October Vibes For Your Desktop (2022 Wallpapers Edition)

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Cosima has been an editor at SmashingMag since 2013. Whenever she’s not writing articles for the weekly Smashing Newsletter, she’s probably working on a … More about Cosima ↬

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How about a little inspiration boost? Well, we might have something for you: desktop wallpapers created with love by artists and designers from across the globe. They are available in versions with and without a calendar for October and can be downloaded for free. Enjoy!

When we look closely, inspiration can lie everywhere. In the leaves shining in the most beautiful colors in many parts of the world at this time of year, in a cup of coffee and a conversation with a friend, or when taking a walk on a windy October day. Whatever your secret to finding new inspiration might be, our monthly wallpapers series is bound to give you a little inspiration boost, too.

For this October edition, artists and designers from across the globe once again challenged their creative skills and designed wallpapers to spark your imagination and make the month a bit more colorful than it already is. Like every month since we embarked on this wallpapers adventure more than eleven years ago.

The wallpapers in this collection all come in versions with and without a calendar for October 2022 — so no matter if you want to keep an eye on your deadlines or plan to use your favorite design even after the month has ended, we’ve got you covered. Speaking of favorites: As a little bonus goodie, you’ll also find some oldies but goodies from past October editions at the end of this post. A big thank-you to everyone who shared their designs with us — this post wouldn’t exist without you!

  • You can click on every image to see a larger preview,
  • We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
  • Submit a wallpaper!
    Did you know that you could get featured in our next wallpapers post, too? We are always looking for creative talent.

Dreamy Autumn Girl

“Our designers were inspired by the coziness of autumn and the mood that it evokes — the only desire that appears is to put on a warm cozy sweater, take a cup of warm tea, and just enjoy the view outside the window. If you want more free calendars on other thematic, check out our listicle.” — Designed by MasterBundles from Ukraine.

Dreamy Autumn Girl

Spooky Season

“Trick or treating, Tim Burton movies, Edgar Allan Poe poems — once these terms rise up to the top of Google searches, we know that the spooky season is here. We witch you a happy Halloween!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Spooky Season

Boo!

Designed by Mad Fish Digital from Portland, OR.

Boo!

Fall Colors

“Fall is about orange, brown, and earthly colors. People still enjoy waling through the parks, even if it’s a little bit colder, just to take in the fall palette of colors.” — Designed by Andrew from the United States.

Fall Colors

King Of The Pirates

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

King Of The Pirates

Tarzan In The Jungle

“We start this October with Tarzan in his jungle. Luckily Chita helps us!” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela from Spain.

Tarzan In The Jungle

Happy Halloween

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Happy Halloween

Design Your Thinking

“Thinking helps us challenge our own assumptions, discover new things about ourselves and our perspective, stay mentally sharp, and even be more optimistic. Using divergent thinking strategies can help you examine a problem from every angle and identify the true root of the issue. Deep thinking allows you to try on perspectives that you may not have considered before.” — Designed by Hitesh Puri from Delhi, India.

Design Your Thinking

Welcome Maa Durga!

“Welcome the power — Shakti. Welcome the love. Welcome her blessings. Welcome Maa Durga!” — Designed by Rahul Bhattacharya from India.

Welcome Maa Durga!

Old Tree

“No surprise, with October, Halloween time is back. In the north, days are becoming shorter. The night atmosphere takes place and a slightly scary feeling surrounds everything. It’s not only a matter of death. I had taken a picture of this old tree. Who knows if there is really noone in there?” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

Old Tree

Oldies But Goodies

Hidden in our wallpapers archives, we rediscovered some almost-forgotten treasures from past October editions. May we present… (Please note that these designs don’t come with a calendar.)

Autumn Vibes

“Autumn has come, the time of long walks in the rain, weekends spent with loved ones, with hot drinks, and a lot of tenderness. Enjoy.” — Designed by LibraFire from Serbia.

Autumn Vibes

The Night Drive

Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Georgia.

