Windows Insider wallpapers carried metadata pointing to Photoshop on Mac
Microsoft replaced the downloadable files after a developer highlighted their metadata, TechSpot reported. The tags do not establish where the designs originated.
Wallpapers Microsoft distributed to Windows Insider participants contained metadata identifying Photoshop for Mac as the application that last saved an image, according to findings shared by Windows developer Rafael Rivera. TechSpot reported that replacement files subsequently appeared on Microsoft’s design website.
Microsoft emailed the collection in mid-October to mark the Windows Insider Program’s 12th anniversary. It comprises ten wallpapers featuring ribbon designs across five colors, with both light and dark variants.
Rivera published a screenshot of the image properties on X and later said Microsoft’s internal design team had produced the collection. The metadata identifies the software used for the last save, but does not establish which platform was used to create the original artwork.
French publication MacGeneration retrieved the earlier files through the Internet Archive. Viewing those copies in Apple’s Preview application still showed the Photoshop for Mac attribution. Microsoft had not commented, TechSpot reported.
Rivera’s post appeared one day before shipments began for Microsoft’s US$2,600 Surface Laptop Ultra, which the company markets to creators as an alternative to the MacBook Pro. Microsoft’s US and Canadian online stores were offering MacBook Pro owners up to US$1,000 beyond their trade-in valuation to switch.
