As someone who has a huge penchant for fascinating wallpapers, the “Bing Wallpaper” app has managed to please me – right from the onset. With a gigantic library of beautifully designed images, the app ensures you always have trending backgrounds to choose from. Whether you love to pick natural backgrounds, prefer eye-catching ones, or like to deck up your desktop with funky pictures, the app has got you fully covered.
More often than not, the Bing wallpaper app works as expected, allowing you to choose your preferred backgrounds and download them without any hassle at all. However, there are times when it refuses to function properly. At times, it tends to freeze weirdly and crash out all of a sudden. At other times, the app prevents your images from downloading, leaving you scratching your head wondering what has altogether derailed it.
Having endured the tantrums of the malfunctioning Bing Wallpaper app on my Windows 11 device on many occasions, I would like to share the real-life tested tips that have rescued me and helped fix the misbehaving app. If this is precisely what has made you land on this extensive troubleshooting guide, now is the right time to take on the problem and bring the app back on track. Read on to check out these 22 trusted ways to fix Windows 11 Bing Wallpaper app issues.
Best Tips to Fix Bing Wallpaper Not Working on Windows 11
What causes the Bing Wallpaper app to malfunction and stop working as expected? When dealing with this frustrating Windows 11 issue, you need to keep in mind a number of factors including –
- Outdated app version
- Windows update issues
- Disabled wallpaper sync
- Network connectivity issues
- Corrupted installation
- Conflicting apps
- Background apps disabled
- System performance settings
- Antivirus restrictions
- Corrupted user profile
- Power settings
- Regional restrictions
More often than not, you can troubleshoot your Bing Wallpaper app by managing the above culprits. Don’t worry! The tips to take control of these villains are pretty secure and don’t put your precious data at risk of loss at all.
1. Relaunch the Bing Wallpaper App
Restarting the Bing Wallpaper app will let you resolve minor glitches or app freezes – most of the time. So, give it a go – right off the bat!
- To get it done, you need to right-click the Bing Wallpaper icon in the system tray.
- Click Exit in the menu to close the app.
- After that, relaunch the app from the Start menu or desktop shortcut to find out if the issue is gone.
2. Reboot Your Computer
We all know that rebooting has the knack for clearing temporary system issues that may interfere with app functionality, don’t we?
- Click the Start button > Power > Restart.
- After rebooting, launch the Bing Wallpaper app to see whether or not it has started to show love again.
3. Force Kill the Wallpaper App
Believe me or not, force-killing has long been my go-to weapon for fixing a misbehaving app.
- On your device, press the Shift+Ctrl+Esc > Select the Bing Wallpaper app in the left sidebar and hit the End task option at the top.

4. Update the Bing Wallpaper App
Outdated versions of Windows Bing Wallpaper may be plagued by bugs or compatibility issues.
- Navigate to the official Bing Wallpaper website or the Microsoft Store app on your PC.
- Now, download the latest version of the wallpaper app.
5. Check Internet Connection
Bear in mind that the app requires a strong and stable internet connection in order to fetch and display new wallpapers. Therefore, ensure that your internet connection is in line with the demand.
- Go to the Action Center on your PC > Turn off Wi-Fi > Restart your PC and turn the Wi-Fi back on.
- Then, open your web browser and visit a website to check if it loads up without any hiccups.
- If the internet connection, feels sluggish, make sure to restart your router or modem and then reconnect to your Wi-Fi.
6. Run the App as an Administrator
Running the wallpaper app on your Windows device with enhanced permissions can let you resolve access-related issues.
- To get it done, you have to right-click the Bing Wallpaper shortcut.
- Select the “Run as administrator” option in the menu.
- Be sure to confirm the prompt and figure out if the app works correctly.
7. Enable the App at Startup
No luck as yet? Set the wallpaper app to start automatically for a smooth launching experience.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to fire up the Task Manager.
- Click on the Startup tab in the left sidebar.
- Locate Bing Wallpaper and right-click on it.
- Select the Enable option.
8. Clear App Cache
Over time, the pileup of the cached files can become corrupted and begin to harm the app’s functionality.
- Press Windows + R to bring the Run dialog into focus.
- In the text field, type %localappdata%, and hit Enter.
- Locate the Bing WallpaperApp folder.
- Next, you have to delete all files inside this folder and restart the app.
9. Check Region Settings
It’s worth pointing out that the Bing Wallpaper may not work in unsupported regions. Therefore, double-check your region settings.
- Open Settings > and go to the Time & Language > Language & Region on your device.
- For now, I’d recommend you set your region to the U.S. or another supported country.
- Restart the app to check if it works.
10. Log in to a Microsoft Account
Keep in mind that certain Bing services may require you to sign in with a Microsoft account. Hence, log in to a Microsoft account if you have managed to overcome the hurdle.
- On your PC, open the Bing Wallpaper app.
- After that, you need to click Sign in and log in with your Microsoft credentials.
- Once the sign-in is done, test the app for functionality.
11. Disable VPN or Proxy
VPNs or proxies never shy away from blocking an app’s connection to servers, which creates a number of unwanted errors. So, disable both these major culprits of this issue.
- Open Settings > Network & Internet on your computer.
- Then, disable VPN or proxy settings temporarily.
- Relaunch the app and check its functionality.

