---
title: "Learn: Live Wallpapers on Mac"
description: "Concept explainers for live wallpapers, macOS wallpaper internals, video codecs, displays, and battery."
canonical: "https://macwall.app/learn"
---

# Learn

Evergreen explainers for how live wallpapers and macOS wallpaper rendering actually work. Product instructions live in [/docs](https://macwall.app/docs).

- [What is a live wallpaper?](https://macwall.app/learn/what-is-a-live-wallpaper) — A live wallpaper is a short video loop rendered at the desktop wallpaper layer instead of a still image.
- [How macOS wallpapers work](https://macwall.app/learn/how-macos-wallpapers-work) — macOS composites the wallpaper as its own layer below icons and windows, and only recent versions let third-party apps supply Lock Screen video.
- [Hardware video decode](https://macwall.app/learn/hardware-video-decode) — Apple's media engine decodes H.264 and HEVC in dedicated silicon, so a 4K wallpaper loop costs almost no CPU.
- [Video formats and codecs](https://macwall.app/learn/video-formats-and-codecs) — Encode wallpapers as H.264 or HEVC in an MP4 container, at display resolution, 24–30 fps, with no audio track.
- [Resolution and displays](https://macwall.app/learn/wallpaper-resolution-and-displays) — Match wallpaper resolution to the panel's native pixels, and prefer one mirrored loop over separate loops on every display.
- [Battery and energy basics](https://macwall.app/learn/battery-and-energy-basics) — A wallpaper's battery cost is decode work times time on screen — pausing when nothing is visible removes almost all of it.

---

Source: https://macwall.app/learn