All work · Open source
Whisky Wallpaper
A free animated-wallpaper engine for macOS: 4K video behind your desktop icons.
Open source · Worldwide
The problem and context
A user who wants animated desktop wallpaper should be able to run local videos without an account or a recurring wallpaper subscription. The app uses native media playback and a small menu-bar surface.
Who uses it
- macOS users with local video wallpapers
- Developers adapting a native desktop-media implementation
What was built
- Multi-display, seamless loops
- Folder rotation on a timer
- Sleep and wake handling
How it works
- User chooses a video file or wallpaper folder.
- The app plays the video behind desktop icons on connected displays.
- A rotation timer can change the wallpaper; menu controls pause or select another clip.
- Playback pauses on sleep and resumes on wake, with display changes handled by rebuilding the relevant windows.
How the system fits together
- Swift and AppKit create click-through desktop-level windows.
- AVFoundation/AVPlayerLooper handles seamless local video loops.
- A window per display and native screen notifications support multi-display use.
- Login-item support starts the menu-bar app with the user session.
Technology stack
Delivery and current status
- Open-source MIT implementation and repository linked.
- Local-file playback, rotation, sleep/wake and multi-display features are documented in the codebase.
- No account or application telemetry is required by the engine.
Evidence
- Documented implementation with automated checks
Scope and operating limits
- Users provide their own video files; the app is not a wallpaper-content marketplace.
- Supported macOS versions and signing/install requirements are documented in the repository.
- Battery and resource use depend on video resolution, encoding and connected displays.