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  • New Radiance wallpaper collection, LGBTQ Artists

Are you tired of looking at your old boring wallpaper? Google recently published some fancy new wallpapers for Chrome OS, and you can download them right now — even if you don't own a Chromebook.

I get it: Having a plain, solid color background is important to keep you less distracted from your work in an enterprise setting. But with your own device, personalization is key to making your PC and smartphone fresh and exciting.

Radiance

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Google recently published 8 new wallpapers for Chromebooks, each having an additional dark variant. Much like the day-and-night cycle, the ambient lighting in these set of backgrounds changes according to the time of day. Daniel Medina did an incredible job adding multidimensionality in these backgrounds — each having a whimsical element that makes this collection eye-catchy and memorable.

In recent Chrome OS developer builds, your Chromebook will dynamically switch between the light and dark variants of these backgrounds, corresponding to the system theme. Some may prefer a static look; if that's you, follow the download link below and apply it manually.

Download: Radiance

Element

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Love 3D abstract art as much as I do? These 16 abstract designs create a unique composition using shapes, form, and gestural marks. I love how Rutger Paulusse takes advantage of translucency, lighting, and gradients to create a unique design language. His artwork creates a playful and surreal universe, coming to life on any screen you apply the backgrounds on.

Download: Element

Heritage

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Last year, Google celebrated National Hispanic American Heritage Month by releasing Heritage, an assortment of artwork created by Hispanic designers. These illustrators blend their modern perspective with mesmerizing vibrant colors and themes, all while nodding to that rich history. Cecilia Ruiz, Liz Hernández, Marisol Ortega, and Niege Borges have created 16 fun, colorful illustrations that reflect an exploration of their cultures.

Google rolled out four additional backgrounds by Arturo Torres to this collection recently—be sure to check out this collection by visiting the download link below.

Download: Heritage

Default

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Do you remember the default background you saw after you logged in to your Chromebook for the first time? These backgrounds have strong Material Design vibes that convey a level of physicality into the digital experience. While not officially a collection in the wallpaper picker, these minimal backgrounds are decent enough to merit a second look. These will display on the desktop depending on whether you just completed the onboarding experience, signed in with child privileges, or using Guest mode.

Download: Default

Cityscape

If you're a city person, you probably have grown to love the buzz, the vibrancy, and the bright lights of one — whether it's Paris, New York, or Los Angeles. Cityscape artists love to capture the mood of the city, especially the imposing buildings that tower over you. Google curated 44 eye-catching cityscape backgrounds created by various artists that are mesmerizing enough to draw people in.

Download: Cityscape

Landscape

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Who doesn't want to be outside more to breathe in the fresh air and connect to nature? Landscape photography is undeniably one of the most rewarding and entertaining forms of photography, capturing the essence of nature and the outdoors. Google compiled a whopping 57 images created by multiple photographers, featuring stunning shots that give you the sense of being there. You can find even more landscape backgrounds — including Earth view imagery — previously accessible on Chromebooks before they Google subsequently removed them.

Download: Landscape; Legacy

Floral

Anna Kövecses designed these 11 backgrounds exclusively for Google-made Chromebooks like the Pixelbook Go, and they look like they came from the children's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar. She uses oil paint and pastels to emphasize the simple organic shapes in her artwork, which is all but guaranteed to reverberate with your inner child.

Download: Floral

Leisure

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Brighten up your day with a collection of joyful illustrations by Min Heo. A lot of inspiration comes down to the idioms of daily life — her use of semi-wavering lines has confidence and personality. The restricted color palette in these 12 background gives a certain "Min-ness" to her illustrations.

Download: Leisure

Abstract

Abstract art and design are all around us, and for good reason — it's an incredibly versatile genre that allows total freedom for artists to explore their personal thoughts and feelings without the direct representation found with other art forms. Originally a Pixel Slate exclusive, Google's Abstract collection features 12 backgrounds that escape from reality, using visual shapes and forms that are vastly open to interpretation. Sadly, Google pulled these backgrounds off its wallpaper picker following the Slate's massive backlash.

