- Status: Confirmed — the Bing Wallpaper app opens Bing.com when you click the desktop background.
- Affected: Recent Bing Wallpaper app update on Windows 11.
- Behavior: A left-click anywhere on the desktop background launches Bing.com in your default browser.
Microsoft promised to reduce ads in Windows 11, yet its Bing Wallpaper app is quietly doing the opposite. According to Windows Latest, a recent update has the app reopening Bing.com in your default browser whenever you click anywhere on the desktop background. Yes, literally anywhere.
Clicking your desktop now opens Bing.com
In Windows Latest’s testing, the Bing Wallpaper app sends you to Bing.com when you left-click on any part of the desktop. The behavior only triggers once every 24 hours, which is exactly why it’s so easy to miss. Click the desktop a dozen times after it first fires, and nothing happens again until the next day passes.
The one bit of good news is limited: Bing.com opens in whatever browser you already use as default. When the reporter switched to Chrome and clicked the desktop, the search engine still launched. So this isn’t a brand-new browser being forced on you — it’s your existing one being redirected.
The off switch is gone
This isn’t the first time Bing Wallpaper has done this. Last year, in October 2025, the app experimented with the same “feature,” but at least Microsoft gave users a toggle literally called “Desktop click opens Bing.” It was on by default, sure, but you could turn it off.
This time around, that toggle is gone. There’s no setting to disable the behavior, which is what turns a mildly annoying quirk into something that feels a lot like adware. Microsoft is promoting the app on its flagship Microsoft.com site and elsewhere, so a lot of users install it without expecting their desktop clicks to be monetized.
The app also tries to hijack your browsers
There’s more to it than desktop clicks. Windows Latest also noticed a pop-up asking to set Bing as the default search engine across your browsers. When the reporter clicked “Enable now” to test it, the app attempted to change browser settings in the background.
In Chrome’s case, the browser blocked the change, so Google stayed as the default. But the attempt itself is the problem: a wallpaper app reaching into your browser configuration is exactly the kind of behavior you’d expect from unwanted software, not a utility meant to change your desktop backdrop.
Why people installed Bing Wallpaper in the first place
The irony here is real. Bing Wallpaper was worth installing because Bing partners with independent photographers, National Geographic, and companies like Getty Images to source beautiful, real photographs. That’s what made it different from a generic wallpaper rotator.
But the app has drifted from that promise. There’s now a “Show AI images” option that floods your desktop with machine-generated pictures, which defeats the whole point of supporting working photographers. Layer adware-like redirects on top of that, and the app feels like it’s serving Microsoft’s marketing goals rather than its users.
What this means for you
If you use Bing Wallpaper, your desktop clicks are now a free ad impression for Bing, and there’s no in-app way to stop it. The 24-hour trigger window means you might not even notice at first — you’ll just wonder why a random Bing tab popped up once a day.
For most people, the simplest fix is to stop using the app and switch to Windows Spotlight, which is built into Windows 11 and pulls in Bing-sourced wallpapers without the redirects or browser tampering. It’s the same idea — fresh, photographer-backed images on your desktop — without the adware behavior.
What to do about it
Here are your options, in order of recommendation:
- Switch to Windows Spotlight. Go to Settings > Personalization > Background and pick Windows Spotlight. You get rotating wallpapers, many sourced from Bing, with none of the redirects.
- Uninstall Bing Wallpaper. If you don’t want rotating wallpapers at all, remove the app and stick with a static image.
- Use a reputable third-party wallpaper app. Several options cycle wallpapers without hijacking your desktop clicks or browser settings.
- Watch for a fix. If Microsoft restores the “Desktop click opens Bing” toggle, you can re-enable the app safely. Until then, the app isn’t worth the risk.
Microsoft has not yet publicly responded to the latest report. Given that the same behavior appeared in October 2025 with a toggle, and reappeared this time without one, users have good reason to be skeptical until Microsoft explains what changed and why.
Source: Windows Latest
Over to you: Are you switching to Windows Spotlight, or have you already uninstalled Bing Wallpaper?