The Night Drive

The Return Of The Living Dead

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

The Return Of The Living Dead

Goddess Makosh

“At the end of the kolodar, as everything begins to ripen, the village sets out to harvesting. Together with the farmers goes Makosh, the Goddess of fields and crops, ensuring a prosperous harvest. What she gave her life and health all year round is now mature and rich, thus, as a sign of gratitude, the girls bring her bread and wine. The beautiful game of the goddess makes the hard harvest easier, while the song of the farmer permeates the field.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

Goddess Makosh Light Mode

Bird Migration Portal

“October is a significant month for me because it is when my favorite type of bird travels south. For that reason I have chosen to write about the swallow. When I was young, I had a bird’s nest not so far from my room window. I watched the birds almost every day; because those swallows always left their nests in October. As a child, I dreamt that they all flew together to a nicer place, where they were not so cold.” — Designed by Eline Claeys from Belgium.

Bird Migration Portal

Game Night And Hot Chocolate

“To me, October is all about cozy evenings with hot chocolate, freshly baked cookies, and a game night with friends or family.” — Designed by Lieselot Geirnaert from Belgium.

Game Night And Hot Chocolate

Magical October

“‘I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.’ (L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables)” — Designed by Lívi Lénárt from Hungary.

Magical October

Hello Autumn

“Did you know that squirrels don’t just eat nuts? They really like to eat fruit, too. Since apples are the seasonal fruit of October, I decided to combine both things into a beautiful image.” — Designed by Erin Troch from Belgium.

Hello Autumn

First Scarf And The Beach

“When I was little, my parents always took me and my sister for a walk at the beach in Nieuwpoort, we didn’t really do those beach walks in the summer but always when the sky started to turn grey and the days became colder. My sister and I always took out our warmest scarfs and played in the sand while my parents walked behind us. I really loved those Saturday or Sunday mornings where we were all together. I think October (when it’s not raining) is the perfect month to go to the beach for ‘uitwaaien’ (to blow out), to walk in the wind and take a break and clear your head, relieve the stress or forget one’s problems.” — Designed by Gwen Bogaert from Belgium.

First Scarf And The Beach

Haunted House

“Love all the Halloween costumes and decorations!” — Designed by Tazi from Australia.

Haunted House

Autumn Gate

“The days are colder, but the colors are warmer, and with every step we go further, new earthly architecture reveals itself, making the best of winters’ dawn.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

Autumn Gate

Ghostbusters

Designed by Ricardo Gimenes from Sweden.

Ghostbusters

Spooky Town

Designed by Xenia Latii from Germany.

Spooky Town

Strange October Journey

“October makes the leaves fall to cover the land with lovely auburn colors and brings out all types of weird with them.” — Designed by Mi Ni Studio from Serbia.

Strange October Journey

Autumn Deer

Designed by Amy Hamilton from Canada.

Desktop Wallpaper - October 2012

Dope Code

“October is the month when the weather in Poland starts to get colder, and it gets very rainy, too. You can’t always spend your free time outside, so it’s the perfect opportunity to get some hot coffee and work on your next cool web project!” — Designed by Robert Brodziak from Poland.

Dope Code

Tea And Cookies

“As it gets colder outside, all I want to do is stay inside with a big pot of tea, eat cookies and read or watch a movie, wrapped in a blanket. Is it just me?” — Designed by Miruna Sfia from Romania.

Tea And Cookies

Discovering The Universe!

“Autumn is the best moment for discovering the universe. I am looking for a new galaxy or maybe… a UFO!” — Designed by Verónica Valenzuela from Spain.

Discovering The Universe!

Transitions

“To me, October is a transitional month. We gradually slide from summer to autumn. That’s why I chose to use a lot of gradients. I also wanted to work with simple shapes, because I think of October as the ‘back to nature/back to basics month’.” — Designed by Jelle Denturck from Belgium.

Transitions

A Very Pug-o-ween

“The best part of October is undoubtedly Halloween. And the best part of Halloween is dog owners who never pass up an o-paw-tunity to dress up their pups as something a-dog-able. Why design pugs specifically in costumes? Because no matter how you look at it, pugs are cute in whatever costume you put them in for trick or treating. There’s something about their wrinkly snorting snoots that makes us giggle, and we hope our backgrounds make you smile all month. Happy Pug-o-ween from the punsters at Trillion!” — Designed by Trillion from Summit, NJ.

A Very Pug-o-ween

Whoops

“A vector illustration of a dragon tipping over a wheelbarrow of pumpkins in a field with an illustrative fox character.” Designed by Cerberus Creative from the United States.

Desktop Wallpaper - October 2012

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