Are you sick of your static desktop background? Set a live wallpaper or animated desktop background to spice things up. Unfortunately, there is no native way to do this in Windows 11, but you can use a handy third-party app.
Lively Wallpaper is available for download from the Microsoft Store.
- In Windows 11, you can set a live desktop background, but you’ll need to use a third-party application to do so.
- Lively Wallpaper, a free and open-source app, is our recommendation. Lively Wallpaper is available for download from the Microsoft Store. To get this app, go to the taskbar’s Windows Search icon, type “Microsoft Store” into the Search box, and then choose Microsoft Store from the search results.
- In the Microsoft Store, search for “Lively Wallpaper” and then select the Lively Wallpaper app from the results.
- Following that, you’ll see some application-specific information. To the right of this information, click “Get.”
- When you choose Lively Wallpaper, it will begin downloading. After you’ve installed it, you can use Windows Search to find it.
- To launch the app, select Lively Wallpaper from the search results.
Select a Live Wallpaper From Lively Wallpaper’s Library
- Lively Wallpaper includes several live wallpapers from which to choose. To use one, simply launch the app and select the desired one from the library. In this case, we’ll use Parallax.js.
- That’s the only thing there is to it. The live wallpaper has now been selected.
- Set a Custom Video, YouTube Video, or GIF as a Wallpaper
- If you don’t find a wallpaper you like in Lively Wallpaper’s library, you can create your own by using a video or GIF from your computer, or even a YouTube video.
- To begin, launch the app and then select the Plus (+) icon in the left-hand pane.
- If you want to select a video or GIF from your PC, click “Browse” under Select File on the next screen.
- The File Explorer window will appear. Locate and select the video or GIF you want to use, then click “Open.”
- Alternatively, if you want to use a YouTube video, enter the URL in the “Enter URL” text box and then click the right arrow button.
- Whether you select a local video, GIF, or YouTube video, it will be added to the app’s library. In the left-hand pane, click the Library button (three books), and then select the newly uploaded video or GIF.
- When you select it, it will become your desktop background.
- Set a Live Wallpaper on Multiple Monitors
- If you have multiple monitors, you may notice that the wallpaper you chose is only displayed on one of them. Open the app and click the Control Panel (monitor) icon in the top-right corner of the window to set the live wallpaper on other monitors.
- The Control Panel for the app will appear. The default placement method is “Selected Screen Only,” which means that the wallpaper you choose will only appear on the screen you choose. To set a wallpaper on the other screen, go to the Choose Display group and select it.
- Return to the app’s library and select the wallpaper you want to use on the other screen.
Close Lively Wallpaper
- If you decide you no longer want to use the Lively Wallpaper live wallpaper, open the app and then click the Control Panel (monitor) icon in the top-right corner of the window.
- Click “Close Wallpapers” in the bottom-right corner of the window in the app’s Control Panel.
- The wallpaper will be removed.
You don’t want to use a third-party app? While there is no native way to use live wallpapers with Windows 11, Microsoft did an excellent job of providing a plethora of beautiful wallpapers for its operating system—and changing the desktop background is simple.