Moving screensaver for Mac, and where it stops
Open System Settings, click Screen Saver, and pick one of Apple's Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, or Earth categories. Those play slow aerial video. Turn on "Show as wallpaper" and the same clip stays on your desktop after the screen saver ends. You are limited to Apple's collection; your own video files are not an option here.
What macOS gives you, and what it does not
Screen saver and wallpaper get used as if they mean the same thing, and on modern macOS the line really has blurred. Apple's aerial screen savers are full video, and since Sonoma the system can keep that video on the desktop once the screen saver stops. If you searched for a moving screensaver, that feature is probably what you had in mind.
Where it runs out is the library. You get Apple's curated aerials and nothing else. There is no Add Video button, no folder to drop an MP4 into. If the clip you want is one you shot, downloaded, or rendered yourself, the built-in path cannot take you there.
- Built-in moving screen savers
- Apple's Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth aerials
- Desktop carryover
- "Show as wallpaper" keeps the aerial on the desktop, macOS Sonoma and later
- Your own footage
- Not supported by the built-in screen saver
- System requirement
- macOS 14.0+ for Walyro
- Formats
- MP4, MOV, and M4V; H.264 or HEVC plays best
- Purchase
- One-time purchase, no subscription or ads
Turn on a moving screen saver in System Settings
Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings, then Screen Saver in the sidebar. The categories at the top are the moving ones. Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth are all aerial video, and they play continuously rather than panning across a still.
Click a thumbnail and macOS downloads the clip. These are large files, so the first play can stutter while the download finishes. Once it is cached, it plays from disk.
Carry the motion onto the desktop with Show as wallpaper
Under the preview there is a toggle called Show as wallpaper. With it on, the screen saver does not simply cut out when you touch the trackpad. It slows to a stop and settles into place as your desktop picture, so the transition reads as one continuous shot.
This is the feature most people mean when they ask for a moving screensaver on Mac. It is genuinely nice, and it costs nothing. It is also the last stop on the built-in path.
Where the built-in option stops
The aerials are a fixed collection. macOS gives you no way to point the screen saver at a video file, which means the specific clip you had in mind is off the table unless Apple happened to shoot it.
The other limit is control. A screen saver is a timeout behavior, so it starts when your Mac decides you are idle. There is no pause button, and no way to say that this display should be moving while that one stays still.
- No import, no folder, no way to add a file of your own
- Nothing to pause when the motion gets distracting mid-task
- The same aerial goes everywhere; you cannot vary it per display
When you actually want a video wallpaper instead
If any of those limits are the reason you started searching, the thing you want is a video wallpaper rather than a screen saver. A video wallpaper plays continuously behind your windows, from a file you chose, and it answers to you rather than to an idle timer.
Walyro does that on macOS 14.0 and later. Import an MP4, MOV, or M4V, preview how it sits behind the menu bar and dock, then send it to every display, the main one, or a single screen. Pause from the menu bar the moment you need to concentrate, and pick it back up later.
- Plays your own footage, not a fixed catalog
- Runs behind your windows all the time, not on an idle timeout
- Pauses in one click from the menu bar
- Different clips on different displays, or one across all of them
Apple's moving screen saver vs a video wallpaper
Source footage
- Built-in screen saver
- Apple's aerial collection only
- Walyro video wallpaper
- Any MP4, MOV, or M4V on your Mac
When it plays
- Built-in screen saver
- After an idle timeout
- Walyro video wallpaper
- Continuously behind your windows
On the desktop
- Built-in screen saver
- Only via Show as wallpaper
- Walyro video wallpaper
- That is the whole point
Pause control
- Built-in screen saver
- Move the mouse and it stops
- Walyro video wallpaper
- Menu bar pause and resume, per display
Per-display setup
- Built-in screen saver
- Same aerial everywhere
- Walyro video wallpaper
- All displays, main display, or one screen
Common questions
Does macOS have moving screen savers built in?
Yes. The Landscape, Cityscape, Underwater, and Earth categories in System Settings, Screen Saver are aerial video and play continuously. They download the first time you select them.
Can I use my own video as a Mac screen saver?
Not through System Settings. The built-in screen saver only offers Apple's own collection, with no import option. To put your own video on screen you need a live wallpaper app such as Walyro.
What is the difference between a moving screen saver and a live wallpaper?
A screen saver starts after your Mac has been idle and stops when you touch it. A live wallpaper plays behind your windows the whole time you are working, and you decide when it pauses.
How do I keep the aerial screen saver on my desktop?
Turn on "Show as wallpaper" under the screen saver preview. The clip slows to a stop when you return and stays as your desktop picture. This needs macOS Sonoma or later.
Do moving screen savers drain battery on a MacBook?
Video playback uses more power than a still image, on a screen saver or a wallpaper. Walyro pauses when the Mac is locked or the displays sleep, and you can pause it yourself any time you want the battery back.
Sources & further reading
Bring your own footage to the desktop
Apple's aerials are a good start. When you want a specific clip on a specific screen, Walyro takes it from there.
4.7 out of 5 · 95 ratings on the Mac App Store