Every format supported
MP4, WebM, AVI, MOV, GIF, WebP and more. Works with K-Lite, LAV, and Kawaii codec packs out of the box.
Turn videos, GIFs, webpages, and games into stunning animated wallpapers. Hardware-accelerated, multi-monitor ready, and smart enough to pause when you game.
2019
Active Since
5M+
Downloads
6
Languages
100%
Free & Open Source
Codecs, multi-monitor support, smart pause rules, and hardware acceleration. The stuff that keeps wallpapers stable and your PC fast.
MP4, WebM, AVI, MOV, GIF, WebP and more. Works with K-Lite, LAV, and Kawaii codec packs out of the box.
Span one wallpaper across all displays or set different wallpapers per monitor. Hardware-accelerated with DirectShow.
Automatically pauses for fullscreen apps and games. Configurable grid-based pause rules per screen or globally.
Use HTML5 pages, shaders, and interactive content as wallpapers. LivelyProperties let you tweak parameters in real time.
Per-display audio output, audio visualizer routing, and automatic mute when idle or on lock screen.
Created by Dani John. GPL licensed, community-driven. Share wallpapers as lively-zip packages. No ads, no subscriptions, ever.
Free download for Windows 10 and Windows 11. No account required.
Full offline installer (~208 MB). Supports Windows 10 and 11. No account required.
Download for WindowsSHA256 98f4e96bb8e2c416384eeaf48016eadaea9dce8263b8d212052775ebcf2d7e34
Videos, interactive web content, depth effects, music visualizers. See what's possible.
MP4, WebM, AVI and more. Hardware-accelerated playback.
HTML5, CSS, JavaScript. Shaders and live web content.
AI-powered depth parallax turns photos into 3D scenes.
Wallpapers that react to your music in real-time.
Three steps to a living desktop. No technical skills needed.
Grab the free installer, run the wizard, and optionally set it to launch with Windows.
Browse the library, drag-drop any video or GIF, or paste a URL. It just works.
Tune performance, configure game-pause rules, adjust audio, and dial in your setup.
Lively is built to be lightweight. If your PC runs Windows, it can run Lively.
Processor
Core i3+
Memory
2 GB+
Platform
Win 10 / 11
"Zero hit on my games. It pauses automatically when I go fullscreen. The grid pause feature is something I didn't even know I needed."
"Pasted a YouTube URL and it became my wallpaper instantly. Two monitors, both running different animations. Can't believe this is free."
"Other wallpaper apps tanked my FPS. Lively actually respects fullscreen games and barely touches resources. Finally a solution that works."
Install K-Lite Codec Pack or LAV Filters. MP4 (H.264) and WebM typically work without extras.
Enable Grid pause in Performance settings. Choose per-screen or all-screen pause for your setup.
Switch between Span mode and Per-display mode in wallpaper layout settings.
Exclude LivelyUI.WinUI.exe from overlay or lower the hook priority.
Lively automatically pauses wallpaper playback when fullscreen games or apps are detected. You can also set up custom pause rules per application, use grid-based controls, and even pause on battery mode. The overhead when paused is near zero.
Yes, 100% free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license. Created by Dani John. Available directly from this website and the Microsoft Store. No ads, no subscriptions, no hidden costs.
YouTube, Reddit communities, and the official Lively Discord server are great sources. You can also paste any video URL, drag-and-drop local video/GIF files, or create your own HTML5 interactive wallpapers.
Yes. Choose Span mode to stretch one wallpaper across all displays, or Per-display mode for independent wallpapers on each monitor. Audio can be routed per screen where supported.
Lively supports MP4, WebM, AVI, MOV, GIF, and WebP for video/image wallpapers. It also supports HTML5 web content, interactive wallpapers with LivelyProperties, and shader-based visuals. Install codec packs like K-Lite or LAV for extended format compatibility.
You need Windows 10 or 11, a Core i3 class CPU or better, and at least 2 GB of RAM. A dedicated GPU is recommended for smooth hardware-accelerated video decode, but integrated graphics work for lighter wallpapers.
Join millions of users who have already transformed their Windows experience. Free, open-source, and built with performance in mind.