---
title: "Turn off Windows Spotlight on the lock screen: the registry values"
description: "Windows Spotlight downloads the changing lock screen pictures along with tips and promotions. What it changes, when it hurts, and how to undo it."
url: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-windows-spotlight
author: Frost LIVE, Founder of Frozen Tweaks
published: 2026-10-08
updated: 2026-10-08
category: "Debloat"
source: Frozen Tweaks (https://frozentweaks.com)
---

# Turn off Windows Spotlight on the lock screen: the registry values

**Short answer:** Windows Spotlight downloads the changing lock screen pictures along with tips and promotions. This tweak turns the rotating lock screen and its content subscriptions off for your account. In the registry it sets RotatingLockScreenEnabled to 0 under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager, and 2 more values.

## In the app

- Switch: Disable Windows Spotlight (Debloat, Free, Standard)
- Undo: Yes. Switching it off sets a standard Windows value, which may not be exactly how you had it.
- Catalog row: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks#t-1047

## What it does

Windows Spotlight downloads the changing lock screen pictures along with tips and promotions. This tweak turns the rotating lock screen and its content subscriptions off for your account.

In the app the switch is called "Disable Windows Spotlight", described there as: Stops Spotlight/lockscreen content downloads and tasks.

## When it helps

- Stopping the image and promotion downloads and the tips on the lock screen.

## When it hurts

- The lock screen shows a fixed picture instead of a new one every day.

## What it writes

Read from the app's source. "Switching it off" is what the app writes when you turn the tweak off again.

Registry values:

| Key | Value | With the tweak | Switching it off |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager` | `RotatingLockScreenEnabled` | `0` | 1 |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager` | `SubscribedContent-338387Enabled` | `0` | 1 |
| `HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager` | `SubscribedContent-338389Enabled` | `0` | 1 |

Source: Tweaks/spotlightoff.hpp in the app's source, app 2.0.0, checked 2026-10-08.

## The same change by hand

Run in a Command Prompt opened as administrator. Make a restore point first.

```bat
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "RotatingLockScreenEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "SubscribedContent-338387Enabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "SubscribedContent-338389Enabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
```

Put it back:

```bat
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "RotatingLockScreenEnabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "SubscribedContent-338387Enabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg add "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "SubscribedContent-338389Enabled" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
```

See what it is set to now:

```bat
reg query "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager" /v "RotatingLockScreenEnabled"
```

## How to undo it

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. It writes RotatingLockScreenEnabled back to 1, SubscribedContent-338387Enabled back to 1, SubscribedContent-338389Enabled back to 1.

## Verdict

Harmless tidying, with no effect on games.

## Questions

### What does the "Disable Windows Spotlight" tweak change in Windows?

In the registry it sets RotatingLockScreenEnabled to 0 under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ContentDeliveryManager, and 2 more values. The full list is in the table on this page, read from the app's source.

### What is the standard value of RotatingLockScreenEnabled?

Frozen Tweaks writes 1 when you switch the tweak off, which is the value it treats as the Windows standard. With the tweak on, RotatingLockScreenEnabled is 0.

### Is "Disable Windows Spotlight" safe to switch on?

Harmless tidying, with no effect on games. The main cost: The lock screen shows a fixed picture instead of a new one every day.

### How do I undo it?

Switch the tweak off in Frozen Tweaks. Switching it off sets a standard Windows value, which may not be exactly how you had it.

### Is "Disable Windows Spotlight" free in Frozen Tweaks?

Yes. It is one of the free tweaks, with no time limit.

## Related guides

- [Windows 11 Gaming Optimization: What Still Works in 2026](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/windows-11-gaming-optimization)
- [Low-End PC Gaming Optimization: Getting Playable Frame Rates](https://frozentweaks.com/guides/low-end-pc-gaming-optimization)

## More tweak explainers

- [Activity history](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-activity-history)
- [Clipboard history and sync](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-clipboard-history-sync)
- [Edge WebView2 auto-update](https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-webview2-auto-update)

---
Written by Frost LIVE, founder of Frozen Tweaks. Canonical version: https://frozentweaks.com/tweaks/disable-windows-spotlight