Here is a nice treat from Microsoft as 2013 wraps up.

This theme, which features the 10 most popular Bing Homepage images from the past year, is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center.

The Most Popular Bing Homepages for 2013 – At Bing, we are obsessed with great imagery. Our team pores over thousands of photos to deliver you that one special homepage image that showcases the world from a new perspective. From underwater mangroves to Himalayan mountain ranges, you were able to traverse the planet on the homepage in 2013. With that in mind, we thought it would be interesting to end the year highlighting the top ten most popular homepages based on your interaction.

Here are the images included in the package:

Aerial view of Gardens by the Bay and the Super Trees, Singapore City, Singapore Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
Charco de los Ciclos on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain Lulworth Cove along Jurassic Coast, England
Mount Shasta, California Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island
Mangrove seen from underwater, Aldabra, Seychelles North Avenue Beach on Lake Michigan, Chicago
New Croton Dam in Croton, New York Fly Geyser near Black Rock Desert , Nevada

This theme is available for the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP with SP3
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 7
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 8.1

Since it is an executable file the theme can not be downloaded and installed on a device running Windows RT 8 or 8.1 however, I have a solution for that.

Here is a zip file with the collection and you can extract them into your own directory and then use them as a theme for your RT devices.

Download Best of Bing Homepage Images for 2013 (Wallpapers – 6.02MB)

Update: Thanks to a suggestion from fellow MVP and future Microsoftie, William Devereux, this theme is now available in the form of a Windows 8 DeskThemepack.

Enjoy.