Go deep in space with the Microsoft 'Nebulas in 4K' wallpaper theme

NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU: Everything you need to know
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU: Everything you need to know

Microsoft has been curating and adding theme packs to the Microsoft Store since April 2017 with the release of the Creators Update. Being able to download wallpaper theme packs is a fun way to spruce up your desktop, and we've seen a steady flow of official Microsoft packs as well as those from third-parties.

In the last few weeks, Nebulas in 4K became available and published by Microsoft. What makes this theme pack interesting is two-fold: It's the first theme pack that evidently supports images in 4K resolution, and it's the first one Microsoft is charging for (a modest 99 cents).

Likely due to licensing Microsoft is charging 99 cents for this theme pack.

Likely due to licensing Microsoft is charging 99 cents for this theme pack.

For those with desktop or laptop PCs with 2K or 4K resolutions (or the odd Surface 3000 x 2000) wallpapers in 4K look amazing. Nebulas in 4K brings ten such high-quality images that can be auto-rotated using the theme function in Windows 10.

Some of the nebulas include Iris, North America, Pelican, Bubble, Soul, Flaming Star, and Lagoon.

As to why Microsoft is charging 99 cents for the pack it is likely to do with licensing. Last I checked, Microsoft is not operating a deep-space telescope, and such images in 4K are rarely free.

How to use themes on the Windows 10 Creators Update

Of course, if you want free themes, you have plenty of those including the no-cost Bing in Space from Microsoft, which while not 4K are still stunning and highly recommended. They also have a Bing watermark on them, which some will frown upon (Nebulas in 4K does not). Microsoft also has the fun Ninja cat theme packs too.

Some samples from 'Nebulas in 4K' theme pack.

Some samples from 'Nebulas in 4K' theme pack.

Finally, the Nebulas in 4K can't be used for the lockscreen, but you can always grab my favorite app City Art Search (CAS) Preview to add some sophisticated flair to your PC.

What's your favorite theme pack in the Microsoft Store? Let us know in comments!

See Nebulas in 4K at the Microsoft Store

CATEGORIES
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and wearable tech. He has reviewed laptops for over 10 years and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, Arm64 processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, performed polysomnographs in NYC, and was a motion-picture operator for 17 years.

Latest in Microsoft
Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates, former CEOs of Microsoft.
Bill Gates says Satya Nadella almost missed the cut for CEO of Microsoft — Even with Steve Ballmer's support
HP Reverb G2 VR headset
Was Windows Mixed Reality as bad as I remember? I look back at the failed VR platform that was ahead of its time.
Microsoft Majorana 1 chip designed for quantum computing
Microsoft dismisses quantum computing skepticism: "There is a century-old scientific process established by the American Physical Society for resolving disputes"
The Microsoft logo on a smartphone and laptop arranged in Crockett, California, US, on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.
"Would you say there is a reasonable balance between what you contribute to Microsoft and what you get in return?" Two-thirds of Microsoft employees say YES — as AI engineers get preferential compensation packages.
Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii screenshot
Microsoft blocks (some) Windows 11 pirates while Lenovo steals the show at Mobile World Congress
Satya Nadella with Sam Altman at a conference
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff's prediction about Microsoft and OpenAI's partnership may have just manifested — and it's not a pretty look for the ChatGPT maker
Latest in News
Screenshot of one of the new flat world presets in Minecraft.
Minecraft testing new flat world presets and a better way to locate your friends in-game
Cover art for Heroes of the Storm.
Xbox Game Pass will give you more benefits in free-to-play games like Heroes of the Storm
Surface Pro 11
Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro appears in certification database ahead of rumored launch this spring
Artificial intelligence mobile apps for DeepSeek, ChatGPT and Google Gemini arranged.
Google says its latest reasoning model is its "most intelligent" — but Microsoft's CEO claims Google already fumbled its AI opportunity
ChatGPT and Microsoft Logo
ChatGPT’s new image-generation tool is impressive; it can finally create a glass of wine filled to the brim — but it struggles with blank white images and appears to discriminate against 'sexy women'
Microsoft Edge Sidebar
My favorite Microsoft Edge feature just got an AI upgrade — is this the best way to use Copilot on Windows 11?