App Detail » Backgrounds

What's New

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 [email protected] or @BackgroundsMac

App Description

** 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

App Changes

• June 13, 2014 Initial release
• August 02, 2014 Price increase: $0.99 -> $1.99
• August 17, 2014 Price decrease: $1.99 -> $0.99
• September 10, 2014 New version 1.2
• September 23, 2014 Price increase: $0.99 -> $1.99
• October 08, 2014 Price decrease: $1.99 -> $0.99
• October 27, 2014 New version 1.3
• September 20, 2015 New version 1.4.3
• September 20, 2015 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
• June 30, 2016 New version 1.4.4
• June 30, 2016 Price decrease: $2.99 -> FREE!
• July 07, 2016 Price increase: FREE! -> $2.99
• July 29, 2016 New version 1.4.5
• July 29, 2016 Price decrease: $2.99 -> FREE!
• August 15, 2016 Price increase: FREE! -> $2.99
• November 08, 2016 New version 1.4.6
• November 29, 2016 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
• December 04, 2016 Price increase: $0.99 -> $2.99
• December 18, 2016 Price decrease: $2.99 -> $0.99
• June 15, 2019 New version 7.1
• June 15, 2019 Price increase: $0.99 -> $1.99
• August 16, 2019 New version 7.3
• December 24, 2019 New version 7.4
• July 15, 2020 New version 8.1
• August 06, 2021 New version 9.2
• September 29, 2021 New version 9.2.1
• September 16, 2023 New version 11.1
• November 03, 2023 New version 11.1.1
• April 25, 2024 New version 12