Windows Spotlight Fails to Update Lock Screen Images

Question

Windows Spotlight Fails to Update Lock Screen Images

ayoubAKK 0

Hello Microsoft Support Team,

I would like to report a persistent issue with Windows Spotlight on my Windows 11 computer.

1. Problem Description

Windows Spotlight (“Windows Spotlight” / “À la une de Windows”) is enabled in the Lock screen settings, but the lock screen image no longer updates. The following folder remains empty in my main Windows user profile:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy\LocalState\Assets

The issue persists even after upgrading to Windows 11 version 26H2. The upgrade did not restore Spotlight's normal functionality.

2. System Information

Operating system: Windows 11 Home

Version: 26H2

OS Build: 26300.9711

Microsoft account: Connected to Windows

Internet connection: Working and not configured as a metered connection.

3. Troubleshooting Steps Already Performed

I have carried out several diagnostic checks and repair attempts:

Verified that Windows Spotlight is selected in the Lock screen settings and restarted the computer.

Checked the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS), which was running.

Checked the status of the Windows Content Delivery Manager and Microsoft Windows Client CBS packages.

Ran DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth. No component store corruption was detected.

Ran sfc /scannow. The first scan detected and repaired corrupted files. A second scan reported no integrity violations.

Checked and reset certain local Spotlight data, without resolving the issue.

Upgraded Windows to version 26H2. The problem remains unresolved.

4. A Key Finding: Spotlight Works in Another User Profile

On the same computer, Windows Spotlight works normally in another local user account named TestSpotlight. In that account, the Assets folder contains downloaded image files, and the lock screen displays Spotlight images.

However, in my main user profile, the Assets folder remains empty, and the lock screen image does not update.

I also noticed that the scheduled task folder \Microsoft\Windows\ContentDeliveryManager\ does not appear in Task Scheduler on my system.

These findings suggest that the issue may be related to my main user profile or to a user-specific Windows Spotlight component, rather than to general system file corruption.

5. Workaround

I found an alternative application called Dynamic Theme in the Microsoft Store, which can be used to manage lock screen images. However, I would prefer to restore the native Windows Spotlight functionality rather than rely on a third-party application.

6. Assistance Requested

I would appreciate Microsoft's assistance in:

Investigating why this issue persists after upgrading to Windows 11 version 26H2.

Explaining why Spotlight works in one user profile but fails in my main profile on the same computer.

Confirming whether the absence of the ContentDeliveryManager scheduled task folder is expected in this version of Windows.

Providing a permanent solution that restores automatic Spotlight image downloads without requiring me to create a new user profile or reset or reinstall Windows.

I am willing to provide screenshots, diagnostic command results, or any additional information required to investigate this issue.

Thank you for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response and to a solution to this persistent problem.

Kind regards,

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1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Emma1-N 14,905 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Welcome ayoubAKK,

Thank you for contacting the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand that Windows Spotlight is still not downloading images in your usual Windows 11 profile, although it works correctly in another local user account on the same computer.

Before we continue, when you run the Get-AppxPackage command for ContentDeliveryManager in the affected profile, is the package information displayed? Also, does the issue remain limited to your usual Windows profile?

In the meantime, you can try the following steps:

Re-register the Content Delivery Manager package

Sign in to the Windows account where Windows Spotlight is not working.

Right-click Start, then select Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin). Select Yes when the User Account Control prompt appears.

First, run the following command to check whether the package is registered: Get-AppxPackage ContentDeliveryManager
If Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager appears in the results, run: Get-AppxPackage ContentDeliveryManager | ForEach-Object {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}

Wait for the command to finish running. If no errors are displayed, restart the computer, then test Windows Spotlight again.

If the package does not appear in the affected profile, check whether it is still registered in Windows for other users

Open Terminal (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin).
Run: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers ContentDeliveryManager
Check whether Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager and its InstallLocation are displayed.

If the package exists for all users, re-register it from its installation location

In the PowerShell window opened as administrator, run: Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers ContentDeliveryManager | ForEach-Object {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register "$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml"}
Wait for the command to finish running.
Then restart Windows.

After the restart, open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen

Select Windows Spotlight.
Lock the computer by pressing Windows key + L.
Check whether Windows Spotlight starts retrieving a new image.

Looking forward to your reply.

Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-21T04:08:34.0833333+00:00

Hello ayoubAKK,

I just wanted to check if my previous response addressed your question correctly. If there is anything I may have misunderstood, I would truly appreciate it if you could provide a bit more detail to help me better understand your needs.
ayoubAKK 0 Reputation points

2026-10-23T11:52:19.3766667+00:00

Hello Emma1-N,

Thank you for your response and for your suggestions.

I followed your recommendation and ran the PowerShell command to re-register the Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager package in my main Windows user profile.

The package was successfully detected and reported the following status:

Package version: 10.0.26100.1

Status: Ok

Installation location: C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy

After running the re-registration command, I restarted the computer and selected Windows Spotlight again in the Lock screen settings. Unfortunately, the issue persists: the lock screen image does not update, and the Assets folder remains empty.

