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When it comes to elevating the ambiance of your Windows screen, look beyond Microsoft’s dazzling Windows 11 wallpapers and turn to the exceptional “Best Wallpaper Apps for Windows” created by rockdanister. This remarkable application, known as Lively Wallpaper, brings your desktop to life with captivating, dynamic backgrounds. Lively Wallpaper is more than just a software; it’s a free and open-source project that secured a prestigious second place at the 2022 Microsoft Store App Awards. Since I incorporated it into my system last year, it swiftly ascended the ranks to become one of my most cherished applications.
Lively Wallpaper isn’t the only live wallpaper app for Windows, but it’s the best free one I’ve found, and it has a really cool feature: you can turn any website into a live desktop background. This makes the wallpaper more than just a pretty decoration; it becomes a tool.
Best Wallpaper Apps for Windows Comparison Table
| Product | Platform | Price | Wallpaper Categories | Live Wallpapers | Customization | Download Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brilli Wallpaper Changer | Windows | Free/Paid | Various | Yes | Yes | Not available |
| Dynamic Theme | Windows | Free | Various | No | Yes | Not available |
| 9Zen Wallpaper Changer | Windows | Free/Paid | Various | Yes | Yes | Download Now |
| Dynamic Theme Wallpaper App | Windows | Free | Various | No | Yes | Download Now |
| Wallpaper Studio 10 | Windows | Free/Paid | Various | Yes | Yes | Download Now |
| Daily Pic | Windows | Free/Paid | Various | No | Yes | Download Now |
| Rainmeter | Windows | Free | N/A | No | Yes | Download Now |
| Stardock’s DeskScapes | Windows | Paid | Various | Yes | Yes | Download Now |
Brilli Wallpaper Changer
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multiple Sources | Provides access to images from multiple sources, including Bing Image of the Day, Unsplash, and more |
| Scheduled Changes | Automatically changes wallpapers at scheduled intervals |
| Customizable Settings | Allows users to customize wallpaper change settings, including frequency, sources, and more |
| Image Editor | Offers built-in image editor to crop and adjust images |
| Favorite List | Lets users create a favorite list of wallpapers for easy access |
Brilli Wallpaper Changer is a universal Best Wallpaper Apps, which means it should work almost the same way on both Windows 10 computers and Windows 10 Mobile devices. It might be the wallpaper app with the most features on the Windows Store. You can get pictures from Bing and other places through this app.
You can make a collection of your best wallpapers or use Bing images as your lock screen and/or desktop wallpaper. The app lets you choose where the Bing daily picture will be shown, how often the wallpaper will change (15 minutes to 1 day), and how it will change (randomly or in order).
The Good
- There are many places to get wallpapers.
- Wallpaper changes on a set schedule
- Settings that can be changed
- Wallpapers can be added to a list of favorites.
The Bad
- Some features may require a paid subscription to use.
Dynamic Theme
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Automatic Theme Switching | Automatically switches Windows theme based on time of day |
| Image Slideshow | Provides an image slideshow feature that can be synced with the automatic theme switching |
| Customizable Themes | Allows users to create and customize their own themes |
| Multiple Sources | Provides access to images from multiple sources, including Bing Image of the Day, Unsplash, and more |
Even though the name “Dynamic Theme” might be confusing, the app is not. In fact, my favorite Windows 10 Best Wallpaper Apps is the global app called “Dynamic Theme.” It’s free and has a layout that looks like Windows 10’s settings page, which makes it really easy to use.
You can set the app to regularly update your device with new Bing and Windows Spotlight images or change the lock screen and desktop background to a single Bing or Windows Spotlight image. You can look at the current images from Bing and Windows Spotlight, change Bing’s region, and have the new images immediately saved in a folder. The wallpapers are also the same on all of your Windows devices.
The Good
- Automatic switching of themes
- Slideshow of photos
- Themes you can change
- There are many places to get wallpapers.
The Bad
- Some users may find it annoying that the theme changes on its own.
9Zen Wallpaper Changer
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Multiple Sources | Provides access to images from multiple sources, including Bing Image of the Day, Unsplash, and more |
| Automatic Wallpaper Change | Automatically changes wallpaper at scheduled intervals |
| Customizable Settings | Allows users to customize wallpaper change settings, including frequency, sources, and more |
| Image Editor | Offers built-in image editor to crop and adjust images |
| Favorite List | Lets users create a favorite list of wallpapers for easy access |
9Zen Wallpaper Changer, which used to be called Brilli Wallpaper Changer, is one of the most feature-packed wallpaper apps on the Microsoft Store. It used to be called Brilli Wallpaper Changer. Most apps only get their wallpaper from one place, like Bing or Unsplash. There are images from Bing and other places on 9Zen. You can choose an area for Bing’s daily images and use them as wallpaper for your desktop and lock screen so that you have a new image every day.
You can also make a list of your best wallpapers and change how often they change, among other things. It’s a free app, but it has ads and you can only put 30 wallpapers in each of two categories. If you want more, you’ll have to pay at least $2.99 for the full version.
The Good
- There are many places to get wallpapers.
- Automatically change the wallpaper
- Settings that can be changed
- Wallpapers can be added to a list of favorites.
The Bad
- Some features may require a paid subscription to use.
Dynamic Theme Wallpaper App
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Automatic Theme Switching | Automatically switches Windows theme based on time of day |
| Image Slideshow | Provides an image slideshow feature that can be synced with the automatic theme switching |
| Customizable Themes | Allows users to create and customize their own themes |
| Multiple Sources | Provides access to images from multiple sources, including Bing Image of the Day, Unsplash, and more |
If you change your background often, Dynamic Theme is a must-have Windows 10 app. Even though the name makes it sound like it changes more than just Wallpapers, it doesn’t. The app is free, though, and the design looks a lot like Windows 10. It feels more like a part of the operating system than a third-party app.