We managed to extract the wallpapers before Google removed them, but could not obtain a 1:1 aspect ratio copy—important to make a background work universally on all screen sizes. Thus, we optimized this collection ourselves by creating mobile and desktop variants.

Download: Abstract (Mobile); Abstract (Desktop)

Composition

3D graphics are all the rage these days, with eye-catching designs that always have you yearning for more. Jerimiah Shaw combines primitive shapes, textures, and foliage to illustrate scenes of balance and lightness of weight. These 11 backgrounds also have intriguing compositions and simple color palettes that create a satisfyingly attractive design.

Download: Composition

Dessert time

For nearly four months — from Halloween to Valentine's Day — Americans have an excuse to indulge themselves in sweets. While some of us (and by "us" I definitely don't mean just me) fantasize and delight about being showered with donuts, desserts have an aesthetic appeal to them. These 7 irresistible backgrounds by Google feature exquisite sweets and handcrafted creativity that's sure to send anyone off with a "Bon Appétit."

Download: Dessert time

Colors

Shapes serve as the foundation for a strong design, whether painting a basic or complex artwork. These 12 wallpapers by Google use abstract shapes along with a wide range of colors to establish a modern, clean, and minimal aesthetic for your desktop.

Download: Colors

Illustration

Through beauty and creative flexibility, illustrators create visually appealing designs to help the viewer interpret a concept better. Shawna X designed 12 illustrations, including our favorite Chrome Dino, that make the perfect background for your desktop and mobile device.

Download: Illustration

Art

If you love creativity on your desktop, Art is the perfect collection for you. These 56 backgrounds curated by Google are highly expressive and imaginative, ranging from seemingly impossible scenes to simple but bold patterns that draw out the artist's creativity.

Download: Art

Togetherness

Celebrate cultural diversity with these 24 wallpapers. The Togetherness collection blends bold geometry and colors to portray pride, self-expression, and more. Aurélia Durand, Sabrena Khadija, and Meech Boakye's art is a collective framework that represents an inclusive future for all.

Download: Togetherness

Imaginary

Are you a huge 3D graphics fan? Digital illustrations like this wallpaper collection have become one of the hottest website design trends over the past two years — they are eye-catching and set a futuristic vibe for the user. Leo Natsume did a terrific job of bringing the adorable characters to life with these 12 wallpapers.

Download: Imaginary

Collage

Want something relaxing? This collection features 12 wallpapers with gorgeous analogous color palettes that are easy to look at. Matthew Hollister did an amazing job keeping the mood serene and harmonious by creating a nice balance of color and contrast.

Download: Collage

Made by Canvas

Feeling contemporary? These 12 backgrounds were drawn on Chrome Canvas, a popular drawing app by Google. I love how animated and alive these illustrations are, especially with the mid-century feel and popping colors helping to emphasize the contemporary look. Russ Gray and Hedof both did a terrific job with this collection.

Download: Made by Canvas

LGBTQ Artists

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Ahead of Pride Month, Google rolled out 15 new wallpapers created by artists in the LGBTQ community. Whether you're looking for something understated and perfect for dark mode, or something bright and vivid, this collection is perfect — and it celebrates Pride Month. A win-win.

Download: LGBTQ Artists

UPDATE: 2022/05/26 20:05 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG

New Radiance wallpaper collection, LGBTQ Artists

This post has been updated to add the new LGBTQ Artists wallpaper collection rolled out by Google to users ahead of Pride Month.

Download

You can apply all of these wallpapers—the exception being the legacy wallpaper collection—from your Chromebook's default wallpaper picker, but you'll need to enable chrome:flags#use-wallpaper-staging-url to see the recent Radiance backgrounds. If you don't own a Chromebook, you can download all of these wallpapers by clicking the source link right below.

Download: Chrome OS Wallpapers (March 2022)