In this post, I will show you how to set MacOS desktop wallpaper using Intune. With the help of a desktop wallpaper script and a mobileconfig file, you can perform macOS desktop wallpaper deployment with Intune.
For Windows devices, most organizations prefer to use group policy to deploy desktop background wallpaper. It works well on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices. For Intune managed macOS devices, you have to use a combination of shell script and a custom configuration profile to set desktop wallpaper.
One of the members of the Intune Telegram group asked for a tutorial on how to set desktop wallpaper for macOS using Intune. Despite the fact that it appeared difficult, I wanted to test it in my lab and confirm that it worked. Now that my testing is complete, I was able to set desktop wallpaper for macOS devices using Intune, and I’ll walk you through the process.
Download the Scripts for Desktop Wallpaper and Wallpaper MobileConfig
Microsoft provides two files on their GitHub Shell Intune Samples for macOS desktop wallpaper deployment via Intune:
- downloadWallpaper.sh: This script is intended to be delivered to the Mac by the Intune Scripting Agent. This shell script downloads the wallpaper image from a URL specified and puts it in the /Library/Desktop location on the macOS device. The file name is set to Wallpaper.jpg.
- wallpaper.mobileconfig: A mobileconfig profile file instructs the Mac to actually change the wallpaper image.
To set macOS desktop wallpaper with Intune, you’ll need both of the above files. You will also need a web server to publish your Desktop Wallpaper image. If you have Azure Blob Storage, it is ideal for this; otherwise, any public web-server will suffice. I have downloaded both the files and saved it to a folder on my PC.
If you have the corporate desktop wallpaper image for macOS device, you will need to publicly host it. The image file URL should be accessible by anyone, and you should update this image path in the downloadwallaper.sh shell script file. Let me show you how to do that. Open the downloadwallpaper.sh file with Notepad application. Look for the “wallpaperurl” parameter and replace the image path with your corporate desktop wallpaper image and save the file.
Set MacOS Desktop Wallpaper using Intune
We will now go through the steps to set MacOS desktop wallpaper using Intune. I’ll break down the entire process into steps to make it easier to follow.
- Add a macOS Shell Script to download wallpaper
- Create a Custom Configuration profile to instruct mac to apply the wallpaper
In the end, I will also show you how to monitor the shell script and configuration profile assignments and cover about troubleshooting macOS desktop wallpaper deployment using logs.
Step 1: Add a macOS Shell Script in Intune to Download Wallpaper
In this step, we’ll add a new shell script in Intune to download wallpaper on macOS devices. If you’re new to mac scripts, refer to the following guide on how to use shell scripts on macOS using Intune.
- Sign in to Microsoft Intune admin center.
- Go to Devices > macOS > Shell Scripts.
- To add a new script, select +Add.
On the Basics tab, enter the name for the script as “Set Desktop Wallpaper for macOS using Intune“. Enter a brief description describing about the script and click Next.
On the Script Settings tab, click on the folder icon to upload the script to download wallpaper for macOS. Configure the following script settings in the same window.
- Run script as a signed-in user : No
- Hide script notifications on devices : Yes
- Script frequency : Every 1 day
- Number of times to retry if script fails : 3
You’ll see a notification “Upload completed for downloadwallaper.sh” confirming that the script has been uploaded successfully. You’ll also be able to review the script content, but it cannot be modified. Click Next.
On theAssignmentstab, you select the Azure groups to assign the shell script. Select one or more user or device groups to whom you want to assign the script. The groups you select are shown in the list, and will receive your script policy. ClickNext.
InReview + add, a summary is shown of the settings you configured. SelectAddto save the script. When you selectAdd, the script policy is deployed to the macOS device/user groups you chose.
The desktop wallpaper macOS Shell script you created now appears in the list of scripts. If needed, you can select and view the contents of macOS shell scripts after you upload them to Intune.
Step 2: Create Configuration Profile to Set Desktop Wallpaper for macOS
In the Step 1, the script that we added will download the desktop wallpaper image to your MacOS devices. To apply the image as desktop wallpaper on macOS, we will create a new configuration profile.
- Sign in to Microsoft Intune admin center.
- Go to Devices > macOS > Configuration Profiles.
- Select Create Profile to add a new profile for macOS devices.
On the Create a Profile window, select the following:
- Profile Type: Templates
- Template Name: Custom
Click Create.
Enter the name for the Configuration Profile as “MacOS Desktop Wallpaper Deployment” or something relevant. You may add a brief description about the profile. Click Next.
