The ultimate live wallpaper Windows app. Turn videos, GIFs, web pages, and shaders into live desktop backgrounds. Free, open-source, and built for Windows 10 & 11.
Lively Wallpaper packs powerful features into a lightweight, user-friendly application that gives you complete control over your animated desktop experience on Windows.
Set any video file as your desktop wallpaper - MP4, WebM, AVI, MOV, and MKV are all supported with hardware-accelerated playback using H.264, H.265, VP9, and AV1 codecs. Animated GIFs work too, looping seamlessly in the background. You can even paste a YouTube URL and Lively will stream it directly on your desktop with full audio support and playback controls.
Lively offers three multi-monitor layout modes: Span stretches one wallpaper across all screens for a panoramic effect. Per Display lets you set unique wallpapers on each monitor independently. Grid mode provides the most control - independent wallpaper and audio settings per display, perfect for setups with 2, 3, or more monitors in any arrangement.
When you launch a game or any fullscreen application, Lively automatically pauses all wallpaper playback so it uses zero CPU and GPU resources. Many gamers report absolutely no FPS impact even with demanding wallpapers running. You can configure per-display pause rules, global pause, or set specific applications to trigger the pause behavior in Settings.
Create interactive wallpapers using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - build visualizations that respond to mouse movement, audio input, time of day, or system information. GLSL shaders produce stunning GPU-accelerated visual effects with minimal CPU usage. Import shaders from Shadertoy or write your own. This is one of Lively's most powerful features for creative users.
Fine-tune every aspect of your wallpaper experience. Adjust playback quality, performance profiles, and rendering resolution. Set custom pause rules based on foreground app, fullscreen state, or battery status. Customize wallpaper properties like speed, saturation, brightness, blur, and more. Each wallpaper type has its own set of adjustable parameters for complete control.
Package your wallpapers as .lively files or lively-zip archives and share them with the community. Import wallpapers from other users with a single click or drag-and-drop. Lively also integrates with Windows Screen Saver - set any live wallpaper as your screen saver so your desktop stays animated even when you're away from your PC.
No complex setup, no account required, no subscription needed. Just download, install, and pick a wallpaper. Lively handles everything else automatically - from system tray integration to startup configuration.
Grab the installer from GitHub releases or the Microsoft Store. Run the setup wizard - the entire installation takes under 30 seconds on most systems. No bloatware, no bundled software.
Launch from the Start menu or system tray. The app opens with a curated library of built-in live wallpapers ready to use - fluid simulations, particle effects, interactive visualizations, and more.
Pick from the included wallpaper library or add your own content. Drag and drop any video, GIF, or web page file to import it instantly. Paste a YouTube URL or Shadertoy link to use online content.
Adjust quality, performance rules, pause behavior, audio settings, and multi-monitor layout. Lively remembers your preferences and starts automatically with Windows so your desktop is always alive.
From simple video loops to complex interactive web applications, Lively Wallpaper handles every format you can think of.
MP4, WebM, AVI, MOV, MKV - any video format works as a wallpaper. Hardware-accelerated decoding ensures smooth playback. Videos loop seamlessly and can include audio. Convert any short clip into a looping desktop wallpaper with a single click.
Drop any animated GIF onto Lively and it becomes your wallpaper. For longer animations, converting to MP4 provides better performance and smaller file sizes. Lively handles GIF playback efficiently with minimal resource usage.
Any website or web app can become a live wallpaper. Enter any URL - YouTube videos, Twitch streams, weather dashboards, news feeds, or custom web apps. Lively renders it on your desktop using Chromium WebView2 with full interactivity.
GPU-accelerated shader wallpapers produce stunning procedural animations and generative art. Import shaders directly from Shadertoy or write custom GLSL code. Shader wallpapers are highly customizable with adjustable parameters for speed, color, complexity, and more.
Build fully interactive wallpapers using web technologies. Create clocks, weather widgets, audio visualizers, particle systems, or data dashboards that run on your desktop. HTML wallpapers can access system data, respond to cursor movement, and react to audio input.
Run game engine projects as wallpapers - Unity and Godot are both supported. Create 3D scenes, physics simulations, or interactive environments that run as your desktop background. Export your game project and import it into Lively as a wallpaper.
Watch real demos of Lively Wallpaper in action. Every GIF below is an actual desktop running Lively.
Animated night scene built with HTML/CSS/JS - stars, shooting stars, and parallax
Any video file becomes a live desktop background
Wallpapers that react to your music in real-time
AI-powered parallax depth from any image
Use any wallpaper as your Windows screen saver
Run Unity/Godot games as desktop backgrounds
Join the community of users who have transformed their desktop experience with Lively Wallpaper.
"Lively is hands-down the best free wallpaper app for Windows. The smart pause feature means I never notice any FPS drop while gaming. It just works."
"The HTML/web wallpaper support is incredible. I built a custom dashboard wallpaper with live weather and a clock. Lively makes my desktop truly mine."
"As a developer, I appreciate how well-built this open-source project is. Clean codebase, active development, and the community is fantastic. A true gem."
