How to automatically change your Mac’s wallpaper at regular intervals

Learn how to set your Mac to automatically change the desktop wallpaper so you get to look at a new image at regular intervals and keep things fresh.

Readers loved our tutorial on how to automatically change the iPhone wallpaper every day. Getting motivated by that article, we decided to do a similar one for Mac, and we’ll walk you through the steps.

But first, make sure you have the desired wallpaper files in a Finder folder on your Mac. If you don’t have the images, check out iDB’s vibrant wallpapers section and download some from there.

1. Use System Settings to set auto-rotating wallpaper

1) Open System Settings on your Mac running the latest version of macOS, such as macOS Tahoe, and select Wallpaper.

2) Click the “Add Photo” option under the Your Photos heading, and select Choose Folder.

3) Select the wallpaper folder and click Open.

4) This Finder wallpaper folder will be added to the Wallpaper section of System Settings. Select the first Auto-Rotate option under the wallpaper folder name.

5) Then, click the drop-down menu in the Shuffle section at the top and choose how often you want your Mac to change the wallpaper. By default, it’s set to 30 minutes, but your other options are:

• On Login: It will show a new wallpaper every time you log in.
• On Wakeup: It will show a new wallpaper every time you wake your Mac from sleep.
• Every 5 seconds
• Every minute
• Every 5 minutes
• Every 15 minutes
• Every 30 minutes
• Every hour
• Every day

From now on, your Mac will automatically change the desktop wallpaper as per the specified condition in step 5 above. It will use the images in the added folder in order. However, if you ticked the Randomly box, it will shuffle the pictures.

On older versions of macOS

The fundamentals of changing the photo wallpaper regularly on Mac are the same, even if your computer is running an older version of macOS. But here’s a quick recap:

1. Go to System Settings > Wallpaper and click Add Folder. Select your folder that has the wallpapers and click Choose.
2. Now, click the first Auto-Rotate tile under the added folder name and set the Change picture duration accordingly.

If your Mac is on macOS Monterey or earlier:

1. Go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver and click the plus button (+) from the bottom left. Then, select your wallpaper folder and add it to System Preferences.
2. Click the newly added wallpaper folder to see all its images. After that, click any picture, and it will instantly become your desktop background.
3. Finally, check the box for ‘Change picture’ and select a duration.

2. Use built-in Dynamic wallpapers that change their appearance

Thanks to Dynamic wallpapers, Mac running macOS Mojave (released in 2018) and later can automatically change the desktop wallpaper throughout the day from sunrise to sunset. The wallpaper is usually light and bright in the morning. And as the day passes, it will change its appearance, and by late evening, the wallpaper will become dark.

1. Simply go to the Wallpaper section in Mac’s System Settings or System Preferences and select a Dynamic Wallpaper. Recent versions of macOS come with a wide selection of Dynamic Wallpapers built in, so browse and make your choice. Many images will need to be downloaded from Apple’s server, which can take some time.
2. Click the drop-down menu at the top and make sure it says Automatic or Dynamic.

3. Create a dynamic wallpaper that changes at set times of the day

The first method automatically switches the wallpaper at intervals, such as 5 seconds, 15 minutes, one hour, or daily. In the second method, the same wallpaper transforms its look from morning to night. Now, let’s consider a different scenario where you want to automatically change your Mac’s wallpaper at precise times, such as 7 AM, 2 PM, 6 PM, and so on.

For instance, at 7 AM, your kid leaves for school and isn’t around you. So, you can set your Mac to show your child’s image as the desktop wallpaper at 7 AM. Your kid returns home at 2 PM, and now you can have your Mac automatically switch to a new wallpaper (say, a family picture). At night, you may want to have a dark background on your desktop to make it more comfortable for your eyes.

Another example can be from your office. You can set your Mac to show a powerful, uplifting quote as the wallpaper at 9 AM. At 12 noon, you can have it automatically switch to a calm image. And for 4 PM, you can configure it to show another wallpaper with your family’s image or a relevant quote that motivates you to finish the day’s work and leave for home on time.

To achieve this level of personalization, you’ll have to create a dynamic wallpaper file that precisely fits your needs. Let’s show you how.

1) Download Dynaper for free from the Mac App Store and open it.

2) Click the small plus button, and it will open a Finder window.

3) Go to the folder where you have the desired wallpapers. Hold the Command key and select multiple images. When done, click Open.

4) You’ll see all your selected images in the left sidebar of the Dynaper app. And next to each wallpaper, you’ll see the time (12:00 AM). Change the time for each wallpaper as desired. For example, the first wallpaper can have the time of 7 AM, the next 2 PM, after that 6:30 PM, one at 10 PM, and so on.

5) When done, click Export HEIC.

6) Give this dynamic wallpaper file a name, and pick a location. Next, check the box for Set Image as Wallpaper and click Export. This new dynamic wallpaper you just created is now your desktop background.

Plus, the dynamic wallpaper file is saved in the chosen folder. It will have .heic extension. You can go to that folder, control-click/right-click on the wallpaper file, and choose Set Desktop Picture.

All done! When the clock strikes the times set in step 3, your Mac’s wallpaper will automatically change to the relevant picture. It will happen for every image you picked to create your dynamic wallpaper file.

I hope by now you know how to spice up your Mac’s desktop with auto-changing wallpapers. Remember that if you use several desktop Spaces, you’ll have to set the wallpaper individually for each. Just go to that Space and follow any method to set the wallpaper.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it something you want to use on your Mac?

Also, check out: How to create Dynamic Wallpapers for Mac