When it comes to the aesthetics, users love Windows 11. But one thing they wished the OS offered? Live Wallpapers. Among the many customization options Windows 11 does offer, Live or animated wallpapers are not one of them.

But there's no reason to lose heart. There are plenty of third-party apps that you can use to get live wallpapers on Windows 11, and we're going to explore one such app here – Lively Wallpaper. Let's get going.

Set Live Wallpaper using Lively Wallpaper

Lively Wallpaper app is one of the best options for getting live wallpapers in Windows 11. It's a free, open-source app that offers animated and interactive desktop wallpapers that you can also customize.

Note: Before installing Lively Wallpapers on your PC, do remember that it will affect your PC's resources and performance to some extent. On old PCs, ensure that your system can handle the additional load.

The best place to get Lively Wallpapers for your system is the Microsoft Store.

  1. Open the Microsoft Store, type 'Lively Wallpapers' in the search bar, and click 'Enter' or click this link to open the listing directly.
  2. Go to the first listing and click on 'Get' to install the app. Then, click on 'Open' once it installs.
  1. The 'Library' will open, where you can find the wallpapers that the app offers out-of-the-box; 12 at the time of writing this. You can see the preview of the wallpapers right away.

    Some of them are live wallpapers, while others are interactive simulations. For example, Fluids is an interactive simulation that reacts to the system audio and cursor.
  1. Clicking any wallpaper will immediately set it as your desktop wallpaper.
    However, if you want to preview or customize it before setting it as wallpaper, click the 'three-dot' menu in the bottom-right of the wallpaper thumbnail.
  1. Then, select the option you want. In this case, we want to 'Customize' the wallpaper.
  1. The options for customizing will open, which will be different for different types of wallpapers. If the wallpaper is currently active on your desktop, you can see the changes you make in real time. Make the customizations and click 'OK'.
  1. Click the 'Close (X)' button on the app window to close it.
  2. Lively will minimize to the system tray where it will stay open. You can access options like pausing the wallpaper, customizing it, closing the wallpaper, etc., from the system tray menu (right-click the app icon).
  1. If you completely quit the app, the wallpaper will also disappear since it doesn't change the wallpaper at the system settings level. If you open the app again, the wallpaper will automatically return.
  2. The app is also set to run at startup by default, and you won't want to change it if you don't want to manually open the app to get the live wallpaper every time you turn on the system.
  3. You can configure the behavior of the app by going to 'Settings'.
  1. Then, switch to the 'Performance' tab. Here, you can configure the behavior of the wallpaper in different scenarios, like when an application is in fullscreen or focused, when your laptop is on battery power or battery saver modes, etc.

Set your own Live Wallpaper

You can also add your own wallpapers through the app. It allows you to add almost anything – videos (local and online videos, for example, from YouTube), GIFs, web-based interactive wallpapers, webpages, and even applications or games.

  1. To use your own wallpaper, click the '+' icon from the options in the top-right of the app window.
  1. Then, drag and drop the file to the marked area or open it using a 'File Explorer' window if you have the file on your PC.

    To use an online video, enter the URL in the field provided.

    With the 'Advanced' option, you can create your own dynamic wallpaper. The app uses AI to transform photographs into 3D and create a parallax effect. You'll need to download additional files to use this feature, though.
  1. Once you've selected the wallpaper, you can also customize it somewhat, and the customization options will vary depending on the wallpaper type.

Set Live Wallpapers on Multiple Monitors

If you have multiple monitors connected, you can also set live wallpapers (same or different) on all of them using the Lively Wallpaper app.

  1. Click on the 'Monitor' icon from the app window.
  1. By default, the placement method selected for multiple monitors is 'Selected Screen Only'. With this option, the wallpaper is only applied to the screen that is selected. You can change this setting to 'Span across screens', 'Duplicate same wallpaper'.
  1. Select the screen you want to change the wallpaper for and click 'OK'. Then, select a wallpaper from the library.
  1. Alternatively, you can check the option for 'Always pick screen when choosing wallpaper' so that it always asks which screen you want to apply the wallpaper to.
  1. Now, when you select a wallpaper from the library, you'll get the option to choose the display.

Lively Wallpaper is a great option for getting live wallpapers on your Windows 11 PC. However, if you want more options and control and are willing to shell out a few bucks, you can go for the Wallpaper Engine on Steam, which costs only around $3-4 (price may vary depending on your region).