animated wallpapers Archives

AppWizard

August 4, 2026

Your Galaxy’s SmartThings app looks set for its biggest redesign in years

Samsung's SmartThings app is undergoing a redesign to align with the One UI design language, featuring a floating navigation bar for easy access to tabs like Home, Devices, Life, Routines, and Menu. The Home tab will have animated wallpapers that change with the time of day and allow for personalized backgrounds for different locations. A new SmartThings Now card will suggest underutilized features, which can be disabled by users. The redesign includes three types of home-screen widgets: Device Control, Screen Device Control, and Routines. The Devices tab will have a refreshed background, and the Life section will continue to offer services like Energy and Music Sync, with customizable card arrangements. The Routines tab will separate existing automations from a Discover section showcasing popular community routines. A release date for the update is not confirmed but may align with the rollout of One UI 9.

AppWizard

May 26, 2026

5 extremely popular Steam apps that aren’t games — Level up your PC with these useful utilities and tools

Cale Hunt is preparing for Computex and enhancing his yard for summer. Steam is the largest platform for PC gamers, featuring over 130,000 games and also offering non-gaming software for development, design, editing, and production. Cale enjoys using Aseprite for creating 2D pixel art, although he hasn't used his creations for projects. Lossless Scaling provides frame generation for any GPU, benefiting retro gaming enthusiasts. Wallpaper Engine allows users to create animated wallpapers and screensavers and has maintained an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam since 2018. Crosshair X enables customization of reticles in games and integrates with the Xbox Game Bar. OBS Studio is popular among streamers for its comprehensive tools. Cale encourages readers to share their favorite non-game apps on Steam.

Winsage

December 24, 2025

How to Get Moving Wallpapers on Windows 11: Guide to Animated Desktops

Windows 11 is set to introduce native video wallpaper support in late 2025, currently available in testing builds for Windows Insiders, supporting formats like MP4, MKV, and WebM. Users can access animated wallpapers through third-party applications, with Lively Wallpaper being a recommended free option that supports various formats and features. Wallpaper Engine is a paid alternative known for its extensive library and interactive wallpapers. VLC Media Player can also set videos as wallpapers, but it has limitations such as requiring constant operation and higher resource usage. Animated wallpapers generally consume more battery and system resources, but modern applications include features to mitigate these impacts. Users are advised to download wallpapers from trusted sources to ensure safety.

AppWizard

November 14, 2025

6 of the most popular apps on Steam that aren’t games

Steam offers a variety of software tools in addition to its extensive library of games, which can enhance productivity and creativity in the workplace. Aseprite is a tool for creating high-quality pixel art with a minimalist interface and features that streamline the creative process, making it suitable for indie game developers and artists. RPG Maker MZ allows users to create their own games without extensive coding knowledge, catering to both beginners and seasoned developers, and is compatible with current operating systems. Wallpaper Engine enables users to create unique static or animated wallpapers, allowing for personalization of desktop backgrounds. Crosshair X allows users to customize crosshairs for various games, enhancing gameplay by tailoring the aiming experience. Soundpad enhances voice chats by enabling users to play sound effects and music clips during conversations, improving the social experience of gaming and online interactions.

Tech Optimizer

October 30, 2025

5 popular programs that are destroying your PC’s performance

Modern web browsers, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox, are known for high RAM consumption, which can hinder performance, especially for users with multiple tabs. Alternatives like Arc, Vivaldi, Opera GX, or DuckDuckGo may offer lower resource usage. Third-party antivirus software, such as McAfee and Bitdefender, can slow down system performance, while Microsoft Defender provides adequate protection without the bloat. Wallpaper Engine, despite its appeal, can significantly drain resources on older systems, and users may benefit from lighter wallpapers or uninstalling it. SignalRGB, which syncs RGB components, is criticized for high resource consumption, and disabling it can improve performance. First-party vendor software, like Armoury Crate and iCUE, often comes with bloatware that consumes resources, and users can find more efficient alternatives. Identifying and addressing these resource-intensive applications can enhance overall system performance.

Winsage

September 27, 2025

Windows 11 gets Vista-era animated wallpaper: How to get it

Microsoft is introducing animated video backgrounds for Windows 11 in the latest Insider builds, allowing users to set MP4 or M4V video files as their wallpaper. This feature can adapt videos to fit various screen resolutions without distortion and does not impose significant limitations on video size or length. To enable this feature, users must be on a Beta or Dev channel Insider build (build numbers 26220.6690 or 26120.6690 or higher) and use a command-line utility called ViVeTool to unlock it. Users can also opt for third-party applications like Lively Wallpaper to achieve animated backgrounds without joining the Insider program.

Winsage

September 24, 2025

DreamScene is back: Microsoft’s resurrecting video wallpapers, a Windows feature last seen in 2007

Microsoft is reintroducing video wallpapers in an upcoming update for Windows 11, allowing users to select video files as their desktop wallpaper. This feature, known as Windows DreamScene, is included in the latest beta build of Windows 11. While it provides a way to animate the desktop, it lacks the extensive customization options found in third-party applications like Wallpaper Engine. Microsoft previously offered a similar feature in 2007 with Windows DreamScene for Windows Vista, but it was discontinued in later versions.

Winsage

September 23, 2025

Would You Want a Video Clip as Your Windows 11 Background?

A new setting has been discovered in the developer version of Windows 11 (build 26×20.6690) that allows users to set video files, such as .mp4, as their desktop background. This feature, called Windows DreamScene, originally debuted in Windows Vista Ultimate in 2007, enabling users to personalize their desktops with moving wallpapers. DreamScene was not widely recognized at the time due to its limited availability and general disinterest in animated wallpapers.

Winsage

September 22, 2025

Windows 11 is getting a video wallpaper feature

Microsoft is reintroducing the DreamScene feature in the latest builds of Windows 11, allowing users to set video wallpapers using video files such as MP4 or MKV. This feature was previously available in Windows Vista and has been requested by the Windows community. DreamScene will enable videos to play seamlessly on the desktop, similar to the third-party application Wallpaper Engine, which is popular among users. Microsoft initially supported video wallpapers in Windows Vista's Ultimate version but discontinued it with Windows 7. The company has been experimenting with dynamic animated wallpapers for Windows 11, although these did not launch in the final release version of the operating system. The return of DreamScene may reduce the need for third-party solutions like Wallpaper Engine.

Winsage

September 21, 2025

This upcoming official Windows 11 feature may replace Wallpaper Engine for some people

Windows 11 Dev and Beta builds have introduced support for animated MP4 wallpapers, reminiscent of the DreamScene feature from Windows Vista. This feature is currently experimental and may not be included in the stable release. Although Windows 11 will officially support animated wallpapers, third-party applications like Wallpaper Engine offer superior features and a larger library.