Wallpaper: macOS 26.3 rotates background image undesirably
Users who use certain types of wallpapers on their desktop are wondering: macOS Tahoe rotates it. So far, there are only makeshift solutions.
Incorrect wallpaper display in macOS 26.3: Something is wrong here.
(Image: Ken Crozier / Apple Support Forum)
Users of macOS 26.3 who have just updated to the new operating system are wondering: If they have installed a certain type of wallpaper on their desktop, it may rotate by 90 degrees. This is reported by users in the Apple Support Forum and to heise online. It is currently unclear exactly how the error occurs and whether it already occurs in earlier versions of Tahoe.
Upgrade rotates image
One affected user reports that he has just switched to macOS 26.3 with his MacBook Air. Immediately after restarting, the image was rotated. He is also unable to place other recordings in the same format in the correct orientation. It is still unclear whether the error occurs from Tahoe version to Tahoe version – i.e., here from macOS 26.2 to 26.3 – or only when updating directly from macOS 15 (Sonoma) to macOS 26.3.
Videos by heise
The problematic images are portrait works that come from an iPhone – in this case in the format 3024 by 4032 pixels. Usually, these are set as wallpaper by macOS centering them, with white areas on the right and left. In the Photos app, the image had the correct format. So it doesn't help to rotate the recording there. “The screenshot of the photo in the Photos app is obviously in portrait mode, so it would be crazy to suggest that I need to rotate it for it to be displayed correctly on the desktop,” says the affected person.
Manual help
Attempts with 9:16 recordings, which were created directly as wallpaper in Tahoe, did not show the behavior at least in macOS 26.4 Beta 2. Whether Apple has fixed the bug in the new operating system version, which could be released in March, cannot be said conclusively. Meanwhile, a ticket has been set up at Apple; it remains to be seen whether the company will add anything to it.
Currently, you have to help yourself manually. With an image editing tool like Pixelmator or Acorn, you can create a 16:9 image (or one with a size corresponding to the screen resolution), copy the portrait recording into it, and place it in the center. This way, the recording has the correct format and should not be rotated.
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