I am running Windows 11 Home, version 26H2, OS Build 26300.9711. I have also run DISM and SFC, repaired the corrupted system files initially detected by SFC, and confirmed that a subsequent SFC scan found no integrity violations. The issue also persisted after upgrading to version 26H2.

Could you please advise on the next diagnostic step or suggest a solution specific?

Thank you for your continued assistance.

Kind regards,
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-24T08:54:02.62+00:00
Hello ayoubAKK,

The next step you can try: Check the Spotlight registry values in the affected profile.

Sign in to the affected profile, press Windows + R, type regedit, and press Enter

Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager

Right-click the ContentDeliveryManager key, select Export, and save a backup to your desktop

Check that RotatingLockScreenEnabled and RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled are set to 1. If either value is missing, right-click an empty area in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, name it exactly, and set it to 1

Sign out and sign back in, then check Windows Spotlight again
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-27T04:37:06.8033333+00:00

Hello ayoubAKK,

Is there any update from you? Please let me know, I will be here to assist you.
ayoubAKK 0 Reputation points

2026-10-27T09:14:14.2433333+00:00
Hello Emma1-N,

Thank you for your continued assistance. I would like to clarify my previous findings after conducting further tests on both my Dell Inspiron and my HP EliteDesk.

1. Dell Inspiron — Windows 11 Home, version 26H2, OS Build 26300.9711

Windows Spotlight does not work in my main user profile. The Assets folder remains empty, and the lock screen image does not update.

I also created a second local user account on the Dell. However, Windows Spotlight does not work in this account either.

In my main profile, I verified that both RotatingLockScreenEnabled and RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled were set to 1. I also re-registered the Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager package, which was reported as version 10.0.26100.1 with status Ok. Neither action resolved the issue.

I previously ran DISM and SFC, and I upgraded Windows to version 26H2, but the problem persists.

2. HP EliteDesk — Windows 11 Home, version 23H2, OS Build 22631.6199

On the HP EliteDesk, Windows Spotlight also fails in my main user profile.

I created a second user account and connected it to a different Microsoft account. Yesterday, Windows Spotlight started working in this second account, and the lock screen began displaying Spotlight images.

Following your recommendation, I checked the registry values in my main profile and found that:

RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled was set to 1.

RotatingLockScreenEnabled was set to 0.

I changed RotatingLockScreenEnabled to 1, as recommended, but Spotlight still does not work in my main profile.

3. An important detail about the Microsoft accounts

My main user profiles on both computers are connected to the same Microsoft account.

The results are therefore as follows:

Dell: Spotlight fails in the main profile connected to my primary Microsoft account and also fails in a second local user account.

HP EliteDesk: Spotlight fails in the main profile connected to my primary Microsoft account, but it works in the newly created profile connected to a different Microsoft account.

These findings raise the possibility that the issue may involve user-specific Spotlight configuration or account-related state. However, I cannot determine the exact cause from these tests alone.

4. Request for further investigation

Could you please advise on the next diagnostic steps to identify the root cause?

In particular, I would appreciate your guidance on whether the shared Microsoft account, the user profile configuration, or the Spotlight content-delivery mechanism could explain these results.

I would prefer to restore Windows Spotlight in my existing main profiles rather than migrate to new user accounts.

Thank you for your time and continued assistance.

Kind regards,
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-28T08:18:26.4066667+00:00

Hello ayoubAKK,

Before I continue, when you run the Get-AppxPackage command for ContentDeliveryManager in the affected profile, is the package information displayed? Also, does the issue remain limited to your usual Windows profile?
ayoubAKK 0 Reputation points

2026-10-28T18:23:00.8866667+00:00
Hello Emma1-N,

Thank you for your continued assistance. As requested, I ran both Get-AppxPackage and Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers on my HP EliteDesk and Dell Inspiron. Below are the results and a comparison of the behavior observed on both computers.

1. HP EliteDesk — Windows 11 Home, version 23H2, OS Build 22631.6199

In my main user profile (ayoub), where Windows Spotlight does not work, the following command:

Get-AppxPackage -Name Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager | Select-Object Name, Version, PackageFullName, InstallLocation, Status

returned:

Package: Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager

Version: 10.0.22621.2506

Status: Ok

Installation location: C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy

The Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers command also confirmed that the package is registered as installed for multiple user profiles, including ayoub and Compte ayoub.

I also checked the two registry values you mentioned. RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled was already set to 1, while RotatingLockScreenEnabled was set to 0. I changed RotatingLockScreenEnabled to 1, as recommended, but this did not resolve the issue.

An important finding is that Windows Spotlight works in a newly created user account connected to a different Microsoft account, while it continues to fail in my main profile.

2. Dell Inspiron — Windows 11 Home, version 26H2, OS Build 26300.9711

In my main user profile (ayoub), where Spotlight also fails, the same command returned:

Package: Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager

Version: 10.0.26100.1

Status: Ok

Installation location: C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy

The Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers command confirmed that the package is registered as installed for the SYSTEM account and several user SIDs, including my ayoub profile.

