The spotlight images that pop up in the Windows lock screen are generally gorgeous tributes to the untouched majesty of nature. And even if you don’t realise it, there are a few you’d probably recognise anywhere, like the cave that offers a window to a tranquil beach. But thanks to one Microsoft software engineer, you’ll never been able to look at it it the same way again.
Windows lock screen, forever unclean
Jen Gentleman is a software engineer and senior community manager at Microsoft. Gentleman took to Twitter on Tuesday to destroy our collective perspective of one of the most recognisable Windows lock screens.
“I will never be able to unsee this,” Gentleman lamented before posting side-by-side pictures of the lock screen and Felonius Gru from Despicable Me.
I will never be able to unsee this pic.twitter.com/AxZmv2jRhU
— Jen Gentleman ???? (@JenMsft) October 26, 2020
Truly, a cursed image. Just when we thought Minions were already bad enough. Here’s a larger version:
As it turns out, this has been spotted before. And of course, it was in the gruesome bowels of Reddit a few years back.
But perhaps what’s worse is the reaction Leigh Stark from Pickr had the group chat where this nightmare fuel was revealed.
“Windows ME (Minion Edition)”
No. No no no.
Also, big thanks to Alex Kidman (one of our freelance writers and former Gizmodo editor) for bringing this to my attention and subsequently ruining my PC-using life.
How to change this
If you’d prefer not to stare into the soul of Satan himself every time your PC locks, simply change your settings.
Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen to change the default ‘windows spotlight’ option to a customised background or slideshow.
In the meantime, I’ll just be sitting here staring at that picture in a fashion similar to the end of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven.
This story has been updated to include the information from Reddit.