Live wallpapers can break the monotony of a black or traditional desktop, adding vibrancy and interest to your computer screen. In the past, this feature was available on some versions of Windows, but today you need to use a Microsoft or third-party app to be able to animate your wallpaper on Windows or Mac systems. This guide explains how to add an animated wallpaper to your computer.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Using Desktop Live Wallpapers on Windows 10
Step 1. Click on the Start menu
Windows.
This button has the Windows logo as its icon and, by default, is located in the lower right corner of the taskbar. Press it and the Windows Start menu will open.
Step 2. Click on the Microsoft Store button
Its icon features a white shopping bag with the Windows logo on it. It is located under "File Explorer" in the Start menu. Press it and from there you can download an app to animate your desktop.
- If you are not logged in, click on Log in, using the email and password associated with your Microsoft account as credentials.
- If you don't see the Microsoft Store button in the Start menu, simply type "Microsoft Store" and you'll see it appear at the top.
Step 3. Click Search
You'll see this button next to an icon that looks like a magnifying glass in the top right corner.
Step 4. Type Desktop Live Wallpapers in the search bar and press Enter
This way, you will search for the Dynamic Wallpaper app in the Microsoft Store.
- There are other live wallpaper applications that you can download for Windows systems, but they are almost all paid. Some of these programs include Deskscapes and Wallpaper Engine.
-
Note:
the free version of "Desktop Live Wallpapers" only supports WMV video format. However, you can use VLC, which is a free program, to convert videos to WMV files.
Step 5. Click GET
This way, you purchase the app from the Microsoft Store.
Step 6. Click Install
This button appears after you click on GET in the Microsoft Store. Press it to install Desktop Live Wallpapers.
Step 7. Download the videos to use as wallpaper
There are many websites from which you can easily download videos that you can use as wallpaper for your computer. You can find them with a Google search. All short videos with beautiful views are ideal live wallpapers. Click on the download button under the video you want to download. Below you will find some sites that offer suitable videos:
- https://www.videvo.net
- https://pixabay.com/videos/
- https://www.deviantart.com/rainwallpaper/
Step 8. Launch Desktop Live Wallpapers
You can do this by clicking on the Desktop Live Wallpapers icon in the Start menu or on Start, in the Microsoft Store.
Step 9. Click on Home
You will see this button in the upper left corner of the "Desktop Live Wallpapers" app.
Step 10. Click on Browse Folder
This purple button is located in the lower right corner of the "Desktop Live Wallpapers" app. Press it to open a window where you can choose and open video files.
Step 11. Locate the folder containing the videos, then click Ok
Use the navigation window to find the folder containing the video you downloaded. Click on it to select it, then click on Ok at the bottom of the window.
- When adding new videos to this folder, click on the circular arrow (↻) in the lower right corner to update the video list.
- To remove the desktop background, uninstall Desktop Live Wallpapers and set the image of your choice as the background.
Method 2 of 2: Using Nerdtool on Mac
Step 1. Visit this address with a browser
You can use the program of your choice. From this page you can download Nerdtool, which allows you to set animated wallpapers for the desktop of a Mac, as well as having many other functions.
Step 2. Click Download Now
You will see this green button on the downloads page.
Step 3. Open the zip file
Double click on the Nerdtool.zip file to open it with Archive. By doing this, you will automatically extract the Nerdtool folder into the one called Downloads.
Step 4. Open the Nerdtool app
You'll find it in the folder you just extracted.
- If you get a warning that you can't open the app because it's from an unidentified manufacturer, you need to change your Security & Privacy settings in System Preferences.
- You can also drag and drop the Nerdtool app to the Applications folder.
Step 5. Click on the + symbol
It is located under the left menu of Nerdtool.
Step 6. Click on Quartz
You will see this item in the menu bar under the plus (+) icon. Select Quartz from the menu.
Step 7. Click on Locate
This button is located under the "Path" field on the right.
If you don't see this button in the upper right corner, click on the Quartz tab in the left menu bar. You can find some free files for Quartz at
Step 8. Select a Quartz file
This type of file has the.qtz extension. You can find some in the screen savers folder, at the following Finder path: / System / Library / Screen Savers.
Alternatively, you can Google Quartz screen savers and download them from the internet
Step 9. Select a Quartz file
To do this, click on the file name with the.qtz extension.
Step 10. Set the refresh rate to 30 frames per second
Use the selector under "Framerate" and drag it to the center, at about 30 frames per second. This is the standard speed of an animation.
Step 11. Check the option
"Size to screen".
You will find it in the "Window" box, in the lower left corner. This way the animation will occupy the entire size of the screen.
