One of the most requested features from the Mac community has always been: “Can my live wallpaper also appear on the lock screen?”
With WallpaperMacOS — yes, it can. And it works beautifully.
How Lock Screen Live Wallpapers Work
WallpaperMacOS uses Apple’s official Screen Time and Lock Screen APIs (introduced and improved in macOS 14 Sonoma and later) combined with our custom rendering engine to display your chosen live wallpaper on the lock screen without compromising security or performance.
Technical Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or newer (best experience on macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 16)
- Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) — Intel Macs have limited support
- WallpaperMacOS version 2.3 or newer
Step-by-Step Setup
- Open WallpaperMacOS and select your favorite live wallpaper
- Go to Settings → Lock Screen
- Toggle “Enable on Lock Screen”
- Choose whether you want the same wallpaper as desktop or a different one
- Lock your Mac (Control + Command + Q) and enjoy the motion
Performance on Lock Screen
Thanks to the same AVFoundation + Metal optimizations used on the desktop, lock screen live wallpapers consume almost zero extra resources. The animation is paused when the display is off and resumes instantly when you wake the Mac.
Pro Tip
Use different wallpapers for desktop and lock screen to create a beautiful “welcome home” effect when you lock your Mac.
Why This Feature Matters
It turns your Mac from a simple device into a cohesive visual experience. Every time you lock or wake your Mac, you’re greeted by the same beautiful motion that lives on your desktop.
Get WallpaperMacOS and Enable Lock Screen Wallpapers →
Written by Alex Rivera – Apple Certified Specialist & Mac Customization Expert with over 12 years of experience tuning high-end Mac setups.