"Change desktop background" instantly hides when opened

I have a rather strange issue that's a nuisance. When I right click on the desktop and select "Change Desktop Background," the system preferences pane opens, but automatically is hidden (similar to if you press cmd+H). I have to click the icon to restore the window.
This does NOT occur if I first open System Preferences and then select "Desktop & Screen Saver," or if I open "DesktopScreenEffectsPref.prefpane" from quicksilver.
I have tried deleting com.apple.desktop.plist and restarting, but this did not solve my problem. I think I may have experienced this problem in Lion as well, but I currently experience it on Mountain Lion.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

This same thing happens to me, and while not the end of the world, it is defintely annoying. Have you figured it out? Thanks!

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Change Desktop Background Broken 10.8

When I "2 finger (right click)" click on the desktop and select "Change Desktop Background", System Preferences comes up and I can change my background. I then close System Preferences and try it again and System Prefrences doesnt open. It will work the 1st time after a reboot, but not work anytime after.
Is anyone else having this issue?
Is there anyway to see what that command is doing on the context menu? "Change Desktop Background"

I'm having a similar problem after installing Mountain Lion on a new MBP Retina. Sorry I didn't see your post before I duplicated it (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4217330?tstart=30).

Changing desktop background issue12

hi, I have an issue with my macbook pro retina display 13" running mountaion lion os.
I was trying to change my desktop background, so I right-clicked my mouse and choose 'change desktop background option'. The first time I did this, nothing happened (however i noticed that the 'system preferences' icon on my dock was bouncing after I did that). When I tried to do the same thing again, it worked. I did this several times and I noticed it will only work on the second time. fyi I was not having this issue till today. Anyone else facing the same issue? Do I need to format my laptop or re-install my ios to remove this bug?
sorry for my bad English. Thanks!

hi! thanks for the reply.
I tried to follow the instructions, but I don't understand with the last instruction which says "Restart the computer and open System Preferences (or problem program) and reset all your preferences again"
I went to restart my computer (after deleting the com.apple.system...), and it doesnt solve the issue. However, I noticed that deleting the com.apple.system the "change desktop background" will work once. but if i close and do it the again, it wont work (same thing if i restart my laptop). I know i am just being anal about this small issue lol, but i noticed some other users experience the same thing as well as me.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/22567888#22567888
or
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4146106
thanks for the reply =) I will try to ask my friend whether he is having the same issue as me.

Wallpaper not showing up in "Change Desktop Background" window

I just noticed an odd issue today on my Mac Pro. When browsing the built-in wallpaper folders (Nature, Plants, etc) in the Change Desktop Background window they are empty. My "Pictures Folder" one shows all the images correctly as well as browsing the ones from iPhoto. (I also have Aperture 2.1.2 installed but no projects yet so that part is empty.)
I performed a permissions repair, checked that the actual files were there in /Library and removed the com.apple.desktop.plist pref's file. After doing that all the pictures showed up again UNTIL I browsed around the picture folders in the Change Desktop Background window then they stopped showing again.
Could something in my Pictures Folder be causing the issue? Any ideas?
Thanks,
-Jim

Thanks for clarifying. I don't do right or left click, but occasionally do CONTROL-click and doing that brings up the contextual menu item "change desktop background" which leads to the Desktop prefPane. Now, why you're having issues, I have no idea. However, I suggest creating a new admin user account, logging into it, and seeing if changing the desktop picture works there.

Change Desktop Background - Stretch Picture

I noted a strange thing when i right click and select Change Desktop Background, i once noted the option of whether to Stretch the picture. But now it is gone.
Does anyone know how do i enable it?

The option is only offered when it is actually needed, most likely your images don't need stretching.
Mario

Issue with desktop Opt/Click (right click) & 'Change Desktop Background'

I have an issue with the opt/click in the desktop in ML 10.8.2. The 'Change Desktop Background' using opt/click (right click) works after reboot, but fails to open (work correctly) thereafter. The 'System Preferences' icon bounces in the dock but nothing else happens, I have either click on the SP icon or re-opt/click (R click) again to get it working. All else seems to be in order but not this. I have tried this with 2 complete full installs & still doesn't work correctly (same issue. I have reported it to Apple, but I was wondering if anyone else experiencing this problem?

So, here's what I've learned so far.
Fresh reboot. Works fine. Close and try again, doesn't work. This you already know.
Here's what I tried to see if it makes a difference:
I removed:
~/Library/Caches
~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.*, com.apple.systempreferences.* and com.apple.desktop.*
That didn't help.
I tried it in safe mode. Same issue.
Here's something interesting I noticed. If you open terminal and killall Finder, that refreshes it and makes it work again... for 1 try.
This does, in fact, seem like a bug.
For reference, I'm currently on a mid 2012 macbook pro. Running fully updated on mt lion.

