Google has removed the per-desktop wallpaper feature from ChromeOS, which allowed some people to have different wallpapers for different desktops.
A new commit to the Chromium repository indicates the feature is being fully removed from ChromeOS, with the commit message spelling out clearly that “This flag and feature are deprecated.” Chromium is an open-source codebase that many web browsers use as a basis for their engines, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and others.
Chrome Storycovered the featureback in November 2021when it was new. Google has been testing per-desktop wallpapers in ChromeOS for some time, but it doesn’t seem like the feature has ever rolled out widely. The writing has been on the wall for some time, as per-desktop wallpapers haven’t worked for a while or at least been inconsistent. For example, a 2021Redditpost indicated per-desktop wallpapers were removed a few months later in 2022, with one poster commenting they stopped working on ChromeOS v107.
When it did work, the feature was in an experimental stage and required setting flags to turn it on. It’s a pity Google has removed per-desktop wallpapers as they added a personal touch to your computing. I use them on my Mac with virtual desktops all the time as they make identifying different desktops much easier. For example, I use a soothing wallpaper on a virtual desktop dedicated to my writing needs, a more vibrant background image on a desktop devoted to my messaging and social media needs, and so on—you get the idea.
So, we’re back to the same wallpaper across all virtual desks. One (kind of) workaround for this would be to switch to multi-user login because every user can set their own wallpaper. This could prove a much better way to focus on one project at a time (I fully expect multiple desktop fans to disagree with me, and that’s fine).
It might be that Google pulled this feature because it wasn’t satisfied with its implementation. If so, there’s a chance the company might rewrite it and bring it back in new form. But given paper-desktop wallpapers have been lingering in an experimental state for so long, it’s also possible they were dropped because of unsatisfactory feedback.
