How to Change or Remove Google Background Images

Mashable's article about the new Google backgrounds was the first thing at the top of my news feed today. The search engine pages now featured background pictures, said Stan Schroeder, and a lot of people were up in arms because they couldn't find a way to remove Google background images.

Why on earth would Google add this feature without offering an option to turn it off? I headed over to the search engine to see for myself. The Google background was a fairly monochrome background of stylized flowers. It made me blink a bit, just because I was not used to colour filling up all those pixels. It also wasn't really my cup of tea, as background images go. Yes, I had to admit I would like to delete the image or choose a different background. Luckily, Google had provided for that!

Change or remove the Google background image

Google does have a link that takes users to a page where they can choose a custom background image or remove backgrounds from their search engine page completely. Look on the lower left of the Google search page. The link says, "Change background image." You may need to move your mouse around the corner of your screen a bit, before you will see it.

When you click on the link you will be prompted to sign into your Google user account. You can then opt to remove or customize the background you see when you visit the search page. Google offers a large gallery of images to choose from, including some stunning editor's picks. Users can also use an image in their Picasa library, or upload one from their computer. Google refers to the background images as "iGoogle themes," and this option is also offered to users of Chrome, Gmail and Orkut.

Help using or deleting iGoogle themes

Settings only apply when the user is logged into Google. If that doesn't suit you, there is help. First of all, remember that the Google background images only show up on the search engine home page, and not on the search results page. If you search Google from a toolbar or other widget, you will not see the iGoogle theme.

It is also possible to toggle between iGoogle and Classic Google mode. There is a slim white menu bar (see photos) that runs right across the top of the Google search page. If you aren't seeing it, move your mouse around.

If you choose to use your own images, some tweaking may be necessary. My attempt at using a photo of a willow tree was not bad, but as a Google background it was cropped oddly and it seemed a bit blurry compared to the original image on my computer. The editor's picks, on the other hand, seem to be optimized for display on the Google search page. I tried several and they were all very crisp. I finally settled on one with a lot of black, in which most of the colour is on the bottom of the screen. I can see all the Google text just fine, and it looks great!

Sources:

"Set your background theme." Google Support

Stan Schroeder, "Google's custom homepages go international." Mashable