How to Change the Screensaver on a Mac
Changing your screensaver on a Mac is a straightforward process, but the exact steps and available options vary depending on which version of macOS you're running. Whether you want a minimalist clock display, a dynamic aerial video, or a rotating photo slideshow, macOS gives you meaningful control — once you know where to look.
Where to Find Screensaver Settings on a Mac
On macOS Ventura (13) and later, Apple reorganized System Preferences into System Settings, which changed the navigation path:
- Click the Apple menu (🍎) in the top-left corner of your screen
- Select System Settings
- In the left sidebar, click Screen Saver
- Browse the available screensavers in the preview panel and click one to select it
- Use the Show preview option to see how it will look full screen
On macOS Monterey (12) and earlier, the path is slightly different:
- Click the Apple menu
- Open System Preferences
- Click Desktop & Screen Saver
- Select the Screen Saver tab at the top
- Choose from the list on the left and preview on the right
Once selected, your screensaver activates automatically after a period of inactivity you define.
Setting How Long Before the Screensaver Activates
Both paths include a timing control. In System Settings (Ventura and later), look for the "Start after" dropdown — this lets you choose an inactivity period ranging from a few minutes to never. In older macOS versions, the same slider or dropdown appears directly on the Screen Saver tab.
If you find your screensaver never activates, check that your Mac isn't set to sleep the display before the screensaver timer runs out — display sleep and screensaver are separate settings.
Types of Screensavers Available on macOS
macOS ships with several built-in screensaver categories:
| Type | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Aerial | Streams or plays cinematic videos (cities, landscapes, space) — originally an Apple TV feature |
| Floating | Displays a word or clock that drifts across the screen |
| Photo Shuffle | Rotates through photos from your library or a chosen album |
| Hello | Displays the Apple "Hello" logo in animated script |
| Classic slideshows | Older transition-style screensavers like Flurry, Shell, or Drift |
| Custom folder | Pulls images from a folder you specify |
The Aerial screensavers introduced in macOS Sonoma (14) are particularly polished — they display slow-motion landscape footage and double as dynamic wallpapers when your Mac wakes up. Whether they run smoothly on your machine depends on your GPU capability and whether you're on a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip or an older Intel model.
Using Your Own Photos as a Screensaver
If you want a personal photo slideshow, macOS makes this possible through the Photo Shuffle option (Ventura and later) or Choose Folder (older macOS versions):
- In System Settings, select Photo Shuffle and configure which photos or albums to pull from
- In System Preferences, select any slideshow-style screensaver and click Source to point it toward a specific folder or your Photos library
The transition speed, shuffle behavior, and display style (fit, fill, crop) are configurable from the screensaver options panel. Folder-based screensavers don't require Photos app access — useful if you keep images organized in Finder rather than the Photos library.
Third-Party and Downloaded Screensavers
macOS supports installing screensavers beyond what ships with the OS. Third-party screensavers typically come as .saver files and install by:
- Double-clicking the
.saverfile - Choosing to install for just your user account or all users on the Mac
- Finding the newly installed screensaver in System Settings or System Preferences
⚠️ Screensavers downloaded from outside the Mac App Store aren't subject to Apple's app review process. Only install .saver files from sources you trust — they run with the same permissions as regular applications.
Some popular screensaver tools add functionality that macOS's built-in options don't cover: live weather visualizations, real-time data displays, or highly customized clocks. The tradeoff is that third-party screensavers may not be optimized for every macOS version or chip architecture, and compatibility can break after major OS updates.
Factors That Affect How Screensavers Perform
Not every screensaver behaves the same across all Macs. Several variables shape the experience:
- Chip type: Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) handle GPU-intensive screensavers more efficiently than older Intel models, particularly for video-based or 3D animated screensavers
- macOS version: Aerial and dynamic screensavers introduced in Sonoma aren't available on older OS versions
- Display type and resolution: Retina displays render screensavers at higher pixel density; external monitors may display them differently depending on scaling settings
- Battery and power state: On MacBooks, some screensaver effects may be throttled or behave differently on battery vs. plugged-in power
- Privacy settings: Photo Shuffle screensavers require Photos library access, which is governed by macOS privacy permissions
When Screensaver Settings Don't Stick
A common issue is screensaver settings reverting or not activating as expected. Possible causes include:
- Energy Saver or Battery settings configured to sleep the display before the screensaver timer triggers
- Presentation mode or a connected external display overriding idle behavior
- Caffeinate commands or third-party apps keeping the system active (common with productivity or menu-bar apps)
- A corrupted preferences file (the relevant plist is in
~/Library/Preferences/) which occasionally requires manual deletion and reset
The right screensaver setup ultimately depends on what you're optimizing for — whether that's aesthetics, performance impact, privacy, or just something pleasant to look at when you step away from your desk. Your specific Mac model, macOS version, and how you've configured display and energy settings all determine which options are actually available to you and how well they'll run.