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If the Slideshow command is missing from Microsoft Photos, you are probably using the current Photos app rather than Photos Legacy. Microsoft documents Photos Legacy as the version that includes a slideshow creator. The current app and the legacy app are separate Windows applications with different feature sets, so an absent command is not automatically evidence of a broken installation.
There are also two Windows slideshow features that do not create a project in Photos: a rotating desktop background and a rotating lock screen. Those are configured in Windows Settings instead.
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What the missing command usually means
Microsoft’s current Photos documentation describes two related but different products. The current Photos app is focused on viewing, organizing, editing and sharing images. Photos Legacy is the older experience and includes additional tools, including a video editor, slideshow creator and album maker.
Microsoft states: “The Photos Legacy app includes functions such as a video editor, slideshow creator, and album maker.” That distinction explains why instructions written for an older Windows installation may tell you to click Slideshow while your current app shows no such command.
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Microsoft introduced a new Windows 11 Photos version in October 2022 with iCloud integration and an enhanced Slideshow feature. Its change information also explains that the new app organizes pictures in folders rather than the old album model and that some previous features differ or are unavailable. The historical reference to an enhanced slideshow does not guarantee that every current Photos build exposes the same slideshow-creation command.
First identify which slideshow you want
“Slideshow” can mean three different outcomes. Choose the one that matches your goal before changing apps or settings.
| Goal | Where to configure it | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Create a playable slideshow project from selected pictures | Photos Legacy | An in-app slideshow project |
| Cycle pictures on the desktop | Settings > Personalization > Background | Windows changes your wallpaper automatically |
| Cycle pictures on the sign-in or lock screen | Settings > Personalization > Lock screen | Windows changes the lock-screen image automatically |
The desktop and lock-screen options do not restore a missing command inside Photos. They are Windows personalization features and work independently of the photo viewer.
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Use Photos Legacy when you need the slideshow to be created inside the Photos product rather than merely rotating wallpaper.
- Check whether it is already installed. Open Start and search for Photos Legacy. Do not assume the ordinary Photos icon is the legacy version; Windows can display both applications.
- Open Photos Legacy. Browse to the folder containing the pictures you want to use. The images must be visible to the app, whether they are stored locally or exposed through a connected cloud location.
- Select the pictures. Choose the images for the presentation using the selection controls in Photos Legacy. If the pictures are spread across folders, place copies or shortcuts in a single folder first so the set is easy to select and reorder.
- Use the slideshow creator. In Photos Legacy, choose the command labeled for creating or starting a slideshow. Microsoft documents the creator as a Legacy feature; the exact toolbar placement can vary with the installed build.
- Review the result before sharing. Check that every intended image appears and that the order is correct. If an image is missing, return to the source folder and confirm that Windows can open it and that it is not still online-only.
Photos Legacy is the supported route when the requirement is an in-app slideshow. The current Photos app may still display pictures and offer editing or sharing tools, but its command set is not identical to Legacy.
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How to get Photos Legacy
Microsoft says users can download Photos Legacy when they prefer the previous experience. If a Start-menu search does not find it, use Microsoft’s current Photos support page and its Photos Legacy download option rather than downloading an unofficial copy.
After installation, search for Photos Legacy again and open that separate application. If Windows presents only the current Photos app, verify that the installation completed and that you are launching the Legacy entry, not a shortcut that points to the newer app.
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Make a rotating desktop background instead
If you only want Windows to change your wallpaper automatically, you do not need Photos Legacy.
- Open Settings.
- Select Personalization, then Background.
- For the background type, choose Slideshow.
- Choose the folder that contains the images.
- Set the available change interval and choose whether Windows should shuffle the pictures.
Windows cycles images from the selected folder. This produces a changing desktop background, not a slideshow file that you can edit or export from Photos.
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Microsoft notes an important limitation: slideshow as a background is unsupported when you use multiple desktops. If you switch between virtual desktops and the wallpaper does not behave as expected, that limitation is more likely than a missing Photos command.
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Make a rotating lock screen
For changing images before sign-in or while the computer is locked, configure the lock screen separately.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Personalization, then Lock screen.
- Set the lock-screen background option to Slideshow.
- Add the folders that contain the images you want Windows to use.
- Review the slideshow settings offered on that page and save the configuration.
Lock-screen slideshow settings do not control the desktop and do not add a slideshow creator to either Photos app. Treat the two personalization pages as separate configurations.
