How to Change Your ChatGPT Background & Wallpaper
Updated: July 28, 2026 · 2-minute read
ChatGPT ships with the same flat background for everyone. If you spend hours in it every day, a custom background or wallpaper makes the whole experience feel calmer and more personal. This guide shows you how to change your ChatGPT background to any image, GIF or color theme in about two minutes — no coding, no developer tools.
Step 1 — Install the Chroma AI extension
Chroma AI is a free Chrome extension that themes ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Open the Chrome Web Store page, click Add to Chrome, then pin the icon: click the puzzle-piece icon in the top-right of Chrome and pin Chroma AI so it's always one click away.
Step 2 — Open ChatGPT and launch the sidebar
Go to chatgpt.com as you normally would. Click the pinned Chroma AI icon and the editor sidebar slides in from the right. Everything happens inside your browser — Chroma AI never reads or sends your conversations, it only restyles the page.
Step 3 — Set your background
In the sidebar you have two easy options:
- Upload your own image or GIF. Open the Media Background section and attach, drag & drop, or paste a photo, anime wallpaper, gradient or animated GIF from your computer. It becomes your ChatGPT background instantly.
- Pick a preset color theme. Prefer something clean? Choose one of the 12 free color presets (Midnight, Aurora, Sunset, Ocean, Neon, Forest and more) — background, accent and text colors all change together.
Free accounts include up to five custom image uploads; Pro unlocks unlimited uploads and saved presets.
Step 4 — Keep your text readable
A busy wallpaper can fight with the chat text — so Chroma AI puts an adjustable glass (glassmorphism) layer between them. Fine-tune three sliders until it looks right:
- Blur — softens the background so words stay crisp.
- Opacity — balances style vs. clarity.
- Color overlay — washes the wallpaper in a tint to unify the whole window.
You can also resize and reposition the image — drag, zoom and align it so it fits your screen exactly. If you resize the browser window, the background re-fits automatically.
Bonus: share or discover backgrounds
Once you've built a look you love, you can share it to the Theme Gallery so other people can apply it in one click — or browse backgrounds other users have already made. Animated ones are marked with a MOTION badge.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Can I use my own image as a ChatGPT background?
Yes — upload any photo, artwork or GIF from your computer. High-resolution and animated backgrounds are supported.
Q. Will a background make ChatGPT hard to read?
No. The frosted glass layer with adjustable blur and opacity keeps the chat text crisp over any wallpaper.
Q. Does it work on the ChatGPT desktop app?
Chroma AI works on chatgpt.com in the Chrome browser. It styles the web version, which is what most people use day to day.
Q. Is it safe? Does it read my chats?
It only changes the visual appearance on the client side. It never collects, intercepts or transmits your conversations, and theme settings are stored locally in your browser.
Change your ChatGPT background now
Free Chrome extension — set your first wallpaper in under two minutes.
Add to Chrome — Free