On this computer, both RotatingLockScreenEnabled and RotatingLockScreenOverlayEnabled were already set to 1. I also tried re-registering the ContentDeliveryManager package, but this did not restore Spotlight.

Unlike on the HP EliteDesk, Spotlight also fails in a second local user account on the Dell.

3. Comparison and observations

Both computers report that the ContentDeliveryManager package is present, has status Ok, and is installed for the affected main profile. However, the package versions differ:

HP EliteDesk: 10.0.22621.2506

Dell Inspiron: 10.0.26100.1

My main profiles on both computers are connected to the same primary Microsoft account.

The observed behavior is as follows:

HP EliteDesk: Spotlight fails in my main profile connected to my primary Microsoft account, but works in a newly created account connected to a different Microsoft account.

Dell Inspiron: Spotlight fails in my main profile and also in a second local user account.

On both computers, the Assets folder in my affected main profile remains empty, indicating that Spotlight images are not being downloaded there.

4. Request for further investigation

These results confirm that the package is present and reports status Ok, but this does not resolve the underlying Spotlight problem. Re-registering the package on the Dell and correcting the registry value on the HP did not help.

Could you please advise on the next diagnostic steps? In particular, I would appreciate guidance on how to investigate the differences between the two computers and why Spotlight works in the HP's new profile connected to a different Microsoft account, while failing in the existing profile.

I would prefer to restore the native Windows Spotlight functionality in my existing profiles rather than having to migrate to new user accounts or reinstall Windows.

Thank you for your continued assistance.

Kind regards,
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-10-30T07:08:16.39+00:00
Hello ayoubAKK,

Thank you for your detail information. You can try the step: Reset the Spotlight data in your main profile (both computers)

Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and change Personalize your lock screen to Picture.

Sign out, then sign back in to your main profile.

Press Windows + R and open: %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.Windows.ContentDeliveryManager_cw5n1h2txyewy

Rename the Settings folder to Settings.old. If Assets contains any files, delete them.

Restart the computer.

Go back to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen, select Windows spotlight, then lock the PC with Windows + L and wait a few minutes.
ayoubAKK 0 Reputation points

2026-10-31T07:58:43.7933333+00:00

Hello Emma1-N,

I would like to provide an update following your latest recommendations.

I have carefully followed the steps in your latest comment on both my HP EliteDesk and Dell Inspiron computers. Unfortunately, Windows Spotlight is still not working on either computer.

I noticed the following behavior after performing these steps:

The Settings folder is automatically recreated when Windows Spotlight is enabled.

However, the Assets folder remains completely empty on both computers.

No Spotlight images are downloaded, and the lock-screen image does not update.

For reference, here are the current Windows configurations:

HP EliteDesk: Windows 11 Home, version 23H2, OS Build 22631.6199.

Dell Inspiron 15 5000: Windows 11 Home, version 26H2, OS Build 26300.9818.

Since the recommended reset procedure has now been completed on both computers, I would appreciate your advice on how to investigate the underlying cause.

In particular, could you please clarify:

Is there a way to identify why the Spotlight content is not being downloaded into the Assets folder?

Could this indicate a problem with the Spotlight content delivery service, the subscription state, or communication with Microsoft's content servers?

Is there another diagnostic procedure that could help identify the cause without repeating the reset, registry checks, or package re-registration steps already performed?

I would prefer to identify the reason why Spotlight content is not reaching these user profiles rather than repeat troubleshooting procedures that have already been unsuccessful.

Thank you for your continued assistance.

Kind regards,
Emma1-N 14,905 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-03T03:39:55.1866667+00:00
Hello ayoubAKK,

Thank you for the update. Since the reset is done, the next step is to find where the download fails.

Open Terminal (Admin) and run: Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath "\Microsoft\Windows\ContentDeliveryManager\" | Get-ScheduledTaskInfo

Note LastTaskResult for each task. 0 means success. Any other value, such as 0x80004002, points to a failing component. If nothing is returned, tell us.

Run: Test-NetConnection arc.msn.com -Port 443

Run: Test-NetConnection ris.api.iris.microsoft.com -Port 443

Check that TcpTestSucceeded is True for both.

Connect one computer to a mobile hotspot, lock the PC, and wait a few minutes to rule out your network.

Check that Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Country or region is correct.

Please share the LastTaskResult values, the two TcpTestSucceeded results, and whether the hotspot changed anything, with personal information removed.

Windows Spotlight Fails to Update Lock Screen Images

1. Problem Description

2. System Information

3. Troubleshooting Steps Already Performed

4. A Key Finding: Spotlight Works in Another User Profile

5. Workaround

6. Assistance Requested

1 answer

1. Dell Inspiron — Windows 11 Home, version 26H2, OS Build 26300.9711

2. HP EliteDesk — Windows 11 Home, version 23H2, OS Build 22631.6199

3. An important detail about the Microsoft accounts

4. Request for further investigation

1. HP EliteDesk — Windows 11 Home, version 23H2, OS Build 22631.6199

2. Dell Inspiron — Windows 11 Home, version 26H2, OS Build 26300.9711

3. Comparison and observations

4. Request for further investigation

Your answer