How to convert a registry key to an Image

Question

I need to get the current wallpaper and display it in a picturebox. Now from what I understand, One of the ways to get the wallpaper is by doing the following:

RegistryKey UserWallpaper = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey("Control Panel\\Desktop", false);

How would I go about converting this to an Image so that i can display it in a PictureBox?

Presumably the registry value is a path and name of a file that you can then load as you would any other picture file. — 500 - Internal Server Error, Feb 25 '14 at 22:44
@500-InternalServerError Never mind I just tried that, Did not work. — Bodokh, Feb 25 '14 at 22:46

score 1 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 10:31

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The answer can already be found in another post since the value of the registry key is a file path

Loading PictureBox Image from resource file with path (Part 3)

edited May 23 '17 at 10:31

Community

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answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:46

Bill Togkas

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pictureBox1.Image = Image.FromFile(UserWallpaper.ToString() + ".bmp"); did not work... I also tried without the bmp – Bodokh Feb 25 '14 at 22:50

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:53

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// get the registry-key
RegistryKey wp = Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey("Control Panel\\Desktop", false);

// get the wallpaper filename
string sFileName = (string)wp.GetValue("Wallpaper");

// finally load the image into picture box
pictureBox1.Image = Image.FromFile(sFileName);

answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:53

Stokke

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Thanks! I did the same thing with ToString and it didnt work? But this works great! Much obliged! – Bodokh Feb 25 '14 at 22:59
Do you happen to know how I can get 2 different wallpapers If I am using a dual monitor display? – Bodokh Feb 25 '14 at 23:01
As far as I know you can't have two different wallpapers on a dual monitor display. I guess you could fake it though by merging the two different images into one, positioning them side by side in the appropriate resolution and then set the background to "Tile". I think they would then span across both displays, and you would seemingly have two separate pictures on the screens. – Stokke Feb 25 '14 at 23:15

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Feb 25 '14 at 22:59

Is this what you're looking for?

Microsoft.Win32.RegistryKey key = Microsoft.Win32.Registry.CurrentUser.OpenSubKey("Control Panel\\Desktop", false);
string wallpaper = key.GetValue("Wallpaper").ToString();
PictureBox pbox = new PictureBox();
pbox.Image = new Bitmap(wallpaper);
this.Controls.Add(pbox);

How to convert a registry key to an Image

3 Answers3