On the Configuration Settings tab, specify the following information:
- Custom Configuration Profile Name: MacOS Desktop Wallpaper.
- Deployment Channel: Device Channel.
- Configuration Profile File: Click the folder icon and select the wallpaper.mobileconfig file to upload.
Wait until the wallpaper.mobileconfig file is successfully uploaded to Intune. Once it’s done, click Next.
On theAssignmentstab, you select the Azure groups to apply the configuration profile. Select one or more user or device groups to whom you want to assign the profile. The groups you select are shown in the list, and will receive your profile settings. ClickNext.
InReview + add, a summary is shown of the settings you configured. SelectCreate to create the configuration profile. When you selectCreate, the profile settings are deployed to the macOS device/user groups you chose.
Monitor MacOS Desktop Wallpaper Deployment in Intune
As we have assigned a macOS Shell script and a custom configuration profile to set desktop wallpaper for macOS, both of these can be monitored in the Intune Portal.
You can monitor the run status of all assigned macOS scripts for users and devices by choosing one of the following reports in Intune:
- Shell Scripts>select the script to monitor>Device status.
- Shell Scripts>select the script to monitor>User status.
From the screenshot below, we see the macOS script to download the wallpaper has succeeded on the devices.
To monitor the custom configuration profile for macOS, go to Devices > macOS > Configuration Profiles. From the list of profiles, select the MacOS desktop wallpaper profile and review the status. From the screenshot below, we see the macOS devices that have successfully received the profile settings.
Note: In case you find any errors here, make sure the macOS devices are online. Make a note of the error code that will help you troubleshoot the issue.
Verify Desktop Wallpaper on macOS Devices
In this step, we will check to see if the desktop wallpaper image was successfully changed on our macOS device. After a few minutes, I saw the desktop wallpaper image was successfully applied to the Mac device. Note that I had to restart my MacBook once as there was an issue with company portal in synchronizing the policies.
Troubleshooting the Intune MacOS Wallpaper Deployment
It is possible that the desktop wallpaper will not be applied to all of your Mac devices. This will necessitate troubleshooting, and you will need to rely on log files. The Intune management agent logs on macOS are located in the /Library/Logs/Microsoft/Intune. The agent log file-names are IntuneMDMDaemon date–time.log and IntuneMDMAgent date–time.log.
When you don’t see the desktop wallpaper applied to your macOS device, the first step that you need to do is check whether the wallpaper image is downloaded to your Mac or not. Remember that the downloadwallaper.sh downloads the image from the specified URL and places it in /Library/Desktop. On your Mac, go to /Library/Desktop and verify if you see the wallpaper image. If you see this file, proceed to the next troubleshooting step.
If the wallpaper is already copied to your macOS, the next step is to ensure the wallpaper has been applied. The mobileconfig profile file instructs the Mac to actually change the wallpaper image. This process is logged in a separate file and outputs to /var/log/fetchdesktopwallpaper.log by default. Open the fetchdesktopwallpaper.log with a text editor app and review the log. Exit status is either 0 or 1.
Starting download of Desktop WallpaperCreating [/Library/Desktop]Downloading Wallpaper from [https://github.com/microsoft/shell-intune-samples/raw/master/img/M365.jpg] to [/Library/Desktop/Wallpaper.jpg]Wallpaper [https://github.com/microsoft/shell-intune-samples/raw/master/img/M365.jpg] downloaded to [/Library/Desktop/Wallpaper.jpg]
Also Read
- Enroll macOS Devices in Intune using Company Portal App
- How to Install Intune Company Portal on Mac Devices
- Manage macOS Software Updates using Intune
- Deploy macOS DMG Apps with Intune: Step-by-Step Guide
- Fix Intune Profile Installation Failed during macOS Enrollment
FAQs
How do I push desktop wallpaper through Intune? ›
Configure Desktop Wallpaper
In the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center, Select Devices | Configuration profiles and click on Create a profile. Select the following details in “Create a profile” pane and click on Create. In the Locked Screen Experience section, configure the settings as required.
All Mac enrollments in Intune are considered user-approved. User-approved enrollment lets you manage macOS devices that aren't part of Apple School Manager or Apple Business Manager. It provides the same level of control as supervised macOS devices enrolled using Automated Device Enrollment or Apple Configurator.
How do I force my desktop background? ›- Select Start > Settings > Personalization > Background.
- In the list next to Personalize your background, select Picture, Solid color, or Slideshow.
