How to set live desktop wallpapers on Windows 11

• To set live wallpapers on Windows 11, install “Lively Wallpaper,” open the app, click on “Library,” right-click the live wallpaper, and choose “Set as Wallpaper.”

UPDATED 11/19/24: On Windows 11, you can set live wallpapers with animations on the desktop, but not officially. The “Lively Wallpaper” app, available through the Microsoft Store, allows you to use a live background on Windows 11, similar to those animated wallpapers on Android.

What’s Lively Wallpaper?

Lively Wallpaper is an open-source application that allows you to set videos, webpages, and GIF images as desktop wallpapers and screensavers. The application offers a library with many live wallpapers you can choose from to set as background on Windows 11, but you can always add custom ones.

In addition, the app offers a feature that uses AI to convert a static image into a dynamic wallpaper that adds depth effects as you move the mouse around the desktop.

In this guide, I’ll teach you how to set wallpapers with animations on your Windows 11 desktop.

Set live desktop wallpaper on Windows 11

If you want to set live wallpapers on Windows 11, you must install the app and select the animation.

Install Lively Wallpaper app on Windows 11

To install the Lively Wallpaper app, use these steps:

1. Open the Lively Wallpaper app on the Microsoft Store.

2. Click the Get in Store app button.

   

3. Click the Install button.

Once you complete the steps, you can use the app to set living wallpapers on your desktop.

Alternatively, you can install the app from Command Prompt (admin) using the winget install --id 9NTM2QC6QWS7 command with the Windows Package Manager.

Choose and set live wallpaper

To set a live wallpaper as a background on the Windows 11 desktop, use these steps:

1. Open Lively Wallpaper app.

2. Click on Library.

3. Choose one of the animated wallpapers.

4. Click the menu (three-dotted) button and select the “Set as Wallpaper” option.

   

5. (Optional) Click the Customize option from the context menu to adjust the settings depending on the wallpaper features, such as color, quality, animation speed, and more.

   

After you complete the steps, the live wallpaper will apply to the desktop. Also, depending on the animation, you may get some interactions. For example, if you set the “Fluids” option, the desktop will react to the system volume and cursor. And the “Periodic Table” option highlights each element, and you move the cursor over the table.

Create custom live wallpaper

The Lively Wallpaper app also allows you to create custom moving backgrounds using video and GIF files locally stored on your computer. Or you can use videos from YouTube or other sources and even websites.

To create a custom live wallpaper, use these steps:

1. Open the Lively Wallpaper app.

2. Click on Library.

3. Click the Add wallpaper button from the top-right.

   

4. Select the option to add a new wallpaper: 

   • The “Choose a file” option allows you to load animation files (such as GIF or video) locally stored on your computer. 
   • The “Enter URL” option allows you to provide the link with the video (for example, a YouTube video or website).

   

5. Continue with the on-screen directions (if applicable).

6. (Optional) Click the menu (three-dotted) button and select the “Set as Wallpaper” option.

7. Click the Customize option from the context menu to adjust the available settings.

Once you complete the steps, the live wallpaper will apply to the desktop.

You can always delete any of the wallpaper by clicking the menu (three-dotted) button in the item and selecting the “Delete” option and the “OK” button.

Create custom depth wallpaper

In addition, the app also offers an option to create moving wallpapers using AI to convert an image into a dynamic image that uses depth effects. This feature is similar to the “Depth Effects” feature that Microsoft is working to bring to Windows 11.

To create a custom live wallpaper, use these steps:

1. Open the Lively Wallpaper app.

2. Click on Library.

3. Click the Add wallpaper button from the top-right.

   

4. Click the Advanced setting.

   

5. Click the Download button to get the required package. (You only have to do this once.)

   

6. Click the Depth Wallpaper.

   

7. Choose the image to process and add the depth effects with AI.

   Quick tip: It’s best to select an image so the app can easily detect its elements.

8. Click the Open button.

9. Click the Continue button.

After you complete the steps, the wallpaper will apply, and you can move the mouse around the desktop to experience the depth effect.

Configure live wallpaper on multiple monitors

Lively Wallpapers includes support to set the same different backgrounds on all your monitors.

To apply a wallpaper on multiple monitors, use these steps:

1. Open the Lively Wallpaper app.

2. Click on Library.

3. Click the Active Wallpapers button from the top-right.

   

4. Choose the placement method, including:

   • Selected screen only: The background image will apply to the currently selected monitor.
   • Span across screens: The same background span across monitors.
   • Duplicate same wallpaper: The same image will apply to all displays.

   

5. Check the “Always pick screen when choosing wallpaper” option so that when you click the image, you will get the option to choose the display. (This feature only works when the “Selected screen only” option is selected.)

6. Click the OK button.

7. Click the menu (three-dotted) button and select the “Set as Wallpaper” option.

Once you complete the steps, the wallpaper will apply to the different screens, depending on your configuration.

Configure Lively Wallpaper as screensaver on Windows 11

To set a live wallpaper as a screensaver on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open the Lively Wallpaper app.

2. Click on Library.

3. Click the Active Wallpapers button from the top-right.

   

4. Click the Screensaver tab.

5. Click the “One time setup required to run screensaver” option.

   

   Quick note: This action will open the web browser on the Lively GitHub page. On that page, continue with the “Windows Screensaver file” steps under the “Setup instructions” section. This requires downloading and extracting a “.zip” file into the C:\Windows\ folder, right-clicking the “.scr” file, and choosing the “Install” option.

6. Choose the Lively option from the “Screen saver” settings.

   

7. Click the OK button.

8. Click the Wallpaper tab.

9. Click the Screensaver tab to refresh the screen and have access to the feature.

10. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, the running wallpaper will become the screensaver on Windows 11.

Other details about Lively Wallpaper

The app also has a “Gallery” section but doesn’t offer anything at this time. On the “Settings” page (click the gear button at the top right), you can control the startup behavior and rules to minimize performance impact. From the “System” tab, you can even control the Taskbar theme to make it blurry, fully transparent, and more.

The “General” tab includes settings to control the app at startup and theme colors. You will also find the path where the app saves the wallpaper files, and you can choose to prevent animation previews within the app.

In the “Performance” tab, since these wallpapers are animated images, they will require extra system resources. On this page, you can control the wallpaper playback and how the app should behave on laptops or when using specific features. For example, Lively will pause automatically when using an app or game on full screen or accessing the device through a Remote Desktop session. Finally, you can also set a rule to stop the animation when running on battery.

In the “Wallpaper” tab, you can choose the default settings when applying new wallpaper, such as fit and input for interaction, and you can choose the plugins to play video, display the web page, or GIF image on the screen.

The “System” tab includes log and debug files. You can learn more about this project on GitHub.

Update November 19, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.