Winter Wallpaper: 20 Free Snow Backgrounds for Phone and Desktop

Winter wallpapers for iPhone and Android

A winter wallpaper for iPhone or Android should be vertical, 9:16, with a calm area in the top third of the picture. iOS and Android draw the clock and widgets over that area of the lock screen. The 12 phone wallpapers on this page are cropped to 1080 x 1920 pixels or close to it, and they keep the busiest detail, such as a snowflake, a lodge or a red tree, in the middle and lower half.

Snow backgrounds with falling snow and frost

Snow backgrounds work best when the texture is soft and even, so app icons and text stay readable on top. This collection includes falling snowflakes against a blue sky, frost crystals on a window pane, snow-covered cedar branches and a single snowflake on frosted pine needles. These close-up snow backgrounds also suit chat apps such as WhatsApp and iMessage, where a quiet pattern sits behind message bubbles.

Snowy backgrounds for desktop and Zoom

Desktop winter wallpapers are wide and leave room on the left for desktop icons. The 8 desktop pictures show a snowy forest road at sunset, frosted spruce trees at sunrise, the Dolomites reflected in a turquoise lake, an alpine village at an orange sunset, a log cabin under snowy peaks, the northern lights over mountains and a red barn in a snowy field. The wide snowy backgrounds also work as Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams virtual backgrounds.

Winter wallpapers that last past Christmas

A winter wallpaper is not tied to one holiday, so it can stay on your phone from the first snow in December through the end of February. In the United States, winter officially starts on the December solstice, December 21, 2026, and runs until the March equinox on March 20, 2027. If you want something festive for December, switch to a Christmas wallpaper and go back to a plain snow background in January.

Are these winter wallpapers free?

Yes. Every winter wallpaper on this page is free to download and use on your own phone, tablet and computer, with no sign-up and no watermark. The pictures contain no brand logos or text, so nothing covers the snow.

Turn winter into a message from Santa

A snowy lock screen sets the mood; a personal video from Santa makes the season. On aisanta.app you can write a letter to Santa and get a video in which Santa greets your little one by name.