--- title: "How to Change Wallpaper on Mac (macOS Tahoe, Sequoia & Older)" description: "Change your Mac wallpaper in System Settings, from Photos, Finder, or Safari, set one per display, rotate it automatically, and add a live video wallpaper." canonical: "https://macwall.app/blog/how-to-change-wallpaper-on-mac" published: "2026-09-28" updated: "2026-09-28" keywords: - "how to change wallpaper on mac" - "how to change mac wallpaper" - "how to change desktop wallpaper on mac" - "how to set wallpaper on mac" - "how to change wallpaper on macbook air" - "how to set a photo as wallpaper on mac" - "how to change lock screen wallpaper on mac" category: "Guides" readMinutes: "6" --- # How to Change the Wallpaper on a Mac Change your Mac wallpaper in System Settings, from Photos, Finder, or Safari, set one per display, rotate it automatically, and add a live video wallpaper. **To change the wallpaper on a Mac, open System Settings, click Wallpaper in the sidebar, and choose a picture.** It applies immediately. On macOS Monterey and older, the same option lives in System Preferences under Desktop & Screen Saver. You can also right-click any image in Finder and choose **Set Desktop Picture**. ## Change wallpaper in System Settings (macOS Ventura to Tahoe) 1. Click the Apple menu, then **System Settings**. 2. Select **Wallpaper** in the sidebar. 3. Pick one of Apple's wallpapers, a Dynamic Desktop, a color, or scroll to **Your Photos** or **Pictures**. 4. To use your own folder, click **Add Folder or Album**, then choose the folder. 5. Choose how the image fits: Fill Screen, Fit to Screen, Stretch to Fill Screen, Center, or Tile. This works the same on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Studio. If the Wallpaper pane is greyed out, the Mac is managed by an organization profile that locks the desktop picture. ## Change wallpaper on macOS Monterey and older 1. Open the Apple menu, then **System Preferences**. 2. Click **Desktop & Screen Saver**, then the **Desktop** tab. 3. Choose an image from Apple, Photos, or a folder on the left, and pick a fit option. ## Set a photo as wallpaper from Photos, Finder, or Safari - **Photos**: select a photo, click the Share button, and choose **Set Wallpaper**. - **Finder**: right-click (or Control-click) an image file and choose **Set Desktop Picture**. - **Safari**: right-click an image on a web page and choose **Use Image as Desktop Picture**. ## Use a different wallpaper on each display With more than one monitor connected, System Settings shows a wallpaper choice for each display. Select the display at the top of the Wallpaper pane, then pick its image. Each Space (desktop in Mission Control) can also carry its own wallpaper: switch to the Space first, then change the picture. ## Rotate wallpapers automatically Add a folder or album in the Wallpaper pane, then turn on the shuffle or **Change picture** option and choose an interval such as every hour or every day. Dynamic Desktop wallpapers change on their own through the day, following the time or your light and dark appearance setting. ## Change the Lock Screen wallpaper Since macOS Sonoma, the Lock Screen shows the same wallpaper as your main display, so changing the desktop wallpaper changes the Lock Screen too. macOS has no separate Lock Screen picture setting. On macOS 26 (Tahoe) and later, apps like MacWall can put a moving video on the Lock Screen and Screen Saver through Apple's wallpaper APIs. See the [Lock Screen live wallpaper guide](https://macwall.app/blog/lock-screen-live-wallpaper-macos). ## Make your Mac wallpaper move macOS cannot use a video as a desktop wallpaper on its own. A live wallpaper app fills that gap. [MacWall](https://macwall.app/download) plays 4K video loops behind your windows with hardware decoding, pauses on battery and in full-screen apps, and has a catalog of 800+ curated loops, from [anime](https://macwall.app/wallpapers/anime) and [cars](https://macwall.app/wallpapers/cars) to [rain](https://macwall.app/wallpapers/collections/rain) and [space](https://macwall.app/wallpapers/space). Full steps: [how to set a live wallpaper on Mac](https://macwall.app/blog/how-to-set-live-wallpaper-mac). ## Pick the right image size A wallpaper looks sharpest at your display's physical resolution: 2560×1664 on a 13-inch MacBook Air, 3024×1964 on a 14-inch MacBook Pro, 5120×2880 on a 5K display. Every model is listed in [MacBook wallpaper size](https://macwall.app/blog/macbook-wallpaper-size). ## Frequently asked questions ### Why can't I change the wallpaper on my Mac? The most common cause is a configuration profile installed by a school or employer that locks the desktop picture. Check System Settings > Privacy & Security > Profiles. Otherwise, restart the Mac and try again from System Settings > Wallpaper. ### Can I have a different Lock Screen and desktop wallpaper on Mac? Not with built-in settings. Since macOS Sonoma the Lock Screen mirrors the main display's wallpaper. On macOS 26 and later, a live wallpaper app such as MacWall can set a separate moving Lock Screen and Screen Saver. ### Can I set a video or GIF as my Mac wallpaper? Not natively. macOS only supports still images and Dynamic Desktop files. A live wallpaper app like MacWall plays MP4, MOV, and GIF files as the desktop wallpaper. ### How do I change the wallpaper on a MacBook Air? The same way as any Mac: Apple menu > System Settings > Wallpaper, then choose an image. On older macOS versions use System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver. --- Source: https://macwall.app/blog/how-to-change-wallpaper-on-mac