Quick start

Go from a fresh install to your first live wallpaper, learn the two places you control Loomscreen from, and set up one display end to end.

This guide takes you from first launch to a fully configured display. It then points you to the features you will use day to day. If you have not installed Loomscreen yet, start with Install & update.

First launch

Launch Loomscreen after installing it. A floating Welcome Tour highlights controls on the real workspace.

• Close the tour to start using the app.
• Reopen it from Settings → About → Welcome Tour.
• Use a page's Explain This Page button for a shorter guide.

Start in Overview:

• Drag a video (mp4, m4v, mov or avi) or a web folder onto a display. In Pro, you can also drag a Wallpaper Engine project.
• Open a display to choose a file, enter a web source, or pick from Wallpaper Library. The library includes Apple Aerials already downloaded on your Mac.
• Apply to a named display, or use the apply-to-all action to put the same wallpaper on every display.

Know the two surfaces

Overview shows your displays. Click one to edit it. Settings has its own sidebar with General, Display Defaults, Performance, Integrations, Shortcuts, Backup and other pages.

New installations also show the app in the Dock and Command-Tab. Settings → General → Show in Dock controls this. Existing saved preferences are kept.

See Workspace for a tour of the overview, shelf, library and display editor.

Configure one display end to end

1. Open Overview and click the display you want to change.
2. Use Change Wallpaper, or choose a wallpaper in Wallpaper Library and apply it to the named display. Scene wallpapers require Pro.
3. In Wallpaper, use the preview controls for fit, audio and frame rate. The inspector shows extra options for the selected type:
   • Video adds speed and color effects.
   • Web adds JavaScript, tracking protection, CSS and refresh.
   • Scenes expose their author's custom properties and presets.
4. Set the frame rate. You can enter a custom whole number up to the display's current refresh rate, or choose Max. Presets include 15, 24, 30, 45, 60 and 120 where the display supports them. The value is a ceiling, not a measurement of achieved frames.
5. Open Overlays to add widgets, a clock or music on one canvas. Select objects and position them. Particles and weather response live in the effect layer. See Overlay canvas.
6. Ordinary property edits save as you go. Wallpaper Automation is a separate draft editor with Save and Cancel.

Features you will use daily

• Playlists and rotation — rotate wallpapers on a timer, or shuffle your whole library. See Playlists and Library Shuffle.
• Time-of-day schedule — pick a wallpaper for each part of the day on a 24-hour dial. See Daily Schedule.
• Bookmarks and schemes — mark favorites and save whole display setups. See Library, bookmarks & schemes.
• Global shortcuts — eight bindable actions in Settings → Shortcuts. See Shortcuts.
• Workshop Pro — browse, like and download community wallpapers. See Workshop setup.
• Scene presets Pro — apply community presets or save your own. See Scene presets.
• Music and weather — add Now Playing and a Weather tile to the overlay canvas. See Music and weather response.
• System Wallpaper macOS 26+ — publish a video to macOS Wallpaper settings. See System Wallpaper.

After the first day

• Revisit Settings → Performance. Set pause rules for full-screen apps, battery, Low Power Mode and occlusion. Add per-app exceptions, including never pause for apps that should always keep the wallpaper running. Adjust the video RAM preload budget. See Power & performance.
• Choose a Wallpaper transition and an Opening animation in Settings → General → Wallpaper. See Wallpaper transitions.
• Export a .lwconfig backup from Settings → Backup & Restore. It saves settings and references, not media files or secrets. Lite cannot run scene entries from a Pro backup.
• Hit an edge case? Settings → About → Report a Bug pre-fills diagnostics.