Backgrounds
Dynamic Wallpapers
Only for Mac
₹ 199 · In-App Purchases
** No. 1 in the Lifestyle category of the Mac App Store **
** Award Winner of Mac Informer 5* Editor's Pick Award **
** App of the Week in Mac.informer, Macitynet and Macgasm **
"Backgrounds is, as the name implies, a Desktop background utility that truly, madly, deeply thinks different. Instead of merely changing the photo, Backgrounds changes everything" -Mac360
"It is designed for Mac users who want to make the backgrounds of their computer screens more attractive, stylish, and dynamic. This can be done by adding brand new features and helpful widgets to your screen to achieve an exquisite and original desktop appearance." -mac.informer
"Great App! The simplicity yet performance and customization is impressive! Nice job! XB" -Xan Bar
"My favorite thing is that it doesn’t compress video if you choose a video as a wallpaper, so my native 4k videos don’t get degraded." -rkzemke
Your desktop, like never before.
Make your wallpaper more interesting and useful with 7 themes: Music, Parallax, Video, Quartz, System, Clock and Web.
Includes a Notification Center Today Widget.
Includes 2 Screen Savers: Glass and Quartz X.
Hide your Desktop icons easily and enjoy your wallpaper. As it’s meant to be.
Features:
Music
See the artwork of the current track you are hearing as a wallpaper, or a video you have added to Backgrounds that matches the song’s title, artist, album or comments. Excellent for playing music videos.
• Compatible with iTunes, Spotify and Swinsian
Parallax
Give depth to your desktop by moving the cursor.
• Take advantage of your Panoramas and create immersive wallpapers
• Supports Photos Albums
Video
Play video as your desktop wallpaper. Express yourself with your own videos and live wallpapers.
• Supports Photos Albums
• Video Library
- The Video Library subscription offers access to a curated collection of videos to use as your wallpaper. Expand your videos collection and enjoy your video wallpaper
- The subscription is optional and all the features of the app are available without it
Quartz
Run Quartz Compositions as a wallpaper. Make your own Quartz Compositions or download them.
• Access to iTunes, Spotify and Swinsian current track info
System
Monitor your Mac’s CPU and Network usage.
• Get a glance of your system’s stats from Notification Center with the today widget
Clock
Know the time or date right from your Desktop
Web
Load a webpage as your wallpaper. Create your own or use an existing one.
• Includes 3D Parallax
Screen Savers
• Quartz X: Run a Quartz Composition while you are away from your Mac. Visualize your music artwork and info when playing music with iTunes, Spotify or Swinsian
• Glass: a transparent Screen Saver. Lock your Mac and see what it's doing, from your music artwork, to a task in progress, the system status, anything
• Supports Multiple Monitors with different preferences each
• You can even combine them. Activate the System and Clock widgets so they are always on top, even when you are using other themes
• Set an idle theme so when your Mac is idle it automatically activates a theme even in full screen so you can watch a video, see your music artwork, the system stats and more
Enjoy it, spread the love and share it with your friends.
We appreciate your comments. Let us know how we can help you.
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
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Backgrounds Video Library HD & 4K is available as an optional subscription. The subscription will be charged through your Apple ID account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions at any time by going to your account settings on the Mac App Store or clicking Manage Subscriptions.
Terms: crysum.com/apps/backgrounds/tos
Privacy: crysum.com/privacy
more Works great without any problems!
Developer Response Thank you for the review! Enjoy the app :)
Works great without any problems!
Thank you for the review! Enjoy the app :)
If I keep the background as a video and then I am runnnig the iTunes audio songs, when I try to pause/play the song, the Video wallpaper stops and the audio song is set as the wallpaper. Then when I am having the video as wallpaper, then I try to change something in Dashboard sticky notes, it keeps me navigating back to the desktop :(Please fix them all asap
Developer Response Open Preferences->Themes->Music and disable 'Switch to Music theme when music is playing'.The problem with Dashboard is activated with a Backgrounds Widget on (System or Time)?
