macOS Sequoia beta 5 adds a new forrest-themed wallpaper unavailable via System Settings, but we’ll show you how to manually reveal the hidden files.
On August 7, 2024, Apple unleashed the fifth beta of macOS Sequoia for testing, its new Mac operating system scheduled to launch this fall. After installing it, my Mac greeted me with a gorgeous new desktop wallpaper depicting a forest during the dawn, with rays of light coming through the trees and branches.
Aptly named “Sequoia Sunrise,” this is a dynamic wallpaper that changes based on the time of day. I immediately selected the Lock Screen option from the Apple menu to see it in action (macOS animates a dynamic wallpaper on the Lock Screen).
Try as I might, however, I couldn’t find “Sequoia Sunrise” in the various collections available in System Settings > Wallpapers. Thankfully, Reddit informed me that this backdrop will be freely selectable via the Wallpapers section in the next beta. For now, you shouldn’t change this wallpaper if you plan on keeping it.
how to reveal the hidden macOS Sequoia forrest wallpaper in macOS 15 beta 5
The adventurous types can manually reveal the image file in the Finder, then drag and drop it over the current wallpaper thumbnail in System Settings > Wallpapers to set as the current wallpaper. Click the desktop and choose Go > Go to Folder, then paste the following path and hit Enter to open the hidden folder:
/System/Library/Desktop Pictures/.wallpapers/Sequoia Sunrise
The files are hidden by default. If you don’t see them in the Finbder window, press Command+Shift+ . (period) to reveal them. You can also show hidden Finder files using Terminal and other methods.
“Sequoia Sunrise Thumbnail.png” is a thumbnail displayed in the Wallpapers section. “Sequoia Sunrise.heic” is a bundle comprising the dynamic wallpaper images. “Sequoia Sunrise.mov” is a QuickTime video file that plays on the Lock Screen.
macOS Sequoia beta 5 only has the Light Mode version of the Sequoia Sunrise wallpaper, but the “Sunrise” in the name hints there’ll be a Dark Mode version, too.