The fastest way to change your lock screen

Open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then Lock Screen. You'll see your current lock screen at the top. Tap it to open the lock screen gallery, choose a new image or style, and tap Set as Lock Screen at the bottom. The change takes effect immediately.

If you're using iOS 16 or later, you can also long-press directly on your lock screen from your home screen, tap the plus icon at the bottom, and add a new lock screen without opening Settings. This method lets you preview changes before confirming them.

Key Takeaways

  • The Settings app method (Display & Brightness > Lock Screen) works on all recent iPhone models and takes under a minute.
  • Long-pressing your current lock screen from the home screen opens a quick editor where you can add, remove, or swap lock screens without entering Settings.
  • You can create multiple lock screens and switch between them, or set different ones to activate at specific times of day.
  • Custom lock screens can include photos from your library, Apple's built-in designs, or weather and calendar widgets.

Using the Settings app to change your lock screen

Open the Settings app and scroll down to Display & Brightness. Tap it, then select Lock Screen from the menu. At the top of the screen you'll see a preview of your current lock screen. Tap directly on that preview to open the lock screen gallery.

The gallery shows Apple's built-in designs first—these include solid colors, gradients, and themed collections like weather, astronomy, or nature. Scroll through and tap any design to preview it. Once you've chosen one, tap Set as Lock Screen at the bottom right. If you want to use a photo from your library instead, tap Photos at the bottom of the gallery, select an album, then choose your image.

After you set a new lock screen, you can customize it further by tapping the preview again and adjusting the color, adding widgets, or changing the font style for the time and date. These changes save automatically.

Long-pressing to edit your lock screen directly

From your home screen or lock screen, long-press anywhere on the lock screen display. A menu appears at the bottom with a plus icon and other options. Tap the plus icon to add a new lock screen or edit the current one.

This method is faster if you only want to swap between lock screens you've already created. You can also long-press and tap the trash icon to delete a lock screen you no longer use. If you have multiple lock screens set up, you can swipe left and right to move between them directly from the lock screen itself.

Adding photos from your library as your lock screen

Open Settings > Display & Brightness > Lock Screen, tap your current lock screen preview, then tap Photos at the bottom of the gallery. Choose an album from your library—Recents, Favorites, or any custom album you've created. Select the photo you want to use.

Your photo will appear as the lock screen background. You can adjust how the photo displays by tapping it again and using the color and style options. If the photo is too dark or light to read the time clearly, try adjusting the color filter or choosing a different image.

Creating and managing multiple lock screens

You can set up several different lock screens and switch between them throughout the day. Each lock screen can have its own background, widgets, and time/date styling. To create a new one, open Settings > Display & Brightness > Lock Screen, tap the plus icon at the bottom, and follow the same steps as creating your first lock screen.

Once you have multiple lock screens saved, you can schedule them to change automatically at specific times. Long-press your lock screen, tap the three-dot menu icon, and select Smart Rotate or set a custom schedule. You can also swipe between them manually whenever you want by swiping left or right on your actual lock screen.

Adding widgets and customizing the time display

After you've chosen a background, you can add widgets that show information like weather, calendar events, or battery status. Long-press your lock screen and tap Customize. Tap below the time display to add a widget, then choose from available options. You can add up to four widgets per lock screen.

You can also change how the time and date appear. While customizing, tap the time itself to adjust the font style and color. Some lock screens offer limited customization options—Apple's built-in designs are more flexible than photos from your library, which only let you adjust the color filter.

Troubleshooting lock screen changes that don't appear

If you've set a new lock screen but it's not showing up, restart your iPhone. Press and hold the side button and either volume button, then slide to power off. Wait a few seconds, then press the side button again to turn it back on.

If you're trying to use a photo and it won't appear, make sure the photo is actually saved to your library—screenshots and photos from Messages sometimes don't sync properly. Try choosing a different photo first to confirm the feature is working. If lock screen customization options are grayed out or missing, check that you're running iOS 16 or later by going to Settings > General > About and looking at the iOS version number.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a live photo as my lock screen?

No. iPhones only support still images for lock screens. If you try to select a live photo, iOS will automatically convert it to a still image. You can choose which frame of the live photo to use as the still image before confirming.

Why can't I see the lock screen option in Settings?

The lock screen customization feature requires iOS 16 or later. If you have an older version, update your iPhone by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Older iPhone models like the iPhone 6s cannot run iOS 16, so they won't have this feature.

Will changing my lock screen affect my home screen?

No. Your lock screen and home screen are separate. Changing one does not change the other. You can customize them independently of each other.

Can I set different lock screens for different times of day?

Yes. Create multiple lock screens, then long-press one and tap the three-dot menu. Select Smart Rotate to let iOS switch between them based on time of day, or set a custom schedule manually.

What happens if I delete a lock screen I'm currently using?

iOS will automatically switch you to another lock screen you've created. If you only have one lock screen, you cannot delete it—you can only change it to a different design or image.