If I keep the background as a video and then I am runnnig the iTunes audio songs, when I try to pause/play the song, the Video wallpaper stops and the audio song is set as the wallpaper. Then when I am having the video as wallpaper, then I try to change something in Dashboard sticky notes, it keeps me navigating back to the desktop :(Please fix them all asap
Open Preferences->Themes->Music and disable 'Switch to Music theme when music is playing'.The problem with Dashboard is activated with a Backgrounds Widget on (System or Time)?
Backgrounds 13.3 adds lyrics to Music and includes improvements and bug fixes.
Music
• Display a song's lyrics when available for tracks in the Music app
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter, Reddit or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
13.3 16/08/2025
Backgrounds 13.2 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter, Reddit or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
13.2 10/08/2025
Backgrounds 13.1 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter, Reddit or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
13.1 09/08/2025
Backgrounds 13 brings full support for macOS Sequoia, includes new features, new wallpapers for Web, support for 3D Parallax in Music and adds lists support for Web. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Music
• Adds support for 3D Parallax
Web
• Adds support for lists
• Choose a list to activate when playing music
• Import and Export Web Items
• Updates 3D Parallax with acceleration and wallpaper support
Web Gallery
• Adds new wallpapers: 4D Parallax, Wallpaper Parallax and Subject Parallax
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
13.0 31/07/2025
Backgrounds 12.1 includes new features, Video Match support with Music Sync, a translucent style for Clock, shortcuts, user experience improvements and more. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Display
• Web can be activated when playing music for using Milkdrop
Music
• Music Sync adds support for Video Match
• Adds a contextual menu item to load the Next Video Match Item
• Save as Wallpaper now supports Video Match
Improvements
• Adds a translucent style for Clock
• Add a folder to Parallax to use as wallpaper
• Function + Click on a theme when using Hide Desktop Icons to toggle Show Desktop
• Adds an Open Desktop shortcut to the contextual menu when using Hide Desktop Icons
• Improves playback and performance for looped videos
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
12.1 22/07/2025
Backgrounds 12 brings full support for macOS Sonoma, introduces Web Gallery and Save as Wallpaper, includes new features, user experience improvements and support for Milkdrop to see mind-blowing music visualizations. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Display
• Introduces Save as Wallpaper to influence the color of the menu bar and windows
- Save the current theme as a wallpaper to influence the menu bar and windows tint and the system in general with support for a wallpaper configuration per display
Music
• Adds a new Frosted look option
• Music Sync can control playback to Play, Pause, and change to Next or Previous Track
- Adds support for the Theme menu items and the contextual menu when right clicking the Theme with Hide Desktop Icons enabled
Video
• Adds a Loop menu item, a contextual menu and a shortcut
- Click the Theme menu when using the Video theme
- Right click on a video when using Hide Desktop Icons to show the contextual menu
- Press ⌥⌘L to toggle Loop mode
Web
• Introduces Web Gallery
- Browse a collection of web wallpapers that look great on your desktop
• Adds support for Milkdrop, a music visualizer that creates mind-blowing visualizations
- It uses your microphone or the audio input you choose in System Settings
• Adds support for several web wallpapers and features, including microphone support
• Improves interaction with web content
• Adds a contextual menu when right clicking the theme with Hide Desktop Icons enabled
System
• Network Data speed gauges now shows the extra speed with a second ring for measuring detail and big scope speeds, like the measuring the first 100 Mbps and then 1 Gigabit speeds
- Enable the Multicolor Rings or Multicolor Open Rings to measure exceeding speeds from 100% to 1,000%
Clock
• Includes a new default rich text format that uses a rounded font
• Improves the format of the non-custom options
Improvements
• Expands Deep Links support
- Adds support for more features via deep links for automation via scripting, Shortcuts, Automator or any method that can open a URL
- Includes Deep Links examples in the Help menu
• New app icon
• Under the hood changes and improvements for System and Clock
Share your Backgrounds experience @BackgroundsMac (Twitter / X or Facebook)
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or @BackgroundsMac
12 19/02/2024
Backgrounds 11.2 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
11.2 21/12/2023
Backgrounds 11.1.1 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Fixes
• Fixes a crash on macOS Sonoma 14
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
11.1.1 17/10/2023