HT2478 how do you make the setting to change desktop background every time you shut down your mac

how to make setting to change desktop background every time you close your mac
because i want to make it if anybody tries to change my dekstop picture i want it to go backto set desktop picture

Don't let other people access your Mac in admin mode - they might change something a lot more important than the Desktop picture.
However you can use Automator: create an Application in it, and select 'Set the Desktop Picture' from the Library. Choose the picture you want. Save the application, then go to System Preferences>Accounts>Login Items and select the Automator application you just created. This will then run at startup and set your chosen picture.

Background not rendering when opened in Acrobat 9.4.7 but fine in Reader 9.3.4

The PDF in question was created using InDesign CS5 7.0 and the properties of the file identify the following additions
PDF Library 9.9
PDV V1.5 Acrobat 6.x
and Fast Web View is Enabled
The background colour looks to have been added as a layer during the creation of the PDF. When the PDF is opened in Reader, the background displays fine, when opened in Acrobat, the background is not present. The thumbnail in explorer also shows the PDF with the correct background.
Is this a configuration problem at my end with Acrobat?
Any help is very much appreciated!

Is there an outside chance that you do not have view large images turned on? OK, I am taking a stab in the dark, but it is a potential thing to check.

How do I change to background color in the open tabs; currently grey with black text, hard to read.

In FF 4.0 can I change the background color of the open tabs. Currently it is grey with black type. A lighter background would be easier to read.
Thanks, TJH

Download this addon: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/stratiform/ It allows you change the color of the tabs, plus many other options.

System Preference freezes when I want to change desktop background picture

My system preference freezes when I try to change my desktop background picture, any help, I tried disk utility repair, couldn't find the files to trash.

Login to the problematic account ensure that System Preferences is closed down. Move the following file to trash:
<home>/Library/Caches/com.apple.preferencepanes.cache
but don't delete it from the trash yet, just in case you need to restore it. Re-open System Preferences, it will re-create the file. If all's well then, then you can empty the trash.

Cannot change Desktop Background image

When I go to change my Desktop Background, it will try and load up the pictures in my Pictures folder (but no subfolders). I can switch my background to one of these images, even though the "Loading" progress bar is still visible.
Here is the odd thing, however. If I click on any of the other types of images (Apple Images, nature, Plants, Black & White, Abstract, and Solid Colors), nothing appears. I jumped over to another user on the same computer, and those images populated properly. Any ideas on what is going wrong? Why can't I change my background image? I've had this problem with both Mac OS 10.5.0 and 10.5.1.

I managed to fix this problem.
I did verify and repair permissions just for kicks. Not sure if that helped or not, but I did it anyway.
Then I went back into the System Pref pane, and clicked on Apple Images, then clicked on the Change Picture checkbox. While none of the images appear in the white box, my background did change to one of the Apple Images (such as the black and purple Leopard-only background). I then closed System Preferences, opened it back up, and the images loaded up properly this time!

Can't change Desktop background in System Preferences

Hi. When I try to change my desktop background, either by right-clicking on the desktop or by opening System Preferences, the screen for Desktop options is blank. None of the options show up, grayed out or otherwise. While in System Preferences, if I click on Screen Saver, everything there works fine. But the button for Desktop becomes grey and I can't click on it.
I've tried Repair Permissions and this didn't work. I've seen similar posts here, but they don't seem to have the same problem I do, nothing freezes up, the Desktop screen is just blank. Do you have any ideas?
Thanks!
Mac OS X (10.4.6)

1. OK, let's try some more trashing: 1. Quit System Preferences if it is open.
2. Open your Home > Library > Caches folder, then trash the following two files therein:
- com.apple.preferencepanes.cache
- com.apple.preferencepanes.searchindexcache
3. Trash the file
com.apple.systempreferences.plist
in your Home > Library > Preferences folder.
4. Trash the file
com.apple.systempreferences.xxx.plist
in your Home > Library > Preferences > ByHost folder, where xxx is an alphanumeric string.
5. Empty Trash.
6. Launch System Preferences and see if the problem is resolved.2. You wrote"I still have my Desktop Pictures folder."I presume you mean the Macintosh HD > Library > Desktop Pictures folder I cited previously. How about the contents of that folder? It should contain five folders:• Abstract
• Black & White
• Nature
• Plants
• Solid Colorsand a collection of .jpg images for a total of 28 objects.
3. I know you earlier said you ran Repair Permissions. I presume the permissions on Macintosh HD > Library > Desktop Pictures are:You can: Read & Write
Owner: system
Access: Read & Write
Group: admin
Access: Read & Write
Others: Read OnlyYes?
4. If none of the above sorts it out, let's see if it's isolated to your account. Do you have a second user account defined on your system? If so, log in to it and see if the problem happens there. If it does, it is probably a system-wide problem. If not, it is something with your user account. If you don't have a second account on your system, you can create a new one using System Preferences > Accounts. See "Mac OS X 10.4 Help: Adding a new user account to your computer."
5. Immediately after the problem occurs — i.e. you open Desktop & Screen Saver preferences and either cannot select Desktop or Desktop is blank — check the ends of these Console logs for clues. Let's see if console can tell us if the Desktop preference pane is corrupted.
6. Do you have any personal Web space? If so, can you take a screen shot of the problem and upload it to your personal Web space? If so, post a link back here to the image. It may help if I can see what you're seeing, though I think I understand it from your description, "a picture is worth..." etc.
7. As a general check, run the procedure specified in my "Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption" FAQ. Perform the steps therein in the order specified.
8. To what was / is your Desktop image presently set? One of the Apple collections or images? Something from your iPhoto Library?
FYI: I number my points so you can respond by number.
Good luck!
Dr. Smoke
Author: Troubleshooting Mac® OS X
Note: The information provided in the link(s) above is freely available. However, because I own The X Lab™, a commercial Web site to which some of these links point, the Apple Discussions Terms of Use require I include the following disclosure statement with this post:
I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