- Right-click an empty desktop area and select Personalize from the context menu.
- When the Settings app opens, click the Background option on the right.
- Click the dropdown menu in the Personalize your background section and choose Slideshow.
- Open the Company Portal app.
- Select Devices.
- If you only have one device, you'll go directly to the device details screen and can skip to step 4. ...
- Select More [...] and then choose Check Status to sync your device.
- Wait while Company Portal confirms your device status.
It lets end users connect securely to a full desktop from any device. With Microsoft Intune, you can secure and manage your Azure Virtual Desktop VMs with policy and apps at scale, after they're enrolled.
How do I add my Mac to Intune? ›- Go to Enroll My Mac.
- The Company Portal installer .pkg file will download. Open the installer and continue through the steps.
- Agree to the software license agreement.
- Enter your device password or registered fingerprint to install the software.
- Open Company Portal.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Wallpaper in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Select a desktop picture from one of the available categories: Dynamic Wallpapers: These pictures change gradually throughout the course of the day based on your current location.
What is the shortcut key for desktop background? ›Open Settings with the Win + I hotkey. Click the Personalization tab. Select Background to bring up the options shown directly below. Click the Personalize your background drop-down menu.
Why can ti set a desktop background? ›Make sure Windows 10 is activated and all the Windows Updates are installed and the try to change your desktop background. If the TranscodedWallpaper. jpg file has become corrupted, you may be unable to change the desktop background picture.
Why won't my desktop background stay Mac? ›
If you set a dynamic wallpaper as your default, your Mac desktop background may change often. To fix this issue, turn off the dynamic wallpaper setting and use a static wallpaper instead.
Why is my desktop background not changing Mac? ›Step 1: Click on the Apple logo and go to System Preferences. Step 2: Go to Desktop & Screensaver, which is near the top of this window. Step 3: Near the bottom, you'll see an option called “Change Picture:”. If the box is ticked and looks blue, click on this to untick it.
Is it possible to change the Windows desktop background directly from an image? ›You can choose a picture for your desktop background or change the accent color for Start, the taskbar, and other items. Select Start > Settings > Personalization. The preview window gives you a sneak peek of your changes as you make them.
How do I enable Remote desktop on Intune? ›- Go to Microsoft Endpoint manager admin center. Create a custom profile and deploy this profile to the device group you want. ...
- After the profile deploy successfully, we can find the remote setting is changed.
Right-click on your preferred image and select Set as desktop background. If you want to set a desktop slideshow, then select multiple images, right-click and select Set as the desktop wallpaper option. Alternatively, select the image and then click on the Set as background option in the top-right corner.
How do I make my desktop background dynamic in Windows? ›To do so, you can open Windows Settings by pressing Win + I keyboard shortcut. After that, move to Personalization -> Background. Here, select “Slideshow” from the drop-down menu and then select your set of wallpapers and time interval. You are done.
Does Intune allow remote access? ›After the connector is configured, you're ready to remotely administer a device. In the the Microsoft Intune admin center. Select Devices > All devices. From the list, select the device that you want to remotely administer > New Remote Assistance Session.
Does Microsoft Intune have remote control? ›The Intune and TeamViewer integration enables remote support using TeamViewer, and the connector is managed directly in Intune. Remote control is included in Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (ConfigMgr).
How do I turn off Remote Desktop on Intune? ›In Create a profile, Select Platform, Windows 10, and later and Profile, Select Profile Type as Settings catalog. Click on Create button. On the Basics tab, enter a descriptive name, such as Disable Remote Desktop Connections.
How to change desktop background that is disabled by administrator? ›Click Start, click Run, and then type gpedit. msc. Under Local Computer Policy, expand User Configuration, expand Administrative Templates, expand Desktop, and then click Active Desktop. Double-click Active Desktop Wallpaper.
How can I go straight to my desktop without logging in whenever my system reboots or when it is turned on? ›
In the Run type netplwiz and click OK; Uncheck the box "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer". Confirm with Apply and then enter the password / confirmation of the current password and click OK. Restart the device and you will be automatically logged on.
What is Ctrl R in desktop? ›Ctrl + R (or F5) Refresh the active window. Ctrl + Y. Redo an action. Ctrl + Right arrow.
What are desktop shortcuts? ›(2) A Windows shortcut is an icon that points to a program or data file. Shortcuts can be placed on the desktop or stored in other folders, and clicking a shortcut is the same as clicking the original file. However, deleting a shortcut does not remove the original file.