How to change your wallpaper on Mac

To change your Mac wallpaper, go to Apple menu → System Settings → Wallpaper. For an animated scene from Dioramac, open the app from your Mac’s menu bar and choose a scene there.

Set a live wallpaper in Dioramac

  1. Open Dioramac. If the desktop setup appears, click Continue and allow Finder access when macOS asks if you want your scene to follow your icon layout.
  2. Click the Dioramac icon in the menu bar, choose Settings…, then pick a scene in the sidebar.
  3. Return to the desktop to see it move. You can pause or resume the animation from the Dioramac menu bar icon.

If the scenery stays put when you move an icon, check your Finder layout or see Dioramac support.

Choose a wallpaper in System Settings

  1. Open System Settings and click Wallpaper in the sidebar.
  2. Browse the wallpaper categories and select a thumbnail. If a wallpaper needs to download, wait for it to finish before checking your desktop.
  3. Return to the desktop to check the framing and see how your icons read against the background.

If a wallpaper offers appearance options, use the menu next to its preview to choose when it changes.

Use one of your own photos

In Wallpaper settings, scroll to Your Photos and choose Add Photo → Choose File to select a saved image. You can also find a saved image in Finder, Control-click it, and choose Set Desktop Picture when that option is available.

If the photo looks cropped, check the fit options for the selected image. Filling the display can crop the edges when the photo and screen have different proportions. A wide photo with some space near the edges gives you more room to work with.

Set the wallpaper across Spaces and displays

If you use several desktop Spaces or an external display, look for Show on all Spaces in Wallpaper settings. Turn it on to use the same wallpaper everywhere. To give a Space or display its own background, leave it off and select the wallpaper for that desktop.

Give your icons room

Check the area behind the icons you use most. If the image is busy there, change the crop or rearrange your desktop icons so the labels sit on a quieter part of the picture.

See Apple’s wallpaper guide for settings and options specific to your macOS version.