Backgrounds 11.1 adds a new icon only gauge for System, a new setting to change the composition when starting for Quartz and a new playback shortcut. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
System Gauge
• Adds a new icon only gauge with a bigger icon and no text for a clean look with no distractions (Requires macOS Ventura)
Improvements
• Adds a setting to change the composition when starting for Quartz
• Adds a Play / Pause menu item to the Theme menu
- Press ⌘P to play or pause playback in Video, Music Video Match, Web Video Loop and Quartz
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
11.1 04/04/2023
Backgrounds 11.0.1 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Backgrounds 11 brings full support for macOS 13 Ventura, introduces RSS feed support for Quartz, adds new gauges for System and an analog clock. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
RSS Feed
• Download the Backgrounds RSS Visualizer Quartz composition and add your favorite RSS feed URLs in Quartz Settings
System Gauges
• Adds two new gauges: Light Rings Bottom and Open Rings Multi-Color
• Open Rings Multi-Color brings a new and fresh design with a bigger font that is easier to read at a glance (Requires macOS Ventura)
Analog Clock
• Display an elegant analog clock that adapts to the system appearance (Requires macOS Ventura)
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
11.0.1 20/03/2023
Backgrounds 11 brings full support for macOS 13 Ventura, introduces RSS feed support for Quartz, adds new gauges for System and an analog clock. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
RSS Feed
• Download the Backgrounds RSS Visualizer Quartz composition and add your favorite RSS feed URLs in Quartz Settings
System
• The Open Rings Multi-Color gauge requires macOS 13 Ventura or later
Analog Clock
• This feature requires macOS 13 Ventura or later
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
11 18/03/2023
Backgrounds 10.5 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Improvements
• System Gauge Rings are now sorted depending on the closest corner
• Improves widgets positioning when changing the screen resolution by making them relative to the closest corner
Fixes
• Solves an issue where Music Sync would stop responding
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.5 05/08/2022
Backgrounds 10.4 adds Web Items support for Video match. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Music
• Video Match now supports Web Items
- Play Video or Web Items that match the current track
Video
• Toggle Pause Video on Open App when it's active from the video's contextual menu
- Hold ⌥ Option in the contextual menu to change the Pause Video settings
Improvements
• Improves Music Sync support for Quartz
• User experience and UI improvements
Fixes
• Fixes an issue where the app may crash on macOS 10.13 High Sierra
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.4 05/07/2022
Backgrounds 10.3.1 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Fixes
• Fixes an issue where the compiler would cause a crash
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.3.1 17/05/2022
Backgrounds 10.3 introduces random options to change the selected theme, Music Layout or Web Item, adds Music Sync support for Video Match and support for naming Web Items. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Random Theme
• Change the selected theme based on different criteria for each screen
Music
• Change the Music Layout when starting
• Adds Music Sync support to Video Match
Web
• Adds support for naming Web Items
• Change item when starting
Improvements
• Adds new options to the contextual menu when right clicking a theme with Hide Desktop Icons enabled
• Improves mute and volume handling for Video
• Improves support for multiple GPUs for System
• Adds What's New History
• User experience and UI improvements
• Performance improvements
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.3 16/05/2022
Backgrounds 10.2 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.2 21/02/2022
Backgrounds 10.1 adds support for Multiple Idle Themes. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.1 23/11/2021
Backgrounds 10.0.1 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Fixes
• Fixes an issue that would cause a crash on launch
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.0.1 22/11/2021
Backgrounds 10 brings full support for macOS 12 Monterey, introduces Music Sync to sync your wallpaper across multiple computers and adds new gauges for System. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Music Sync
• Share the information of the music you are playing including artwork and sync your Backgrounds music wallpaper with all your authorized Mac computers on the local network
System
• Adds new gauges
- GPU
- Battery
- Network ↓↑
Web
• Edit URLs
Idle Theme
• Adds a new option "Hide and Show Other Apps" so you can keep other apps hidden after Idle Theme by using "Hide Other Apps"
Shortcuts
• ⌃ Control-click to show the current item in Preferences for Video when Hide Desktop Icons is enabled
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
10.0 20/11/2021
Backgrounds 9.2.1 includes improvements and bug fixes.