Can't Find Change Desktop Background in System Preferences... and other ???

I can't remember the last time I changed my desktop background, but it's been on the default plain blue. I tried to change it recently, and I cannot find the option to change background pictures in the System Preferences. I tried right-clicking on the desktop and used the context menu. That launched system preferences, kind of... the program opened, but the viewer did not... the actual window with all the options. I don't think my computer can find it either! I read a few discussions on this topic, and found to delete the plist from preferences folder.. tried that to no avail. Please help.

Hi again agapean,
Sorry to take so long to post back for you.
I found a screenshot of the System Preferences for 10.2 Jaguar and I see that you have two separate preference panes for Desktop and Screen Effects. In my Panther, the two were combined as one pane known as Desktop and Screensavers.
In the row below the toolbar of your System Preferences (It should be called Personal for that bar of preference "panes") there should be an icon for "Desktop".
See: Jaguar System Preferences
Is that not what you are seeing when you open System Prefences? If the Desktop pane is missing then it sounds as if it has somehow become deleted or corrupted.
I use Application Enhancer, windowshade, uControl, and Lite switch. They are all properly registered, but the icons are weird at the bottom... almost squished together? And the International icon shows up 3 times in System Preferences, once in Personal and twice in Other, where the other programs are located as well.
Third party hacks such as those can wreak havoc on the OS and things can become corrupted and cause a variety of system problems. It may very well be that that is what is causing the anomalies with your Desktop pictures/preferences.
Personally, I would uninstall them, if possible, and Repair Permissions from Disk Utility and try applying the 10.2.8 Combo update from Apple's downloads.
Back when I was using 10.2.8 I remember many problems users were having with system hacks like those back then. Perhaps others here may have a simpler approach to straightening out your situation.
littleshoulders

Change desktop background?

Is there any way to make a program (in any language) that, when run, will simply change the win98 desktop background to a file that i specify in the code? Thanks for any help!
kevin

Yes, you can quite easily do this in any language that allows you to manipulate the Windows registry.

Cannot change desktop background...

This is a problem that has been annoying me for about a month now... i set my desktop background as an iphoto image, and went to change it a few weeks later but it wouldn't let me! the small image of the desktop appears in system preferences, but the background will not change.
if anyone knows how to fix this, your help will be appreciated...

Confounding!
Log back into your problem account:
Here's the whole litany for thoroughly checking your home folder. It's not as daunting as it looks.
1. Navigate to ~(YourHome/Library/Fonts - drag this folder to the desktop.
• Restart and test your applications.
• If they work start adding the fonts back few at a time.
( Likely suspects are Times RO, Helvetica Fractions and Times Phonetic, also if you do not use Classic you can trash the classic fonts.) If not, put your Fonts folder back.
2. Check Preferences Thoroughly;
• Navigate to ~(YourHome/Library/Preferences drag this folder to the desktop.
• Restart and test your applications.
• If this works, save the old preferences folder somewhere else or on disk, name it "old prefs" .
** Note: A very important file is the "com.apple.Mail.plist" preference file located in the Preferences folder which contains all email account settings and general mail preferences (hold this one and replace if your problem is not with Mail).
You'll have to go through some of your System Preferences and apps to set the preferences back to how you like them. (Or if you have the time and inclination, "cherry pick" through until you find the problem one or two.)
3. Check Permissions Inside Home Folder
• Navigate to YourHome/Library.
• Get Info (Command - i) on folders for apps you are having problems with.
• Open the "Ownership & permissions" disclosure triangle.
• Make sure you are the owner, with "read and write" access.
• Click on "apply to all"
• If this is correct, open the "Applications Support" folder and do the same procedure (Command+I) for the folders with the names of the applications you are having trouble with.
(Note:The reason to check this is because repairing permissions with Disk Utility doesn't touch permissions inside your home folder.)
4. Navigate to YourHome/Library/Caches and drag this folder to the trash, then log out and back or restart. There is no need to replace this folder.
-mj

"Change desktop background" instantly hides when opened

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