BgInfo - Sysinternals | Microsoft Learn
Here’s a concise summary of the BgInfo v4.33 article by Mark Russinovich (Feb 13, 2025):
What BgInfo is
A lightweight Sysinternals tool that writes system information (computer name, IP, OS version, service pack, NIC/IP/MAC per adapter, and more) onto the Windows desktop background and then exits. Because it only writes a bitmap and exits, it doesn’t consume resources while running.
Where to get it
Download from the provided Sysinternals link (BGInfo.zip) or run it directly from Sysinternals Live (Bginfo.exe).
Key features & behavior
Customizable fields, fonts, colors and layout; supports inserting custom fields.
Can be placed in Startup to refresh the displayed information at each boot or scheduled to run periodically.
Supports saving and loading configuration files (.bgi) and importing a configuration via /I or /iq command-line switches.
Can display the information on the user desktop, logon desktop (console and Terminal Services), and can handle multiple monitors and taskbar position compensation.
Preview function shows how the wallpaper will appear.
Appearance and configuration options
Fields: select and order displayed items; networking fields generate separate entries per NIC.
Background: choose color/wallpaper or “Copy existing settings” to preserve user personalization.
Position: choose placement on the screen and limit wrapping of long lines.
Desktops: choose which desktops are updated (User, Logon, Terminal Services); option to avoid changing wallpaper while still collecting history.
Edit | Insert Image: allows embedding bitmaps (registry-size limits apply on older systems).
Output bitmap options
256-color, high color/true color (16- or 24-bit), or match display color depth.
Specify output bitmap location (important for Terminal Services / per-user output).
Database, logging, and export
Can write output to a .XLS/.MDB/.TXT or SQL database (requires compatible MDAC/JET versions); useful for keeping system history.
/log writes errors to a specified log file.
/rtf writes formatted output to an RTF file.
Optionally update database without changing wallpaper by unselecting desktops.
Command-line options (selected)
— use a specified .bgi configuration file.
/timer: — countdown before apply; /timer:0 updates immediately without dialog.
/popup — show info in a popup window (does not update wallpaper or database).
/silent — suppress errors.
/taskbar — place an icon in the taskbar to show info popup.
/all — change wallpaper for all logged-on users (useful for Terminal Services).
/log — log errors to file.
/rtf — output text to RTF with formatting.
Usage tips
Put BgInfo in the Startup folder or schedule it to keep displayed info current.
Use /timer:0 for silent updates once you have your desired configuration.
Save configuration to reuse across machines.
System requirements
Clients: Windows 10 and higher.
Servers: Windows Server 2016 and higher.
Additional resources
Link to a Power Tools article for a primer and to the Sysinternals BgInfo Forum for support.
Training module recommended for advanced configuration methods.
Last updated: 02/13/2025.