See how Lively Wallpaper compares to popular alternatives like Wallpaper Engine, RainWallpaper, and DesktopHut. Lively delivers premium features at zero cost.
| Feature | Lively Wallpaper | Wallpaper Engine | RainWallpaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $3.99 | Free / $9.99 |
| Open Source | GPL-3.0 | ||
| Video Wallpapers (MP4, WebM, AVI) | |||
| Web / HTML Wallpapers | |||
| GLSL Shader Wallpapers | |||
| Multi-Monitor Support | |||
| Smart Pause (Gaming) | |||
| No Ads / No Telemetry | (Free tier) | ||
| Screen Saver Integration | |||
| Community Sharing | .lively zip | Steam Workshop |
Everything you need to know about Lively Wallpaper before downloading.
Developers can quickly add JW Player to a CodePen by linking the JW Player library as an external script. Customization Potential: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Extremely high for advanced users who want to test custom skins, CSS overlays, or complex API listeners. Performance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
CodePen’s live-rendering allows for immediate visual feedback on player changes, such as resizing or control bar adjustments. Key Features for Developers
Using JW Player within CodePen typically involves these core components:
External Script Loading: Users must link their JW Player license key and library URL in the Pen's settings to initialize the jwplayer() global variable.
Responsive Testing: You can easily test responsive layouts by setting width: '100%' and an aspectratio (e.g., 16:9) in the setup block to see how the player behaves across different screen sizes.
API Prototyping: Developers often use CodePen to experiment with JW Player events like .on('ready') or .on('play') before implementing them in a production environment. User Experience Pros & Cons Review: JW Player - Streaming Media
To say I was impressed by the ease of use of the Web Player would be an understatement. It's remarkably easy to use and customize. Streaming Media Magazine Simple Jwplayer 7 - CodePen 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Pens tagged 'jwplayer' on CodePen Pens tagged 'jwplayer' on CodePen. jw player codepen
Instant Feedback: See configuration changes (like autostart: true) live.
Protocol Issues: Linking to non-secure http resources can cause "insecure resource" errors in CodePen.
Community Inspiration: Hundreds of public "Pens" exist featuring JW Player configurations for video ads, subtitles, and custom UI.
License Exposure: Publicly shared Pens may expose your JW Player license key if not properly secured.
Ease of Sharing: Simple URLs allow teams to share specific player bugs or designs.
Inflated Costs: Some users find JW Player's recent storage and transcription pricing to be high compared to alternatives. Common Use Cases on CodePen
Testing HLS/M3U8 Streams: Verifying that a specific live stream or adaptive bitrate file plays correctly before final deployment. Developers can quickly add JW Player to a
Custom Captioning: Using external libraries like Rev to test side-loaded caption files within the JW interface.
Ad Integration Testing: Prototyping VAST/VMAP ad schedules to ensure ads fire at the correct offsets.
Recommendation: If you are a developer looking to troubleshoot a specific player issue or demo a new UI feature, CodePen is an excellent, low-stakes environment for JW Player testing. However, avoid including sensitive production data or private license keys in public Pens. How to Embed the JW Player into a Website
That is an interesting topic because JW Player (a popular commercial video player) and CodePen (a front-end playground) intersect well for testing, prototyping, and learning.
Here's an interesting conceptual "post" (as if written by a developer) about the topic:
onload or no-wrap. Place the initialization inside window.onload or DOMContentLoaded.Safe initialization pattern for CodePen:
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function()
jwplayer("myPlayer").setup(
file: "https://your-video-url.mp4",
width: "100%",
height: "auto"
);
);
.js and contain your key. Example:
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/libraries/12345abcde.js| Feature | Works on CodePen? | Notes |
|---------|------------------|-------|
| Playlists | ✅ Yes | Use playlist: [ file, title ] |
| VAST Ads | ⚠️ Partial | Some ad servers block iframes (CodePen preview). Use vasttag URL. |
| Captions (VTT) | ✅ Yes | Need HTTPS .vtt file with CORS |
| Chromecast | ❌ No | Requires registered sender app, not possible in sandbox |
| DRM (Widevine) | ❌ No | Needs secure origin & custom certs |
| Analytics | ✅ Yes | JW player pings back normally | Fix: In CodePen, go to Settings > JS
// DISCLAIMER: You must replace the 'file' URL and 'key' with your own valid JW Player credentials. // Using a generic test video source below.const playerInstance = jwplayer("my-player-container").setup( // Replace this with your own video URL file: "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VIDEO_ID.m3u8",
// Or use an MP4 test file if you don't have HLS: // file: "https://www.w3schools.com/html/mov_bbb.mp4",
// You need a valid license key for the player to work without watermarks/errors // key: "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE",
width: "100%", aspectratio: "16:9", autostart: false, mute: false, controls: true, displaytitle: true, displaydescription: true );
// Example Event Listener playerInstance.on('ready', function() console.log("Player is ready!"); );
playerInstance.on('play', function() console.log("Video is playing."); );
Download Lively Wallpaper for free and join over 14 million users who have transformed their Windows desktop. No account needed, no subscription, no ads.