Fixes
• Solves an issue where Parallax may not update after entering sleep mode automatically with the display turned off after idle
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
9.2.1 16/08/2021
Backgrounds 9.2 includes new features, new floating window options and a shortcuts guide. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Features
• New floating window options available for System and Clock
• ⇧ Shift-drag to change position for System and Clock
Hide Desktop Icons
• ⇧ Shift-click to reveal the Desktop temporarily. Press ⇧ Shift again or switch apps to hide the Desktop back
Shortcuts Guide
• See all the shortcuts available in the Help > Shortcuts Guide menu
• Streamlines previous shortcuts
Music and Video
• Now show the title of the current track or video in the theme's contextual menu
Web
• Improves Video Loop support and URL parsing
Fixes
• Fixes an issue that affected some presets for the "Pause video after idle time" preference
• Fixes an issue that would cause the app to crash when updating from older versions
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
9.2 13/07/2021
Backgrounds 9.1 introduces the Video Library subscription, a curated collection of videos to use as your wallpaper. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Video Library
• Introduces a subscription to access a curated collection of videos to use as your wallpaper. Expand your collection and enjoy your video wallpaper
Shortcuts
• ⌘ Command-click to hide other apps or show all the apps
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
9.1 11/05/2021
Backgrounds 9 brings full support for macOS Big Sur, expands Scripting support, includes new features for pausing playback in the Video theme, ability to add multiple URLs, reorder items and video playback options for the Web theme and more. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Features
• Idle Theme settings are now configurable per screen
• Adds Hide Other Apps to the menu bar icon and Dock menu
• Adds new options to the contextual menu for Music, Video, Quartz and Web to Enter or Exit Full Screen
Video
• Loop, shuffle and mute properties are now assigned per playlist
• Includes new options for pausing a video
- Pause a video when on battery, CPU usage is high or an app is open
• Adds new options to the contextual menu to Play or Pause a video
• Includes Dark mode version of the default video animation
Clock
• Improves default rich text formats
Web
• Rebuilt to allow new features
- Add multiple Web URLs along with folders
- Reorder Web Items
• Loop and mute video on YouTube
Scripting
• Expands support to more features
• Adds the new commands to the included example script
Shortcuts
• ⇧ Shift-double-click to show the music player in Music
• ⌥ Option-double-click to show the current file in Video, Quartz, Web and video files in Music
macOS 11 Big Sur
• Backgrounds is now fully compatible with macOS Big Sur
• New app icon designed for Big Sur
Improvements
• User experience and UI improvements
• Performance improvements
Fixes
• Fixes an issue that prevented colors from being changed for System
• Fixes an issue that would cause the Music Theme to crash
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
9.0 09/03/2021
Backgrounds 8.1 expands Scripting Bridge support and updates the Glass and Quartz X screen savers. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Scripting Bridge
• Expands the methods supported
• Includes AppleScripts Examples in the Help > Developer menu
System
• CPU and Network gauges can now be disabled
Screen Savers
• Updates Glass and Quartz X
• Brings music information support to Quartz X on macOS Catalina
• Quartz X adds support for Spotify and Swinsian on macOS Catalina
Shortcuts
• Adds ⇧⌘S shortcut to enable or the disable the current theme
Improvements
• User experience, UI and general improvements
Have any feedback? We'd love to hear it at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
8.1 15/06/2020
Backgrounds 8 adds full support for macOS Catalina, introduces Scripting Bridge support and updates the Glass and Quartz X screen savers. This update also includes improvements and bug fixes.
Scripting Bridge
• Activate or query the status of a theme or widget
• Switch the Hide Desktop Icons preference
Screen Savers
• Updates Glass and Quartz X
• Glass includes a new Wallpaper Only option
• Quartz X includes a new Use Random option
Improvements
• User experience, UI and general improvements
Have any feedback? We'd love to hear it at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
8.0 04/06/2020
Backgrounds 13.3 adds lyrics to Music and includes improvements and bug fixes.
Music
• Display a song's lyrics when available for tracks in the Music app
Share your wallpaper and your Backgrounds experience on Twitter, Reddit or Facebook @BackgroundsMac
Have any feedback? Let us know at support@crysum.com or tweet us @BackgroundsMac
more Version 13.3 16/08/2025
Data Not Collected The developer does not collect any data from this app.