How to put a live wallpaper on your Mac lock screen
Step by step
- Set a shader on your desktopIn PrimoEngine, put a shader-type wallpaper on your desktop. Only shaders run on the lock screen.
- Open the app's walkthroughIn PrimoEngine's Settings, go to Lock screen and click Set up lock screen…, or choose Use on Lock Screen… from a wallpaper's menu.
- Go to Wallpaper settingsClick Open Wallpaper Settings. The app opens the right pane of System Settings.
- Pick the PrimoEngine sectionScroll down to the PrimoEngine section and click Same as Desktop.
- Turn on Show on all SpacesSwitch it on at the top so every desktop, and the lock screen while you're on it, uses the shader. You only do this once.
Why is the Mac lock screen different from the desktop?
No app window can appear on the macOS lock screen. What shows there is always the system wallpaper, the one you choose in System Settings. That’s why most live wallpaper apps only work once the desktop is unlocked.
PrimoEngine takes a different route: it registers itself as a wallpaper source inside macOS. Once it’s installed, System Settings gets a PrimoEngine section in the Wallpaper pane, listing the app’s shaders. When you pick one, macOS shows that shader running live on the lock screen.
What you need
- PrimoEngine on an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 26 Tahoe or newer.
- Premium active. The animated lock screen is a Premium feature, even with the free wallpapers. Without it, the wallpaper shows as a still image.
- A shader wallpaper on your desktop.
Detailed walkthrough
1. Put a shader on your desktop
Open PrimoEngine, pick a shader in Explore and click Use as wallpaper. If you haven’t done that yet, how to set a live wallpaper on Mac walks you through it.
Only shaders run on the lock screen. Videos and web wallpapers don’t, yet. If your desktop shows one of those, the lock screen keeps the last shader you used.
2. Open the lock screen guide in the app
There are two ways in:
- From the menu bar, open Settings…, go to Lock screen and click Set up lock screen….
- From the menu of any supported wallpaper, choose Use on Lock Screen….
The app lists the steps and has a button that takes you straight to the right place.
3. Pick the PrimoEngine section in System Settings
Click Open Wallpaper Settings. In System Settings, scroll down to the PrimoEngine section and click Same as Desktop, the first tile in it.
That tile doesn’t point at a fixed shader: it follows whatever PrimoEngine is showing. From then on, to change the lock screen wallpaper you just change the desktop one in the app, and your color and speed settings come along.
4. Turn on Show on all Spaces
At the top of the same pane, turn on Show on all Spaces. Without it, your other desktops (and the lock screen while you’re on them) keep the old wallpaper. You only set this up once.
Tips
- Check the gallery for shaders. In the gallery, each wallpaper is labeled with its type. The ones marked Shader are the ones that can go on the lock screen.
- Switch whenever you like. Since Same as Desktop follows the desktop, there’s no need to go back to System Settings: set another shader in PrimoEngine and the lock screen follows.
- The desktop stays light. The app itself animates the desktop, and it pauses when the desktop is covered. More in do live wallpapers drain battery?
What about Windows 11? The screen saver
Windows won’t let apps animate the lock screen: only a still image goes there. PrimoEngine for Windows (in beta) handles it two ways:
- Lock screen image (free): in a wallpaper’s right-click menu, Use on lock screen takes a still of it, with your settings, and puts it on the Windows lock screen.
- Animated screen saver (Premium): in Settings › Lock screen, turn on Use PrimoEngine as the screen saver and choose how many minutes to wait under Start after. When the PC sits idle, your desktop wallpaper plays full screen on every monitor, live, whether it’s a shader, a video or a web scene. That includes the animated Halloween scenes in the Halloween and Christmas collection, which are web wallpapers and so can’t go on the Mac lock screen.
The full Windows walkthrough is in how to set a live wallpaper on Windows 11.
Download and unlock the lock screen
PrimoEngine is free to start. Download it for Mac or Windows, and when you want the animated lock screen, turn on Premium: US$ 8.99, once, for 1 Mac and 1 PC.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an animated lock screen on Mac without an app?
Only with Apple's Aerials, which move on the lock screen and as the screen saver. To use a shader of your own or from a catalog, you need an app that registers as a system wallpaper, like PrimoEngine.
Is PrimoEngine's animated lock screen free?
No, it's a Premium feature, and that includes the free wallpapers. Without Premium, the wallpaper shows on the lock screen as a still image.
Can I use a video or web wallpaper on the lock screen?
Not yet. Only shader wallpapers run on the lock screen. If your desktop shows a video or web wallpaper, the lock screen keeps the last shader you used.
Do I have to redo the setup every time I change wallpapers?
No. With Same as Desktop selected, the lock screen follows whatever shader you set in PrimoEngine, color and speed settings included.
Can Windows animate the lock screen?
Windows only accepts a still image on the lock screen. PrimoEngine puts a still of your wallpaper there for free, and the animated version becomes the screen saver, with Premium.