop wallpaper. To make matters worse, all options related to desktop customization are missing from the Settings app. This could be why your settings related to desktop wallpaper are set, yet you still face this problem. If that is indeed the case, then you will want to toggle this setting off. Here's how:

Open the Settings application.

Once you open this menu, go to View and apply Large icons or Small icons.

Click on Ease of Access Center and check it.

If you want to turn on Ease of Access so that your computer is easier to use, click it.

Scroll further down

When it says Turn off background pictures, click "No".

Click Apply followed by OK.

Using these explanations, you can fix the black desktop background that turns black upon highlighting totally easily, without further good luck.