12. Manually Download Wallpapers
Though it’s not a solution, I would recommend you try to download wallpapers manually (as a workaround) from the official website.
- Launch a browser on your PC, and visit the Bing Wallpaper website.
- After that, proceed to download the desired wallpapers.
- Next, you can manually set it as your desktop background.
13. Check for Windows Updates
Everyone knows that outdated Windows builds can cause compatibility issues with apps.
- To check for and install the latest updates, head into Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.

14. Verify Display Settings
Wrongly configured resolution or scaling settings can make life difficult for wallpapers and hinder them from displaying correctly.
- Go to Settings > System > Display on your Windows 11 device.
- Check that the resolution matches your screen.
- After that, be sure to set Scaling to the recommended percentage.

15. Disable Background App Restrictions
Be sure that restrictions are not preventing the app from running in the background.
- To get rid of the limitations, launch the Settings app on your PC > Apps > Installed Apps.
- Select Bing Wallpaper and hit the ellipsis icon next to it.
- Click Advanced options.
- Next, select Always under Background app permissions.

16. Temporarily Disable Firewall/Antivirus
Your beloved “Firewalls” or antivirus programs might also be blocking the app from accessing the internet. To ward off this unexpected behavior, temporarily disable the firewall/antivirus program.
- On your PC, dive into your antivirus or firewall settings (Settings app > Privacy & Security > Windows Security) and temporarily disable it.
- After you have turned off your antivirus tool, test the wallpaper app to find out if it has returned to form.

17. Unblock the App in Windows Defender
Ensure that the Windows Defender Firewall is not set to block the app’s network access.
- Launch the Control Panel on your PC > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall.
- Now, hit “Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall“.
- Finally, add Bing Wallpaper to the allowed list and get out of the Control Panel.
- Hopefully, the app will begin to behave normally. If it doesn’t, disable the Defender.

18. Check for Conflicting Apps
Be aware of the fact that other wallpaper apps might be conflicting with the Bing Wallpaper and roadblocking its path.
- Therefore, uninstall any third-party wallpaper apps (from the Settings app > Apps > Installed Apps section).
- Now, restart your PC and relaunch the Bing Wallpaper app.
19. Repair the App
Windows 11’s built-in “Repair” is incredibly effective in fixing the ill-fated app or the one that has been damaged.
- Go to Settings on your Windows 11 device> Now, click on the Apps tab in the left sidebar > Installed Apps.
- Now, search for the Bing Wallpaper and hit the triple-dot button that shows next to it.
- Choose Advanced options in the menu.
- Click on the Repair and let Windows repair the damaged wallpaper app.
20. Reset the App
Should the wallpaper app remain dysfunctional even after you have repaired it, why not go for the kill and reset the entire app in order to flush out the entire cluster of cache and cookies?
- Head into the Settings app on your computer > Apps > Install Apps > Click on the triple-dot icon next to Bing Wallpaper > Advanced Options > Reset.
21. Reinstall the Bing Wallpaper App
Reinstallation comes in handy in fixing corrupted installation files.
- Press Windows + I to open Settings app on your device > head over to Apps > Installed Apps.
- Find the Bing Wallpaper app and hit the triple-dot icon next to it.
- Choose Uninstall and confirm.
- Then, reinstall the app from the official website or the Microsoft Store app.
22. Run Windows Troubleshooter
Windows troubleshooter is fully equipped to detect and fix app-related issues automatically.
- To bring the Windows troubleshooter into action, go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot.
- Select Other Troubleshooters > Windows Store Apps.
- Run the troubleshooter and run through on-screen instructions.

Wrapping Up…
There you have it! I hope the wallpaper app has begun to weave its magic all over again. Now that the issue is gone, go ahead to design your desktop to your heart’s liking and do share your invaluable feedback with us.