Windows 11 brings a fresh look and feel, but if you're yearning for dynamic visuals like live wallpapers, you'll find the operating system doesn't support them natively. Fortunately, third-party applications can fill this gap, allowing you to animate your desktop with live wallpapers. One such free and open-source application is Lively Wallpaper.

Set live wallpaper using Lively Wallpaper

Lively Wallpaper offers a collection of animated and interactive wallpapers that you can customize to suit your preferences. Before you proceed, note that live wallpapers can consume system resources, potentially affecting performance on older PCs. Ensure your system can handle the additional load.

Step 1: Download and install Lively Wallpaper from the Microsoft Store. Open the Microsoft Store, type Lively Wallpaper in the search bar, and press Enter. Alternatively, you can click this link to access the listing directly.

Step 2: Click on 'Get' to download and install the app. Once the installation is complete, click 'Open' to launch Lively Wallpaper.

Step 3: Upon opening the app, you'll see the 'Library' containing a selection of wallpapers—12 at the time of writing. You can preview them directly. Some wallpapers are live animations, while others are interactive simulations. For instance, Fluids reacts to your system's audio and cursor movements.

Step 4: To set a wallpaper, simply click on it, and it will be applied to your desktop immediately. If you'd like to preview or customize a wallpaper before applying it, click the 'three-dot' menu icon located at the bottom-right corner of the wallpaper's thumbnail.

Step 5: From the menu, select 'Customize' to adjust the wallpaper settings. The customization options will vary depending on the wallpaper type. If the wallpaper is already active on your desktop, you can see the changes in real-time as you adjust the settings. After making your desired changes, click 'OK' to apply them.

Step 6: Close the app window by clicking the 'Close (X)' button. Lively Wallpaper will minimize to the system tray and continue running in the background. You can access functions like pausing the wallpaper, customizing it further, or closing it entirely by right-clicking the Lively Wallpaper icon in the system tray.

Step 7: If you choose to quit the app entirely, the live wallpaper will disappear since it doesn't alter your desktop background at the system settings level. Reopening the app will restore the live wallpaper automatically. By default, Lively Wallpaper is set to run at startup, ensuring your live wallpaper is applied every time you turn on your computer without needing to launch the app manually.

Step 8: To configure the app's behavior, open Lively Wallpaper and go to 'Settings'.

Step 9: Navigate to the 'Performance' tab. Here, you can adjust how the live wallpapers behave in various scenarios, such as when an application is in fullscreen mode, when your laptop is running on battery power, or when battery saver mode is activated. These settings help optimize performance and resource usage based on your preferences.

Set your own live wallpaper

Lively Wallpaper also allows you to add your own wallpapers, supporting a variety of formats including local videos, online videos (such as YouTube), GIFs, web-based interactive wallpapers, webpages, and even applications or games.

Step 1: To add your own wallpaper, click the '+' icon located in the top-right corner of the app window.

Step 2: In the dialog that appears, you can drag and drop a file into the designated area or click 'Browse' to select a file from your PC. To use an online video, enter its URL in the provided field. The 'Advanced' option allows you to create dynamic wallpapers using AI to transform photographs into 3D images with parallax effects, though this feature requires additional downloads.

Step 3: After selecting your wallpaper, you may have the option to customize it further. The available customization settings will depend on the type of wallpaper you've added.

Set live wallpapers on multiple monitors

If you use multiple monitors, Lively Wallpaper enables you to set live wallpapers on each display, whether you want the same wallpaper or different ones on each screen.

Step 1: Click on the 'Monitor' icon within the app window to access multi-monitor settings.

Step 2: By default, the placement method is set to 'Selected Screen Only', applying the wallpaper only to the screen you choose. You can change this setting to 'Span across screens' to stretch a single wallpaper over all monitors or 'Duplicate same wallpaper' to apply the same wallpaper individually to each screen.

Step 3: Select the display you want to customize and click 'OK'. Then, choose a wallpaper from the library to apply it to the selected monitor.

Step 4: For convenience, you can enable the option 'Always pick screen when choosing wallpaper', which prompts you to select the display each time you apply a new wallpaper.

Step 5: Now, when you select a wallpaper, the app will ask which display you want to apply it to, streamlining the process of customizing each monitor.

Lively Wallpaper provides an excellent solution for bringing your Windows 11 desktop to life with animated backgrounds. If you're looking for even more options and are willing to invest a small amount, consider the Wallpaper Engine on Steam, which offers extensive features for a modest price.