You can set the app to make a single Bing or Windows Spotlight picture your desktop and/or lock screen wallpaper. You can also set it to automatically update your wallpaper with new pictures from Bing and Windows Spotlight. Aside from these two sources, the app doesn’t have much else to offer. You can set a region for Bing, look at both Bing and Windows Spotlight images before applying them, save them immediately to your PC, and set a time interval.
The Good
- Automatic switching of themes
- Slideshow of photos
- Themes you can change
- There are many places to get wallpapers.
The Bad
- Some users may find it annoying that the theme changes on its own.
Wallpaper Studio 10
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Large Wallpaper Library | Offers access to over 25,000 high-quality wallpapers |
| Customizable Settings | Allows users to customize wallpaper change settings, including frequency, sources, and more |
| Image Editor | Offers built-in image editor to crop and adjust images |
| Favorite List | Lets users create a favorite list of wallpapers for easy access |
| Wallpaper Ratings | Lets users rate wallpapers to help improve recommendations |
The app’s name gives away the fact that its sole function is to offer users wallpapers of an exceptionally high quality, which was the driving motivation behind its creation.
You might conduct a search for a variety of wallpapers in order to locate the one that best complements them. However, in order to remove the advertisements and the limitations on the features, you will need to purchase the app.
The Good
- Large library of wallpapers
- Settings that can be changed
- Image editor built in
The Bad
- Some users may want to be able to get wallpapers from more places.
Daily Pic
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Daily Wallpaper | Provides access to a new wallpaper every day |
| Customizable Settings | Allows users to customize wallpaper change settings, including frequency, sources, and more |
| Image Editor | Offers built-in image editor to crop and adjust images |
| Favorite List | Lets users create a favorite list of wallpapers for easy access |
This is a straightforward software that makes use of the capabilities offered by Bing to deliver high-quality wallpapers for both your home screen and your lock screen.
You have the option of configuring this program to show wallpapers from Bing or using your own wallpapers to use as the background on both the desktop and the lock screen. The software is sponsored by advertisements; however, if you purchase the premium version, you can remove the advertisements.
The Good
- You can get new wallpapers every day.
- Settings that can be changed
- Image editor built in
- The list of wallpapers you like best
The Bad
- You can only get one new wallpaper every day.
Rainmeter
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Desktop Customization | Allows users to customize their Windows desktop with a variety of widgets and skins |
| Open Source | Rainmeter is an open-source platform, which means users can create and share their own skins and widgets |
| High Customizability | Offers a high level of customizability, allowing users to create their own widgets and skins or download pre-made ones |
| Resource Monitor | Provides a resource monitor widget to keep track of CPU, RAM, and other system stats |
Rainmeter is a powerful set of tools that lets you add widgets and live wallpapers to your screen. It is one of the most common ways to show skins and widgets that can be changed in Windows 10. Its skins have useful tools like how much hardware is being used, live news, weather forecasts, and so on. You can pick from thousands of themes and wallpapers, or you can use your own videos as the background on your screen.
You can also choose one of the few starter skins that the site offers or download one of the many Best Wallpaper Apps Rainmeter skins that are available on the Internet. You can add animation to a still picture or use a part-GIF as your wallpaper, which is one of the most interesting things about Rainmeter. Last but not least, one of the best things about Rainmeter is that it doesn’t use too much memory or file space.
The Good
- Allows for a lot of customization of the desktop
- Open-source platform where widgets and skins can be shared and made.
- High level of being able to be changed
- Includes a widget to track resources
The Bad
- Some users may find the process of customizing too much.
Stardock’s DeskScapes
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Animated Wallpapers | Allows users to use animated wallpapers on their Windows desktop |
| Customizable Settings | Allows users to customize wallpaper settings, including animations and effects |
| Large Wallpaper Library | Offers access to a large library of animated and static wallpapers |
| Multi-Monitor Support | Supports multi-monitor setups, allowing for different wallpapers on each monitor |
DeskScapes from Stardock is another program that lets you use live wallpapers on your laptop or PC. Like most of the other apps on this list, DeskScapes lets you personalize your laptop by choosing a theme from its huge collection and uploading your own photos and videos. What makes DeskScapes different is that it lets you add cool effects to your pictures and make them into wallpapers.
On its list of effects are Sepia, Inverted, Night vision, Canvas texture, and many more. Also, you can make your own animated movies with its Dream Maker. DeskScapes works with more than one computer, so you can give each of your screens a different background. Also, its user design is easy to understand and use, which makes it easy to get around. But, like Wallpaper Engine, it is also a paid app that costs just $6 USD.
The Good
- Animated wallpapers can be put on the Windows desktop.
- Customizable settings for the wallpaper
- Large collection of wallpapers; works with multiple monitors.
The Bad
- Not sure if it will work with all systems.
- Some people may find that animated wallpapers are too busy.
FAQs
A: Wallpaper apps for Windows are programs that let you set high-quality wallpapers as the background on your Windows screen. Most of the time, these apps have a huge number of wallpapers in many different groups, like nature, abstract, minimalist, sports, and many more.
A: Most wallpaper apps for Windows give a variety of free wallpapers, but some may require a premium subscription or one-time purchase to access certain exclusive wallpapers.
A: Yes, most Windows wallpaper tools are safe to use. To make sure your device is safe and secure, you should only download and install apps from trusted sources like the Microsoft Store or official websites.