# 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.