Dynamic wallpaper not animating on Mac
Dynamic wallpaper is motionless. HELP! reduce motion and low power mode OFF.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: dynamic wallpaper not moving
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.0
Question marked as
- Re-select the Wallpaper/Screen Saver: Go to System Settings (or System Preferences) > Wallpaper (or Desktop & Screen Saver). Click on a different wallpaper, and then switch back to your desired dynamic wallpaper to see if that "unsticks" it.
- Check Date and Time Settings: Dynamic wallpapers rely on your Mac's time and location to change.
- Go to System Settings > General > Date & Time.
- Ensure that Set date and time automatically is enabled.
- Check Time Zone is correct.
- Enable Location-Based Suggestions (Newer macOS):
- Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Scroll down to Location Services.
- Click Details next to System Services.
- Ensure Location-Based Suggestions is enabled.
- Check Appearance Settings: For some dynamic wallpapers, the animation may depend on your overall system appearance.
- Go to System Settings > Appearance.
- Ensure Appearance is set to Auto (Light during the day, Dark at night).
- Free Up Storage Space: If your Mac is very low on disk space, it might struggle to run animations. Try freeing up some storage.
Restart Your Mac: A simple restart can resolve minor system glitches.
Test in Safe Mode: Booting your Mac into Safe Mode can help determine if the problem is caused by third-party software.
- Shut down your Mac.
- Start it up while holding the Shift key (Intel-based Mac) or hold the Power button until you see startup options, select your volume, and then hold Shift while clicking Continue in Safe Mode (Apple Silicon Mac).
- If the wallpaper works in Safe Mode, a third-party app is likely interfering. Restart normally and look for recently installed or running apps that modify the desktop or screen.