Monterey screensaver not working

I had the issue where I had the screensaver checked, activating after 10 minutes of non-use. Despite my screensaver choice, I had the warning triangle with the exclamation point and my screensaver did not kick in.

I went into Preferences/Energy Saver and saw that I had set the display to turn off after 5 minutes. When I changed this to a timeframe longer than 10 minutes, My screensaver options were once again available.

So, it appears your screensaver activation time cannot be longer than your monitor shut-off time (at least for me).

I am using a MacBook Pro 15 inch mid-2015. I manually pointed the screensaver to the folder where the Desktop pictures are stored:

1. From the ScreenSaver tab in the Desktop & ScreenSaver window, click on the downward arrow next to "source: colors" (mine was set to colors by default)
2. Then select "choose folder"
3. Navigate towards the Macintosh HD > Library > Desktop Pictures folder (that is where my Apple desktop pictures were stored)
4. Then click "choose"

There were extra pictures I did not want in the Desktop Pictures folder, so I selected them, saved them to another folder, and then deleted them from the original folder.

The 12.1 Monterey is a partial fix in my experience. The images displayed out of photos by the screen saver are the unedited versions. In my case I have scanned many old photograph album pages, then in photos duplicated the image of the album page and edited cropping down to a single photograph. The screen saver however shows the whole album page image i.e. the unedited image, which is irritating especially as some pages are upside down. The only way I can work around this is to export out of photos into a folder, then point at the folder with screen saver. With hundreds of pictures this is not a good workaround going forward. 

Update now to 12.1 to fix the issue

On December 13, 2021 Apple released 12.1. The update is 2.36GB and requires a system restart upon installation, but this should resolve you issue. It is one of the bug fixes.

The only solution I can see at the moment is to export the album you want as screensaver to a folder of jpegs and then reference screensaver to that folder.

Have you read the previous posts in this topic stating that it's a known bug and we'll have to use a non photo screensaver until Apple fixes it and hopefully includes a fix in the next Monterey update?

A known problem with Intel Macs and the photo screen savers. Just have to wait for a fix from Apple.

I did an update to 12.2 and screensaver is working fine now.

I found a solution on my Mac M1. I had a folder called iLifemediabrowser left over from the older iLife suite. When that is put into your library/application support/ directory the photos screensaver now works. Not sure if you can still install this folder. This folder contains a series of plugins. I have had this folder for may years even after the iLife became obsolete.

I have the exact issue and findings. Only the new Monterey screensavers function; anything using selected photos does not. A support call wanted me to wipe and reload, which I cannot do on my work machine. It is a bug needing fixing.

If this download provides the iLifemediabrowser folder then all the other iLife Suite files can be deleted leaving the iLifemediabrowser folder in the library/application support directory. That is the only file needed to support using your photos in the screensaver panel. I tested this on both Intel with Big Sur Mac and Silicone Mac with Monterey.

The newest update for Monterey fixes the screensaver issue. I hope it fixes the Cap Lock glitch on my wireless keyboard too. It seems to but it was an intermittent glitch so time will confirm.

Hi capchap,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. We understand that you're having an issue with your screen saver on macOS Monterey. We'd like to help.

Just to confirm, are you trying to add a photo from your library to your screensaver or are you using the stock photos found in Desktop and Screen Saver? What happens if you try to choose a photo?

Are you following these steps to add a screen saver?

Use a screen saver on your Mac

Let us know more and we'll go from there.

Take care!