This is the biggest update in a long time and comes with better wallpaper pausing, better localization, better screensavers and over 20+ fixes and improvements - including full compatibility with Windows 11 24H2.
Replaced the default foreground window based pause detection with a grid based screen coverage algorithm - the screen is now divided into a grid (tiles), and intersection calculation is used to check if windows are visually covering the display (by default 95%.)
Solves several edge cases where the previous logic failed:
Multiple windows (example: side by side), now correctly trigger pause.
Works even if a background window, not the foreground one, is covering the wallpaper.
Each display can now pause independently in per-display mode.
Reliable desktop detection.
To see the detection in real time, right-click the Lively tray icon and choose Report Bug → Grid Detection Overlay.
Now when duplicate layout is selected all wallpapers are paused.
New All Process algorithm available in settings - scans all windows and check for fullscreen.
Learn more
Note: Some performance related settings will be reset to default after this update.
Improved wallpaper import system: now copies wallpaper file(s) to the wallpaper library location instead of just referencing the original path.
Previously imported wallpapers remain unaffected - to migrate them, use the Edit option in library.
For wallpaper projects with multiple files, a confirmation dialog now shows the expected folder structure before importing.
From this version onward, newly imported wallpapers no longer depend on the original file - you can safely delete it without causing file not found errors.
Faster bulk imports: multiple media wallpapers are now imported faster by utilizing system thumbnail cache.
Fade-in animation when screensaver starts, any user input during this phase cancels activation. https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/issues/2736
Introduced a grace period: if input is received shortly after screensaver starts, system lock is skipped (when "lock on resume" is enabled.) https://github.com/rocksdanister/lively/issues/2806
Screensaver settings have been reorganized and are now part of the main settings page for easier access.
Video Enhancements
Upgraded to MPV player’s new gpu-next video backend.
Better performance and improved video quality.
Enhances color accuracy and HDR passthrough support in settings.
Windows 11 24H2 Compatibility
Core components were fully rewritten to adapt to platform changes introduced in Windows 11 24H2.
Fixed a critical issue where wallpapers could enter a restart loop on this version of Windows.
No more wallpaper restarts during some system changes - a limitation of older versions has been removed.
Special thanks to Microsoft engineers and community members who reached out and helped.
Enhancements
Added new Choose a Fit option for scaling desktop picture wallpaper.
Improved MPV error messages for file loading and unknown arguments.
Added system tray tooltip for wallpaper errors when UI is closed.
Optimized page navigation for smoother and faster UI performance.
Website wallpapers now follow application theme (dark/light.)
Website wallpapers now show theme color (dark/light) while loading for the first time.
Made the screensaver setup message dismissible.
Reload command-line control now supports optional monitor argument.
Show documentation
Volume command-line control now supports increment/decrement.
Show documentation
Added new fadeIn command-line argument for starting the screensaver with a fade effect.
Show documentation
Set wallpaper command-line control random argument now selects a different wallpaper if the current one is already running.
Improved error presentation in the wallpaper customize dialog.
Improved file downloader with better error handling and performance.
Improved performance of video wallpaper screenshot capture (app theme and desktop picture).
Added WebView2 install prompt when selecting it in settings if the runtime is missing.
Added in-app notification when WebView2 runtime is missing while selecting a wallpaper.
Changed wallpaper directory UI: address bar now opens the folder, side button allows selecting a new folder.
Switch from ListView to Segmented control in active wallpaper dialog.
New Grid visualizer debug tool in Diagnostic page.
Lots of code refactoring.
Fixes
Fixed unwanted border appearing on top-left of video wallpapers.
If you previously added border=no to mpv.conf as a workaround, it's recommended to remove it now.
Fixed an issue where wallpapers did not respect Windows swapped mouse button settings.
Fixed website login not persisting across wallpaper restarts, requires disk cache to be enabled in settings.
Fixed website wallpaper having wrong display scale.
Fixed screensaver plugin required message not updating.
Fixed missing wallpaper art in screensaver dialog when preview file is absent.
Fixed screensaver stopping early with "lock on resume" enabled.
Fixed on-screen controls showing in video screensavers.
Fixed local file wallpapers not loading in WebView2.
Fixed wallpaper remains paused in some instances even when on desktop.
Fixed "Restore Default" button not visible when LivelyProperty is empty.
Fixed input issues in newer CefSharp player versions.
Fixed file picker allowing multiple selections where only one was expected.
Fixed screenshot capture, theme and desktop picture not working in WebView2 player.
Fixed webpage wallpaper briefly ignoring mute setting on startup.
Fixed incorrect layout in screensaver dialog when using mirror mode.
Fixed unnecessary error messages on first startup if config files are missing.
Fixed customize tray-menu not fitting on screen in some system configurations.
Fixed FileNotFound exception when using absolute path URL wallpapers.
Fixed MPV player screenshot feature crashing on some systems.
Fixed file save dialog not opening when app is run elevated.
Fixed missing app icon in WebView2 wallpaper player.
Fixed video not looping in VLC player.
Updates
Updated MPV player.
Updated to .NET 9.
Updated WindowsAppSDK.
Updated dependencies (includes important security patches.)
Updated community translations.
Known Issues
When keyboard input is enabled for wallpapers, key presses may be duplicated because the wallpaper also captures input when focused. As a workaround, switch to mouse input mode when typing.
It’s been a while since the last Lively update - I took a health break and have been gradually easing back into development. During this time, I also worked on a few side projects.. cue self promotion 😁
Screenbox - An open-source media player based on VLC created by Tung Huynh. I contributed a real-time audio visualizer, based by Lively’s own wallpaper visualizer.