Why pictures may not appear even in the right app
Finding the correct application does not guarantee that every picture will be visible. The gallery can draw from local folders, OneDrive locations or iCloud integration, and each source can have different availability or synchronization behavior.
- Local folders: Confirm that the folder still exists and that the files open in File Explorer. A moved folder will no longer supply the old pictures.
- OneDrive: A file that is online-only may need to be downloaded before an app can use it reliably in a presentation.
- iCloud: The newer Photos app can integrate with iCloud, but the presence of an iCloud library does not change which app owns the slideshow-creator feature.
- Permissions and removable media: If a folder is on an external drive or network location, reconnect it and verify that the account running Photos can read it.
These storage and account factors can affect what appears in the gallery. Microsoft’s cited documentation does not identify them as one universal explanation for a missing Slideshow command.
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Troubleshoot a missing slideshow option without guessing
Confirm the application name
Open the app’s title or About information and determine whether it says Photos or Photos Legacy. Instructions for one should not be applied to the other. If the app is simply called Photos, the Legacy slideshow-creator documentation may not apply to that installation.
Check the Windows build and app version
Windows labels and available controls change between editions and builds. Record your Windows version and the Photos app version before attempting repairs. Microsoft does not publish one universal bug, account restriction or Windows build that explains every missing slideshow command.
Look for Photos Legacy before repairing the current app
If your objective is an in-app slideshow, installing or opening Photos Legacy is more direct than trying to force the current app to expose an older command. Repairing the current app cannot turn it into Photos Legacy.
Use repair or reset only when your build supports it
After verifying the specific Windows build, you can check whether Windows provides app-management controls under Settings > Apps > Installed apps, then the Photos entry and its Advanced options. If Repair is available, it attempts to fix the installation while retaining app data; Reset is a more disruptive option that can remove app data. These controls address a malfunctioning installation, not a documented difference in feature sets, so use them only when the current app itself is failing.
Re-test with a simple local folder
To separate a feature problem from a storage problem, place a few ordinary image files in one local folder and open that folder in Photos. If the files display but the slideshow command is still absent, the app/version distinction remains the leading explanation. If they do not display, investigate folder access or synchronization first.
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Which option fits each situation?
| What you need | Use | What it will not do |
|---|---|---|
| A slideshow made from chosen photos inside Microsoft’s photo software | Photos Legacy | It does not change Windows wallpaper settings automatically. |
| Pictures that rotate while you work | Desktop slideshow in Personalization > Background | It does not create an editable slideshow project. |
| Pictures that rotate on the lock screen | Lock-screen slideshow in Personalization > Lock screen | It does not affect the desktop or Photos commands. |
| A missing command in the current Photos app | Verify the app/version, then choose Legacy if the creator is required | There is no documented universal fix that restores the command in every build. |
What changed between the current app and Photos Legacy?
The two applications are not merely different views of the same program. Microsoft’s newer Photos experience changed how pictures are grouped, adding folder-oriented organization and integrations such as iCloud. Photos Legacy retains older workflows, including the slideshow creator and album maker. Consequently, a tutorial written for the older interface can be accurate for Legacy while being wrong for the current app.
This also explains why updating Windows may not produce the expected command. An update can leave you on the current Photos experience, whose documented feature set differs from Legacy. Treat the application identity as the first diagnostic fact, not the date of the tutorial you followed.
Frequently asked questions
Is the missing Slideshow button proof that Photos is corrupted?
No. A feature difference between the current Photos app and Photos Legacy is a documented explanation. Corruption is only one possibility, and Microsoft’s cited pages do not establish a single bug responsible for all missing commands.
Can desktop slideshow settings create a video or presentation?
No. The Background slideshow simply rotates images from a selected folder as wallpaper. It does not produce a slideshow project that you can edit or export from Photos.
Will enabling a lock-screen slideshow also change my desktop?
No. Lock-screen and desktop slideshow settings live on separate Personalization pages and control different surfaces.
Do OneDrive or iCloud automatically add the slideshow creator?
No. They can affect which pictures are visible, but the slideshow-creator feature is tied to the Photos Legacy application rather than to a particular storage account.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did slideshow go in Microsoft Photos?
The slideshow creator is documented for Photos Legacy. The current Photos app has a different feature set, so open or download Photos Legacy when you need an in-app slideshow.
How do I make a slideshow in Windows 11 Photos?
Use Photos Legacy for an in-app slideshow. For rotating wallpaper, use Settings > Personalization > Background; for rotating lock-screen images, use Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
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